Plans and Policy

An elevated light rail line over a city street with midrise buildings on the sides.

Help Snohomish County Shape Future Communities Near Light Rail

On August 3rd, Snohomish County returned with a Summer Survey to continue their light rail planning process. When we last covered Snohomish County's Light...

Cities Announce Race to Zero Emissions by 2040 or Sooner

Participating mayors pledge to enlist an additional 1,000 cities to achieve net zero carbon emissions. July 29th, 2021 marked an important date that only the...

PSRC Housing Strategy Seeks to Galvanize Region to Action

In July, the Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC) released their draft three-pronged Regional Housing Strategy (RHS). The strategy is to be a collection of...
A view of a growing Downtown Bellevue from the city's central park.

King County Sets 2044 Growth Targets with Seattle and Bellevue at the Top

The future of jobs and housing growth in King County has been set. In late June, an obscure regional body known as the Growth...

Highrises Spread into UW Campus – U District Development Spree Part 3

With highrises emerging from the University District, neighboring University of Washington (UW) is also preparing to join in on the developing skyline. Of the...
A ten story building with a pinkish purple sunset in the background

JumpStart Prevails, Court Dismisses Chamber Lawsuit

Corporations hoping to derail Seattle's JumpStart progressive payroll tax were thwarted in a court ruling released Friday. King County Superior Court Judge Mary Roberts ruled in...
School crossing guards are a low paid, but essential position. Seattle Public Schools has struggled to recruit and train school crossing guards in recent years. (Credit: Nicholas Pilch)

Council Takes Initial Steps to Fix Childcare in Seattle

Of all the unexpected systems that the pandemic has laid bare, the crisis has shown childcare to be uniquely scattered and broken. By closing...
Senator Hobbs, Chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, at a youth rally in 2016. (Washington State Democrats)

Senator Hobbs Recasts Himself as Fix It First Leader in National Press

The Washington Post covered the national highway system's maintenance backlog and State Senator Steve Hobbs (D-Lake Stevens) was heavily featured. Despite a record of...