South King County

A 5-2 vote at the council puts a zoning rollback in Three Tree Point, Lake Burien, and Seahurst on the table for 2026, following months of advocacy by residents. This November's election will likely play a big role in the final policy outcome.

While SeaTac City Councilmember Peter Kwon came in first with nearly 28% of the vote in a six-way primary race to be District 5's next King County Councilmember, his campaign’s message has been high-level and light on specifics. In The Urbanist's interview with Kwon, a strong theme of tax-aversion emerged.

The Urbanist sat down with Steffanie Fain, who is running for King County Council’s District 5 seat and facing off with SeaTac City Councilmember Peter Kwon. Both position themselves as tax-averse fiscal hawks, but Fain expressed marginally more openness towards raising new revenue to tackle the numerous challenges facing King County.

After considering a broader slate of property condemnations to keep the RapidRide I Line on track for a 2027 opening, the council is poised to approve a compromise measure much narrower in scope.

Michael Westgaard, a labor organizer with Raise the Wage Renton, is challenging incumbent Councilmember James Alberson, Jr. for Renton City Council's Position 1 seat. Transit emerges as a central plank of his platform in this interview with The Urbanist.

A few months before construction on RapidRide I Line between Renton and Auburn was set to begin, King County has still not been able to acquire portions of 25 properties needed for the bus project. Now it's considering a measure of last resort: condemnation.