As the region's homeless population increases, Executive Girmay Zahilay and Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson are moving to downsize the troubled King County Regional Homelessness Authority, while pledging continued regional collaboration and tighter oversight of contracts.
The ruling is the latest legal hurdle tripping up a proposal to close a 1.4-mile gap in the Burke-Gilman Trail, which a group of Ballard businesses has been fighting since 2008. Delays have heightened scrutiny of state environmental laws more broadly.
A bill scaling back building requirements for upper-level "stepbacks" and outdoor balconies was approved last week, but with two dissenting votes. In voting against, Councilmembers Kevin Nichols and Tola Marts cited the need to look at the full range of options for potential housing reforms.
Clyde Hill voters are set to be asked to approve a 69% city property tax hike this November, to avoid municipal bankruptcy looming as soon as 2030. Without such a move, city officials say, Clyde Hill could cease to exist.
SDOT recently released 60% designs for a two-way protected bike lane along Leary Way NW and invited feedback in a survey open through July 15. Dan Strauss has touted the connection as a way to finally fill the Missing Link, but not everyone is on board with the idea.
Spokane County voters have an opportunity to fund transit service with a 0.2% sales tax renewal on their August 4th ballot. Here's how you can help put the measure over the top.
CityNerd's Ray Delahanty put Vancouver, B.C. first and Seattle second, well ahead of other host cities, in his ranking of World Cup 2026 stadiums. Check out the video to see what sets them apart from more unfortunate sites.
After some nonprofit builders objected, the Housing Development Consortium pulled their support for Seattle's "Housing Accelerator" pilot program built on temporarily reducing builder fees. This led Mayor Katie Wilson to table the idea for now, pending more stakeholder work.
By far the most impactful amendment set to be considered to Katie Wilson's proposed transit measure renewal, Kettle's proposal would lead to more than 1 million fewer service hours over the course of 10 years.
A public hearing on a proposal to remove an avenue to appeal land use changes that has significantly delayed past Seattle zoning updates drew around 75 people to City Hall Wednesday. Opponents are raising a cloud of misleading claims around the proposal.
Seattle added 6,800 residents, growing to 823,400, while Tacoma added 2,600, hitting the 231,000 mark. Those jumps make them the two biggest gainers in state April 1, 2026 population estimates, as statewide growth slowed to 0.75%.
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National publications have ranked Seattle at the top of the list among World Cup 2026 host cities, commending the city's centrally located, well-integrated stadium next door to a bounty of urban attractions.
Legislation approved this month shows a County Council ready to give deference to Girmay Zahilay, the first new executive elected to steer King County in 16 years. The votes greenlit a controversial return-to-office plan and a structural overhaul of the Executive's Office.
Here is what is working well and not so well as Washington State's Growth Management Act celebrates 35 years. Travis Merrigan suggests some reforms to keep suburban sprawl at bay.
Transit Riders Union's survey of nearly 500 people showed the importance of investing in transit and can help guide investments to maximize benefits from the expanded Seattle Transit Measure going to voters in the fall.
The state passed a shared streets law in 2025, and it's time for Seattle to seize the opportunity and reclaim streets for people. Half measures aren't cutting it.
A $406 million budget amendment approved Thursday is intended to get West Seattle Link ready for construction, a key promise in the wake of a Sound Transit board vote last month to rebalance the ST3 plan. Another $16 million advances design work on Ballard Link.
The tragic death of elementary school teacher Christian Salyer underscores that the City has neglected the safe bike network in South Seattle too long. It’s time to change that.
Starting downtown in early 2027, 84% of Bellevue streets that currently have a speed limit of 30 mph or higher will see reductions. This widely supported change sets the groundwork for broader street upgrades, likely to be more contentious.
Last week, a campaign launched against two ballot measures that opponents say would be a blow to the rights of queer kids. The anti-trans measures are bankrolled by conservative multimillionaires, mirroring efforts in other states.
"Rerouting and reclaiming" State Route 99 through South Park would unlock 100 acres of space for ecological restoration, housing, and businesses. While three other options for transforming the highway were considered, removal rose to the top.
In the wake of news of increased sales across Pike Place Market after a pedestrian pilot was implemented, the advocacy group Friends of the Market is attempting to poke holes in that data. But the evidence for "worrisome trends" is paper thin.
Sound Transit set a new light rail ridership record on Friday, June 19, collecting an estimated 280,000 boardings as Seattle hosted a World Cup soccer match. Lime also set a new record for scooter and bikeshare usage.
On June 27, King County Metro is launching a new summer-only bus route connecting beachgoers to Golden Gardens Park, temporarily closing a hole in the agency's bus network thanks to Seattle Transit Measure funding.
In remarks to a transportation advisory committee, Everett Mayor Cassie Franklin painted a clear picture of the need to increase bus frequencies in the city as Sound Transit advances plans for light rail and the city accommodates significant population growth in the coming years.
Seattle Atlas is an interactive map that shows zoning, transit infrastructure, and bike lanes, so Seattleites can see for themselves what our city is doing well and where we are lacking.
King County released new data illustrating the success of the permanent supportive housing model, but DESC’s recently opened Birch Grove complex may be its last to open for several years due to federal cuts targeting supportive housing.
In the year since Tacoma adopted new zoning standards last February, the number of housing permits entering the pipeline jumped by 62% compared to the five-year average.
Rallying with transit advocates ahead of a council meeting on the Seattle Transit Measure renewal, Wilson defended the 0.15% sales tax increase contained in her proposal. Over the coming weeks, councilmembers are poised to discuss divvying up the funding for their own policy priorities.
State Senator Rebecca Saldaña and Seattle Port Commission President Toshiko Hasegawa are both running for King County Council in D2. Both progressives, they shared similar positions at a recent forum, but differed over a county social housing levy and whose experience was the right fit for the job.
The June 1 ruling by the Washington Court of Appeals is set to send a pair of appeals of Seattle's growth plan back to the City, putting consideration of the next set of planned zoning changes on hold. The city council may not be able to take them up again until late 2026 or early 2027.
King County's medical center campus expansion plan approved by voters in 2020 has ballooned from $1.74 billion to at least $2.25 billion, with the new tower at the heart of the plan pushed from 2028 to at least 2031. Numerous county councilmembers are voicing frustration and alarm.
Sound Transit's lofty Enterprise Initiative was aimed at getting ballooning budgets under control without cutting or delaying planned light rail projects. However, that may have been an overly ambitious goal, since the agency did have to resort to pulling those levers last month.
Last week, Community Transit operated its last bus to Seattle, with the retirement of Snohomish express commuter Route 424. The agency added the Bellevue-bound Route 908 to replace it, with six other routes seeing tweaks.
The Metro's Next Stop plan rolled out last week by King County Executive Girmay Zahilay eyes a 12% increase in bus service by 2038. But a presentation this week at the county council paints a more dire picture of Metro's financial outlook over the near term.
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Lime is expecting a ridership surge on its e-bikes and scooters on par with the Super Bowl victory parade during Seattle's FIFA World Cup matches. Staff are gearing up to handle the demand.
The Move All Seattle Sustainability Coalition is calling on City Council to approve Mayor Katie Wilson's proposed Seattle Transit Measure renewal to fund vastly more bus service and expand fare subsidies to the lowest income Seattleites. Here's why.
Seattle’s pace of new protected bike lane openings is too slow. Cascade Bicycle Club is launching a campaign to urge the mayor and SDOT to jumpstart the pace of investment.
Around $90 million per year in additional funding will bolster King County's roads division thanks to the 5-4 vote, with a small pass-through program providing a slice of the pie to local cities and towns. A provision capping Seattle's cut of that funding was ultimately defeated.
New U.S. customs prescreening protocols being carried out before Amtrak departures from Vancouver are allowing trains to skip an extra stop at the Canadian border, cutting trip times by at least 10 minutes. Larger time savings may be achievable soon.
Nonprofit housing leader Patience Malaba makes the case that a temporary, two-year recalibration of Seattle's Mandatory Housing Affordability program is critical to unfreeze the stalled-out housing pipeline, generate needed affordable housing revenue, and save MHA's very legitimacy.
A press briefing this week with CEO Dow Constantine clearly sought to assuage concerns that Sound Transit wouldn't be able to get all the way to Ballard. With a six- or seven-year "runway" to close a $7 to $9 billion gap, the pressure is clearly on to follow through on that commitment.
Seattle just celebrated the grand reopening of Myrtle Edwards and Centennial Parks, with upgrades fueled with $56 million in private donations. The overhaul included several nods to the land's Indigenous people and their Salish culture.
Focused on serving communities of color, the Tubman Center for Health & Freedom is aiming to deliver culturally-competent care for 12,000 patients at a new Rainier Beach facility that started construction on June 5.
A 0.1% countywide sales tax hike is on deck for later this week, largely to fund road improvements outside cities and towns. Seattle city leaders are arguing that a proposed cap diverting several million dollars per year to other cities and towns is unfair.
Ten miles south of Seattle, the SCORE Jail has seen a dozen deaths in custody since 2023. A recent fatality review left several questions unanswered, including how the drugs that caused the overdose death got into the jail.
Racist maps that U.S. federally backed banks used to deny mortgages to communities of color have a long legacy. Elijah Wright's Redlining Reimagined project seeks to lay bare that sordid history.
Sound Transit's first head of "megaproject delivery" will depart after just over two years in the role. Terri Mestas' departure comes at a critical time, with significant attention on how Sound Transit will get the full voter-approved ST3 portfolio on track.
With the effects of climate change bearing down and global goals far from reach, the City of Seattle is reevaluating its approach to climate action. A survey is open this month to guide the process.
With a 0.15% sales tax bump, Seattle would be poised to see 100,000 more bus trips per year, boosting popular routes like the D Line and the 36. At a meeting Thursday, councilmembers got a deeper look at possible investments.
Seattle's property tax system has serious shortcomings, but Aaron Schechter explains how shifting to a land value tax could address them and encourage homebuilding.
One year in, the Wilburton rezone is becoming a regional model. Thanks to a funded inclusionary zoning program, Wilburton attracted applications for more than 2,300 apartments, more than Seattle logged citywide in 2025.
With the boost from the expanded 2 Line, Seattle's Link rail system is humming along at 160,000 daily riders, according to new April data. That makes it the busiest light rail system in the U.S.
Robert Cruickshank explains the ballot initiative he has filed to reform Sound Transit's board governance, arguing the overhaul is needed to ensure ST3 rail expansions are delivered as promised.
A push to allow housing in the Stadium District looked like it had been thwarted by a legal appeal and a shift on the Seattle City Council, but a new appeal from T-Mobile Park's facilities district is poised to reignite debate.
Installing fare gates at a focused number of light rail stations would pay for itself within two to five years and boost fare revenue by more than $30 million, according to Sound Transit. If given the green light later this year, gates could be in place by 2029 or 2030.
Even though the 4 Line was delayed from 2044 to 2050, Issaquah leaders including Mayor Mark Mullet hosted a community celebration Monday night. Mullet sees staying on the calendar as the first step in getting the timeline for the Eastside's next light rail line moved up.
While hesitant to alter plans or go back to voters for funding, Sound Transit board members approved a "Request for Information" that could unearth more affordable plans for light rail to Ballard. Even so, the path to get the project back on schedule remains murky at best.
Ruling in favor of two groups trying to reopen environmental review of Seattle's Comprehensive Plan, a state Court of Appeals has affirmed a major loophole in recent state laws intended to reduce barriers to urban housing development. The decision could have big impacts statewide.
Most transit systems across the world have integrated retail within stations. It’s time for Sound Transit to join the party by streamlining its fledgling vendor program.
The City of Seattle's investment in King County Metro service would jump by 60% over the life of the proposed 10-year renewal of the Seattle Transit Measure. While backed by a sales tax increase, Wilson framed the measure as a path to affordability and access.
The seven-year levy renewal will invest around $68 million into the Seattle Public Library every year, providing more than a third of the department's budget. Library supporters see the measure as essential to provide library services to a growing city.
Join The Urbanist for our June 10 housing forum and get your ticket for our Summer Endorsed Candidate Party on July 19. We're also hosting two social hours in June.
The King County Department of Community and Human Services has implemented reforms to prevent fraud and waste in the $1.8 billion in annual grant funding it administers. Meanwhile, an outside audit continues looking into flagged contracts.
To meet the Independent Bookstore Day challenge, two book worms used transit to visit 33 bookstores scattered around the Puget Sound region in just 10 days. Here's how they did it and what they learned.
Housing permits in light rail-adjacent Wilburton are taking off, which has prompted Bellevue leaders to consider unleashing Wilburton's incentive program lowering affordability requirements in other areas. But affordable housing advocates aim to hold the line against permanent expansion.
Habitat for Humanity’s Ryan Donahue opines against the proposal to temporarily slash builder fees in Seattle's Mandatory Housing Affordability program, arguing housing solutions can't come at the expense of low-income folks.
Seattle activists trying to block growth incorrectly blame new housing for the threat to orcas, instead of the biggest culprit: cars and the sea of pavement carrying them. Paul Beard lays out how they went wrong.
The Sound Transit board voted Thursday to overhaul expansion plans, prioritizing the rail spine from Tacoma to Everett, while deferring indefinitely stations in Tukwila, Interbay, and Ballard. Seattle leaders got Graham Street back into plans, but lamented the stations put on ice.
The long-promised Graham Street light rail station would go from limbo to back on track if Sound Transit board members approve an amendment advanced by Katie Wilson, Girmay Zahilay, and Teresa Mosqueda. The proposal promises "last in" funding from King County and Seattle.
Given obstacles from the Trump administration, West Seattle Link will not break ground anytime soon. Before any vote overhauling the Sound Transit 3 plan, the board owes the region revised, evidence-based dates for every project, Trevor Reed contends.
A proposal from Land Use Committee Chair Eddie Lin would bring Seattle's land use code in line with state law, following several changes in recent years that have limited the ability of legal appeals to slow down moves to densify Washington's cities. The move is already attracting opposition.
After clearing the Land Use Committee last week, a package of narrowly targeted zoning changes is headed to the Seattle City Council on June 2. The proposal seeks to spur the construction of towers, affordable housing, and eco-friendly mass timber and passive house buildings.
The Sound Transit Board will soon decide whether to deliver on the decades-old promise to South King County to build light rail stations at Boeing Access Road and Graham Street. They should not break their promise again, writes King County Councilmember Rhonda Lewis.
Driven by a groundswell of grassroots advocacy and growing skepticism about AI, Seattle is considering a data center moratorium. The Seattle City Council has big votes scheduled in early June to decide the legislation’s fate.
An amendment from boardmember Dan Strauss would direct Sound Transit to prioritize a "starter line" between Westlake and Ballard ahead of a new tunnel in Downtown Seattle, flipping the script on Ballard Link. With a vote on Thursday, the timeline to consider such a move will be brief.
Hundreds of Seattleites turned out Saturday to celebrate the start of the 2026 Bicycle Weekend schedule, scaled back up by Mayor Katie Wilson after being stifled under the previous administration.
“What’s Nashville have that we ain’t got in Seattle?” New Jim Crow, strict abortion ban, union-busting, low wages, unchecked poverty, and gun deaths in spades. Just what Starbucks was looking for, John Burbank opines.
With a widespread housing crisis and sky-high downtown commercial vacancies, West Coast cities are weighing vacancy taxes to push more units into productive use, but Tacoma and Seattle likely need state legislation to clear the path.
The Seattle Social Housing Developer has acquired its first building, interim CEO Tiffani McCoy announced at a media event on Friday. Elara at the Market has 150 apartments, half of which will be affordable and rented below market.
Direct service between light rail stations in Seattle and Bellevue and several major Eastside trailheads starts Saturday, and runs on weekends and holidays through August 30. Seattle's transit funding measure provides a big source of the dollars to operate the shuttles.
A bill quietly approved this week establishes a range of paid parking hourly rates between $1 and $8, with the actual fee charged to drivers based on the demand for curb access on that block. Bellevue is currently a major outlier when it comes to providing free on-street parking citywide.
Seattle’s Community Assisted Response & Engagement (CARE) department is expanding, but it’s being blocked from doing its job by the conditions laid out in the new Seattle Police Officers Guild contract. CARE is looking to circumvent these obstacles.
The exclusive island enclave's residents have a reputation as being anti-growth. A recent public hearing at the Bainbridge Island Planning Commission showed how many are actually clamoring for more housing options.
Join The Urbanist and other partners for a King County Candidate Forum on June 10th. The Assessor and District 2 races are both hotly contested.
A commitment to reduce barriers standing in the way of future 4 Line light rail is the latest move by Issaquah leaders to get their project moving. Later this month, the Sound Transit board is set to approve a new six-year delay for the project.
Seattle's "number 1 and number 2 priority" is being addressed with four new public bathrooms opening in Pioneer Square. Officials cut the ceremonial toilet paper on Friday.
The Wilson administration and the Seattle City Council are starting to get on the same page around what it means to go much bigger in the next phase of the city's growth plan. Despite 'faster' right in the name, the process could stretch into 2028.
On Saturday, Amtrak delivered its first ‘Airo’ class trainset to Seattle for testing and deployment on Amtrak Cascades this fall. The trickle of train photos is already building anticipation for the enhanced service they will provide.
An amendment put forward by King County Councilmember Steffanie Fain would cap Seattle's participation in a new pass-through funding program to well below the city's proportional share, resulting in millions less going to the city.
King County should expand its wildly popular Trailhead Direct transit shuttle service. Here are a handful of ways to enhance service and get even more hikers and bikers to regional trailheads.
Local leaders plugged expanded transit options for Seattle's World Cup matches this summer and shared their goal for 80% of fans to arrive without a personal vehicle. Here's what is planned.
Seattle leaders have been urging Sound Transit to provide a date estimating light rail's arrival to Ballard in light of plans to defer the station indefinitely, but the agency is insisting it doesn't know. This has not sat well with advocates.
Thanks to a 0.3% sales tax increase that voters could consider as soon as November, Pierce Transit is touting a plan that would result in 40% more transit service across South Sound. That increase would be a game-changer for a part of the region that has long lagged behind in transit service.
The Seattle Times editorial board opposes Seattle's "taller, denser, faster" growth plan, and they're mad enough about it to call The Urbanist "the builders' media mouthpiece." Here are the many things they got wrong in their recent editorial.
Join The Urbanist for our Cross Kirkland biking tour on Sunday, May 17, and check out other events we have in the month ahead, including a King County housing forum on June 10.
With Seattle's stated goal of cutting emissions by 58% by 2030 increasingly improbable after two decades of half-hearted measures, the City is revamping its climate action plan.
At a rally Monday near Seattle’s future Graham Street infill light rail station, advocates demanded Sound Transit not cut two long-planned infill stations as it rebalances ST3 plans. Speakers flagged issues with racial equity and restoring trust with voters.