Without a state extension, Bainbridge Island is on track to be required to permit any housing project that meets certain affordability requirements, regardless of existing zoning, starting August 22. This accountability tool, known as the Builder's Remedy, has not yet been deployed in Washington.
Mayor Katie Wilson ousted Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes on Wednesday, according to numerous reports, but allies are fighting to save his job. Barnes frequent travel and numerous missteps have worn thin his welcome in the Wilson administration.
King County Metro's new bus network in North Seattle and the North Shore communities is intended to improve access to light rail and bring increased frequencies throughout the day. But a plan to retire Route 372 between Lake Forest Park and UW has raised concerns among city officials.
Public schools, early learning, and child care have suffered deep cuts in recent sessions, and Washington State continues to face a major budget shortfall. A new coalition lays out the case for a pro-kids majority that will protect the programs families rely on.
State Representative Shaun Scott and Seattle Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck explain why they're voting for Hannah Sabio-Howell for state Senate.
Some have suggested that King County Best Starts for Kids grants are too easy to obtain, which overlooks the bureaucratic burden the process already places on small nonprofits, which is only getting worse with new stipulations.
The 5-4 vote means city-level appeals that have delayed significant citywide zoning changes in the past will instead be directed to Superior Court of a state growth hearings board. The proposal had prompted significant push back from density opponents across Seattle.
The R Line is set to replace the Route 7 by 2032, with County Executive Girmay Zahilay promising to "fast track" the RapidRide project last year. But amid the bleak federal transit funding landscape, Metro won't count on those dollars any longer.
Days before a July 31 deadline, Mercer Island City Council adopted a framework responding to a 2025 ruling declaring its housing plans out of line with state law. The City has faced pushback over new provisions that will lower barriers to emergency and supportive housing in Mercer Island.
Jason Slaughter of Not Just Bikes highlights Amsterdam's ambitious plan to expand car-lite streets, which included removing more than 10,000 parking spaces.
Multiuse paths can provide safe bike and pedestrian access to the broad areas of our cities lacking basic sidewalks. Travis Merrigan lays out their advantages, which includes being quicker and cheaper to deploy.
After public outcry following their vote to delay a universal school meal program, Seattle councilmembers had a change of heart and proposed to start the program this fall after all using unspecified general fund dollars.
The Eastside city is the first to take advantage of a 2025 state law allowing cities to create a pathway for licensed architects to sign off on their own building plans. The program is intended to cut timelines to getting accessory dwelling units into construction.
Sound Transit is weighing a cut to light rail service spans to allow larger maintenance windows and is proposing to drop the Seattle-tail of Route 560 to boost frequency on the remainder of the route. The agency’s survey on its service proposal is open through July 26.
Two well-funded challengers are vying to unseat incumbent Rep. Gerry Pollet in LD46. Urbanist-backed Ron Davis has raised the most money in state, but Dreher has a big fundraising advantage built from out-of-state donors.
The number of weekday round trips between Bremerton and Seattle will drop from 20 to 13, with a major gap created between mid-morning and afternoon. The end of supplemental state funding coincides with a pivot at the legislature away from fast ferries.
Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson wisely put a stake in the ground for using World Cup hosting success as a springboard for further cityscape improvements, such as pedestrian zones and transit investments. Policymakers should heed the call and make it happen.
If approved in November, the 0.3% sales tax measure will ramp up city-funded Metro bus service on 10 to 15 additional routes on top of maintaining extra service that exists today. Signing the measure would mark a full-circle moment for Mayor Katie Wilson.
Long-awaited upgrades to one of the city's busiest bus corridors are just a few days away, with SDOT set to permanently close the often-clogged slip lane onto Yale Avenue on August 1. A full eastbound bus lane will be installed by the end of August.
Join the SAFE Bellevue Coalition in sending a letter to city leaders to show your support for a future-focused Bellevue budget that is committed to reducing the high rate of serious injuries on our streets.
Canvass on July 26th, volunteer for good local candidates, and support our election committee’s work at our Endorsement Party on Thursday.
Two public restrooms near 1st Avenue S and Charles Street will be relocated by early August after SDOT settled with a nearby property owner who filed an appeal. Cederstrand Rentals called the use "incompatible" with the standards of the Pioneer Square historic district.
Many years in the making, Pierce County’s coordinated approach to homelessness still faces challenges after being approved by county council in June. With King County partially dismantling its troubled regional authority, Pierce County hopes to avoid the same mistakes.
Seattle City Council is weighing an amendment that would delay Mayor Katie Wilson’s proposal for universal free school meals in favor of a more cautious expansion and a voucher food assistance program.
Seattle’s D5 Council frontrunners Nilu Jenks and Julie Kang diverged around the issues of surveillance cameras, Aurora “stay out” orders, and relative enthusiasm for the mayor’s Taller Denser Faster housing proposal.
While amendments from the Council did make a mark on the Seattle Transit Measure renewal, it still largely resembles Wilson's initial proposal. Amendments that would have scaled it back in scope and duration were both defeated Thursday.
The Urbanist Elections Committee is excited to announce our 2026 primary election endorsements. Check out our great slate of leaders. Be sure to vote by August 4.
The City's hearing examiner granted the Port of Seattle intervenor status in a newly filed appeal seeking to keep the door open to housing in North SoDo, just as the two sides are poised to go head-to-head in the hearing room.
A 3-0 Land Use Committee vote sends Eddie Lin's proposal to close a commonly used avenue of growth plan appeals to a full Seattle City Council vote next week. The proposal has sparked opposition from many of the same groups that have used appeals to delay zoning changes in the past.
Councilmember Bob Kettle's proposal to slash the Seattle Transit Measure renewal by one-third drew significant pushback this week at a public hearing on potential amendments. Among those strongly advocating against the move was the Seattle Transit Advisory Board and the Amalgamated Transit Union.
The 0.3% sales tax bump going onto the November ballot would increase service by around 40% by the mid-2030s, the biggest expansion of transit service in Pierce County in decades. Since May, the proposal has been tweaked to include free rides for seniors.
While other cities struggled to handle World Cup 2026 crowds, Seattle thrived, with pedestrians happily exploring and transit records being broken. Good planning and an urban stadium location was key to Seattle outperforming its American peers.
The I-5 Interstate Bridge Replacement project has completed its federal environmental review and the first phase of work is marching toward construction. Does that mean internal strife over major elements of the program is in the rearview mirror? Far from it.
The Downtown Seattle Association recently released a “report” that was meant to convince us that taxes on high earners are smothering the Seattle economy. Here’s why their analysis is flat wrong.
Josh Kline of YouTube channel Build Core recently took a look at the $3 billion plan to improve I-405 in Seattle's Eastside suburbs and deliver a new bus rapid transit network.
A surge of World Cup fans for the U.S. vs. Belgium match pushed Sound Transit to new heights on July 6, with a whopping 309,000 light rail boardings. The agency also beat its monthly ridership record in June.
Join transit advocates rallying to defend the Seattle Transit Measure proposal from cuts at a public hearing on Monday, July 13. Attend the rally or send in a letter ahead of the big vote to send the package to voters.
Kirkland's Sheila Stanton Place opened earlier this year with 101 units of permanent supportive housing. It marks King County's 15th Health Through Housing facility funded via a 2020 sales tax measure.
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 eroding of support 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%.
Join The Urbanist for our July events, including a soccer social with Sounder at Heart on July 19 and our Endorsements Rollout Party on July 23.
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.