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The Seattle Planning Commission has given the proposed One Seattle Comprehensive Plan a once-over. The reviews are not good.
Smith Tower at sunset

Harrell Rolls Out Incentive Proposal for Converting Offices to Housing

Seattle is considering legislation to support conversion of existing commercial buildings to residential. Mayor Harrell is seeking to incentivize and facilitate reuse of vacant commercial properties and fulfill a plank of his Downtown Activation Plan.
A line of police offers in riot gear face off against protesters sporting Black Lives Matter signs along a Downtown Seattle street.

SPD Kettled Protesters in 2020, Escalated Violence, and Promoted the Commander

New footage shows how police kettled protesters, trapping them in a corridor of violence in the early days of 2020 protests. Despite the historic magnitude of financial costs to the city across multiple legal settlements, in the three-plus years since the summer of 2020, the department internally has rarely found any of its conduct to be worthy of punishment beyond a handful of oral and written reprimands.

Metro Breaks Ground on New Electric Bus Base in Tukwila

King County Metro started construction on a new million zero-emissions bus base in Tukwila this month. It will house 120 battery-electric buses currently on order and arriving in a few short years. Metro is betting heavily on battery buses getting more dependable.
The back patio at Stoup with Ryan Packer sitting at one of the table and apartment buildings in the background.

Join The Urbanist for Monthly Meetup on March 21

We meet at Stoup Capitol Hill starting at 5:30pm on the third Thursday of the month. We'll discuss the Seattle Comprehensive Plan this month.

Port Townsend Just Quietly Ditched Its Off-Street Parking Mandates

Small but mighty Port Townsend appears to be the first city in Washington State to have fully ditched its off-street parking requirements.
Space Needle shrouded in wildfire smoke from Oregon and California in late summer 2020.

Op-Ed: Harrell’s Anemic Growth Plan Is Not ‘Space Needle Thinking’

The mayor's comprehensive plan proposal failed to deliver real solutions on housing abundance, affordability, and climate. It promises only modest zoning changes at the margins and 100,000 additional homes over 20 years.

Land Use Chair Tammy Morales Takes Aim at Proposed Seattle Growth...

In the first chance to discuss the Harrell administration's planned growth strategy, Morales was leagues ahead of her colleagues in articulating changes she wanted to see made, such as higher growth targets and more multifamily zoning, before earning her vote of approval.

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The back patio at Stoup with Ryan Packer sitting at one of the table and apartment buildings in the background.

Join The Urbanist for Monthly Meetup on March 21

We meet at Stoup Capitol Hill starting at 5:30pm on the third Thursday of the month. We'll discuss the Seattle Comprehensive Plan this month.

Join Seattle YIMBY for Forbidden Homes Walking Tour of Ballard

Join host Markus Johnson for a Ballard walking tour on Saturday, March 16. Attendees will discover surviving examples of mid-sized home options such as duplexes, triplexes and small apartment complexes, while learning what prompted their all but disappearance from residential neighborhoods and discuss opportunities to bring them back.

The Urbanist Meetups Are Back on Third Thursdays, Starting February 15

The Urbanist's meetups will be held on the third Thursday of every month at Stoup Capitol Hill (formerly Optimism Brewing), a spacious all-ages brewery, starting on February 15.

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Bellevue Official Cleared in Bike Bellevue Ethics Complaint

Franz Loewenherz, a longtime employee of Bellevue's transportation department, has been cleared of wrongdoing after an ethics investigation into his work on Bike Bellevue. The complaint was made by a project opponent, who did succeed in causing a minor delay.

Sunday Video: Kirkland’s History of Exclusion and Opportunities to Change That

Historian Lorraine McConaghy rehashes the arc of Kirkland's history from blue collar boomtown with an industrial waterfront to bust town to its high tech resurgence, all while using a lens of racial equity and housing exclusion.

Abbreviated East Link Grand Opening Set for April 27th

A 10am ribbon-cutting ceremony at Downtown Bellevue Station will inaugurate Eastside light rail service on April 27. 2 Line trains will run between Bellevue and Redmond in advance of full service into Seattle expected in 2025.

More Eastside Coverage posts »

Growth Plan Falls Short of Seattle’s Needs, Planning Commission Says

The Seattle Planning Commission has given the proposed One Seattle Comprehensive Plan a once-over. The reviews are not good.
Space Needle shrouded in wildfire smoke from Oregon and California in late summer 2020.

Op-Ed: Harrell’s Anemic Growth Plan Is Not ‘Space Needle Thinking’

The mayor's comprehensive plan proposal failed to deliver real solutions on housing abundance, affordability, and climate. It promises only modest zoning changes at the margins and 100,000 additional homes over 20 years.

Land Use Chair Tammy Morales Takes Aim at Proposed Seattle Growth...

In the first chance to discuss the Harrell administration's planned growth strategy, Morales was leagues ahead of her colleagues in articulating changes she wanted to see made, such as higher growth targets and more multifamily zoning, before earning her vote of approval.

More One Seattle Plan posts »

Transportation

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Land Use/Housing

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Commentary

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A view of a sunset over a lake with a pier in it.

The Urbanist Podcast: Vote Up to the End

It's time to vote for Seattle City Council, a housing levy, and elected positions all over King County. The Urbanist has published its general...

Guest Podcast: Recycling America’s Railroads into Trails

The Urbanist Podcast is on summer break so we thought we'd share with you a guest podcast on a topic near and dear to...
A photo of King County ballot drop box on a sunny day.

The Urbanist Podcast: All About 2023 Primary Endorsements

Primary election ballots are arriving in the mail and due by August 1st. In the run up The Urbanist Elections Committee has been hard...

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