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.
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.
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.
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.
Join The Urbanist and other grassroots organizations for a May filled with advocacy and social gatherings. Among our events: a walking tour in Redmond on May 9 and a Cross Kirkland biking tour on May 17.
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.
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.
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.
A proposal to close a $34.5 billion gap in the voter-approved ST3 plan is on a fast track to a Sound Transit board vote on May 28. Developed by Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers, it would prioritize completing the regional rail "spine" while deferring and delaying multiple other major projects.
The City of Everett has maintained its own independent transit agency since 1969, but merging with Community Transit is likely to bring major benefits for the city's transit riders. Thanks to a 2025 change in state law, the move won't require a public vote.
At an April 14 rally in Everett, Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers and Everett Mayor Cassie Franklin repeatedly stressed that finishing the light rail "spine" to Everett and Tacoma would be their top priority, while backing a plan to defer getting to Ballard.
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.
A proposal to close a $34.5 billion gap in the voter-approved ST3 plan is on a fast track to a Sound Transit board vote on May 28. Developed by Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers, it would prioritize completing the regional rail "spine" while deferring and delaying multiple other major projects.
Pierce County is set to consider an ordinance on March 24 that would prohibit a new ICE detention facility within its unincorporated areas. On March 3, King County passed just such an emergency ordinance. Advocates hope officials can do more to block illegal detentions.
KUOW's Soundside recently did a special on Sound Transit system expansion deliberations that heavily featured Urbanist contributing editor Ryan Packer. It's a great primer on the debate about how to best close the agency's $34.5 billion budget gap. Give it a listen!
The Urbanist newsroom discusses April headlines, like Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson expanding Bicycle Weekends, 300 transit advocates marching to save Ballard light rail from the chopping block, and pushback against a Capitol Hill crisis case center.
The Urbanist newsroom discusses the big opening day for Sound Transit's crosslake 2 Line, how we got here, and what it means for the future of light rail expansion in the Seattle region.
