A 2.75-mile repaving project will only see around 0.8 miles of new bike facilities, despite a new requirement to repair gaps along the state highway network along with maintenance work. The project illustrates the limitations of that 2022 law.
Two 2026 charter amendments are at the heart of a Republican megadonor's plan to take over Snohomish County. If they pass, it would have rippling impacts on transit expansion, housing growth, and safe streets investments, making it easier for Republicans to block progress.
The draft environmental analysis for the Everett light rail extension will be released September 18, Sound Transit said, thanks to a federal greenlight.
An ordinance from Rod Dembowski would have thrown a wrench into King County Metro's next service change, set for August 29, by restoring Route 372 without any funding to do so. Ultimately, the move seemed to be symbolic to show support for impacted riders.
On top of concerns about lack of city resources, officials in Lynnwood have cited a relatively low number of road fatalities compared to other cities and an inability to make a difference in impaired and distracted driving as reasons to shy away from a Vision Zero action plan.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Steps from Shoreline North Station, a hodgepodge of publicly owned properties are being eyed by neighborhood advocates as a badly needed community gathering space. With City and State support, the idea is quickly taking shape.
When it opens in 2028, the S3 rapid bus line will provide riders across Bothell, Kenmore, Lake Forest Park, and Shoreline with a more frequent, reliable transit option and extend the reach of Sound Transit’s light rail network.
While the upgrades wouldn’t happen all at once, and would only go in as other maintenance work occurs, the proposed concept sets a strong baseline for one of the state’s most dangerous surface highways.
On the whole, there were bright spots for urbanist candidates all around the region, with major gains seen in Burien, Redmond, and Tacoma. There was also some backsliding in places like Sammamish and Bainbridge Island.
The changes will impact riders throughout King, Snohomish, and Pierce Counties as Sound Transit eliminates routes where travel times are competitive with new light rail options. The agency is also planning to launch a new overnight bus network to improve regional access.
Parking reform has become a national movement, aimed at reducing housing costs. With a nudge from state law, Shoreline joins the trend to support urban development and a shift toward greener transportation options.
Bellingham is ranked the fourth most unaffordable housing market in the nation, but it doesn’t have to be this way. The city must embrace pro-housing policies: easing zoning restrictions, cutting red tape, and investing in mixed-income development, writes Bellingham City Council candidate Andrew Red
This week, Sound Transit broke ground on a $274 million base in Bothell vital to the region’s Stride bus rapid transit plans. The base will support battery electric buses for the S1, S2, and S3 lines, which together compose 45 miles of service spanning from Lynnwood to Burien.
Shoreline becomes the largest city in King County to let builders decide how much parking makes sense within the specifics of a site, rather than requiring an arbitrary number. The 6-0 city council vote follows a watershed state bill tackling parking earlier this year.
Is Everett’s plan to move the AquaSox from aging Funko Stadium to a brand new downtown stadium an economic jolt or a costly gamble? The City of Everett will be leading financing on the project projected to cost at least $82 million.
Kenmore is considering a mandatory inclusionary zoning policy that would not be paired with funding or incentives — passing affordability costs onto homebuilders. But, in a shift away from the Planning Commission’s recommendation, the City Council directed staff to draft a policy that would encourag
The new housing growth framework in Edmonds allows some additional density around existing commercial hubs and centers. But with one neighborhood already getting a second look, the entire plan could unravel in the face of opposition.
Snohomish County Council adopted new land use legislation to streamline permitting and remove regulatory barriers to opening more childcare centers and daycares. The state legislature seems to share in that goal and has proposed statewide legislation reducing regulatory hurdles.
A rally Saturday in Lake Forest Park served to highlight the threats to the SR-522 bus rapid transit project, which will connect Shoreline to Bothell. In order to open in 2028 as planned, construction needs to start this year.
The Snohomish County Council has further liberalized accessory dwelling unit (ADU) regulations in urban unincorporated areas, building on reforms enacted in 2021. Spurred by state reforms, the County will be allowing more bulk flexibility and ending common ownership requirements for ADUs, and allowi
On Saturday, March 1, Community Transit will implement a fare change benefitting low-income riders, seniors, Medicare recipients, and disabled riders, as fares drop from $1.25 to $1.00 for these riders. Community Transit’s full fare will remain $2.50.
On Monday, Bellingham joined the growing list of cities that have opted to eliminate parking mandates citywide. Bellingham Mayor Kim Lund and an allied city council have more housing reforms on deck.
All three Swift Bus Rapid Transit routes operated by Community Transit saw double digit increases in ridership following the extension of light rail into Snohomish County, including a 36% jump for the Orange Line.
Lynnwood Link opened on Friday and the excitement was high among riders and dignitaries, alike.
Ahead of Friday’s launch of the northward light rail extension, take a tour of the Lynnwood City Center Station.
More than 1,800 homes are under construction, recently completed, or planned near Mountlake Terrace Station, where light rail service will soon commence.
Within a mile of Shoreline North Station, about 1,700 homes have been built or planned since 2019. While the development pipeline is petering out, the City could jumpstart it once more with zoning changes and action to redevelop public land.
Shoreline is seeing booming development. We’ll take a look at what’s been built and what’s on the way near the soon-to-open Shoreline South light rail station.
Join The Urbanist in Mountlake Terrace on August 30 to celebrate the opening of the Lynnwood Link light rail extension.
Shoreline has seen significant growth in housing around its two light rail stations, but this week the Shoreline Council showed clear reluctance to allow increased density throughout the rest of the city.
Sound Transit’s Sounder N Line between Everett and Seattle will see four round trips starting September 14, finally returning to pre-pandemic levels of service.
Community Transit is hosting an online open house through August 7 to narrow down options for the Swift Gold Line bus from Everett Station north to Marysville and Arlington.
For decades, the Interurban Trail in North King County and in Snohomish County have been disconnected, with a state highway between them. There’s new momentum to change that.
On Friday, agency officials celebrated the start of pre-revenue testing for the Lynnwood Link light rail extension. A countdown clock has ticked down to 80 days and counting to the line’s grand opening on August 30.
A new hydrogen fuel cell bus has arrived in Snohomish County, offering another path toward fleet electrification goals for the county’s main transit provider.
The Swift Orange Line bus rapid transit route debuted in March and will connect to Lynnwood Link light rail when it opens in September. Already Community Transit saw a 23% ridership bump in its first month of service.
The new Swift Orange Line brings 10-minute bus service on weekdays, improving options for riders trying to get across Snohomish County. It runs from Edmonds College to McCollum Park, connecting destinations like Lynnwood City Center and Mill Creek Town Center on the way.
Snohomish County’s bus network will grow, with frequent routes and feeders for light rail. Community Transit’s new long-range plan and adopted 2024 budget offers quite a bit of optimism for the future. Next year promises to delivery the agency’s newest Swift bus rapid transit (BRT) line,
The full opening of East Link will bring a reprieve, but overcrowding issues could resume with Federal Way Link. With approximately one year until Sound Transit plans to begin service on its extension of light rail north to Snohomish County, a clearer picture of some of the growing pains that
The project is a big step for Snohomish County’s largest city, which has been slow to expand safe bike and pedestrian infrastructure. This spring, city crews working on a repaving project put down something that hadn’t been seen before in Everett: green paint to mark a bike lane
Often a lone voice for housing, Paine makes a pitch for another council term. In December when the Edmonds City Council pushed back on the state legislature’s push to change single family zoning laws statewide, there was just one vote in opposition of the resolution: Councilmember Susan Paine. The
By close vote Monday, the Lynnwood City Council failed to override Mayor Christine Frizzell’s veto of a bill repealing a $40 car tab fee, which funds city streets. Mayor Frizzell issued her veto of the car tab ordinance at a October 31st meeting arguing the streets are a top
On Monday night, the Lynnwood City Council voted to continue permitting new housing units and office space in its City Center neighborhood, immediately adjacent to the coming Sound Transit light rail station, under a streamlined environmental review. The vote represents an endorsement of the city’s longstanding plan for dense
A relative flood of new grant opportunities for tribes, cities, towns and counties is on its way as a result of the passage of the Move Ahead Washington state transportation package this spring. One program that will see a boost is the Complete Streets grant program. In order to qualify
Sound Transit plans to open Lynnwood Link in 2024, but the Lynnwood City Council is already signaling some hesitancy about transit-oriented development near the city’s light rail station, potentially hampering long-laid plans. The northern terminus of both the Link 1 Line to Federal Way and the 2
Like many suburban American cities that saw major growth in the second half of the 20th century, Lynnwood lacks a defined central commercial area. Businesses are grouped instead as strip malls along busy thoroughfares like 196th Street SW and Alderwood Mall Boulevard, which is a frontage road for Interstate 5.
When we warned of a stroad growing in Lynnwood due to highway widening plans, it cast a negative light on Lynnwood’s plans to develop a city center near its coming light rail station, due to open in 2023. Nonetheless, Lynnwood’s plan for its city center is still exciting.
Lynnwood is on a path toward disaster with its latest stroad designs for 196th St SW, a road bisecting the city’s regional growth center near the Lynnwood Transit Center (also future terminus of light rail in 2023). 196th St SW is a primary arterial street linking together the communities