The project to replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct is already having a major impact on transportation around West Seattle.  The construction detours have made it more challenging to access downtown – on the other hand, the City’s work on the Spokane Street Viaduct, specifically the new 4th Avenue ramp, has helped to mitigate that.  When [...]

On Monday, December 19, the Council unanimously adopted Resolution 31345, setting forth a structure, process and schedule to consider placing a Library Levy on the August 7, 2012 ballot for funding to be used in combination with existing City funding for Library operations and major maintenance.  This is the start of a four month process [...]

On MLK Day, January 16th, a group of Councilmembers braved the threatening weather and trekked to Olympia for our first visit of the session.  Led by Council President Sally Clark, Councilmembers Tom Rasmussen, Sally Bagshaw, and I joined our Office of Intergovernmental Relations staff and split up to visit some two dozen legislators to talk [...]

2011 was the last of my four years as Council President.  In 2012, I will Chair the Planning, Land Use, and Sustainability (PLUS) Committee, while Councilmember Sally Clark will become President for 2012-2013.  As President, my goals have been: To build a strong and assertive Council that works to create a more just and sustainable [...]

On January 9 the Council will adopt its new Committee structure for 2012-2013.  I will likely Chair a Committee we have named Planning, Land Use, and Sustainability (PLUS).  Once approved, this committee will work on legislation relating to land use and urban planning, as well as oversee the Office of Sustainability and Environment and the [...]

On Monday, December 12, the City Council unanimously approved Council Bill 117362 creating an Economic Development Commission to advise and provide recommendations to the Mayor and City Council on plans, policies, and regulations to promote sustainable and equitable economic development and job creation in Seattle. This Commission is an implementation step for City Council Resolution [...]

Historically, City Departments have been very possessive about their properties and buildings.  It has been very challenging to even get Departments to coordinate with each other, much less to integrate the City’s properties and buildings into the fabric of neighborhoods in a proactive and positive way.  Fortunately, this attitude is changing, and the City is [...]

On Wednesday, December 14, a major legislative rezone in the Roosevelt neighborhood was voted out of the Committee on the Built Environment (COBE). The legislation will come to Full Council on Tuesday, January 17.

On Monday, December 19, the Council unanimously approved an ordinance that bans plastic bags at retail checkout stands and requires retail establishments to collect a pass-through charge from customers requesting paper carryout bags.  The legislation is modeled after ordinances successfully adopted by the Cities of Edmonds and Bellingham, and was sponsored and championed by Councilmember [...]

Did you know that the City of Seattle owns a 40 acre farm southeast of Auburn?  I didn’t until a few weeks ago – and last month I toured the property and discovered what an imaginative asset this can be for Seattle. My Local Food Action Initiative (LFAI) is designed to encourage Seattle to increase [...]