The City is embarking on a three year program to support investment in the University District.  With construction of light rail from Husky Stadium to Northgate about to break ground, the U District is poised to take a major step forward as an Urban Center, and the City initiative is designed to help make that […]

The Council is working on changes to the way the City implements the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) in the regulatory reform legislation now under consideration.  The goal of this component of the legislation is to encourage development in areas that the City has identified for future growth by eliminating redundant regulations.  That means not […]

On Wednesday, May 9, the Council’s Planning, Land Use, and Sustainability Committee (PLUS) agreed to a revised proposal developed by the Seattle Planning Commission that adds portions of the City to the area already exempt from minimum parking requirements.  The action is part of a larger package of regulatory reforms designed to stimulate economic activity […]

Washington has a unique business tax system:  businesses are taxed on their gross income (Business and Occupation Tax – B&O Tax), rather than their profits.  There’s a statewide B&O Tax, and some 40 cities have local B&O Taxes.  And there are three different ways that cities can charge this tax:  on gross receipts (like the […]

On a day of driving rain and snow in March, which perfectly demonstrated the effectiveness of the project, a hardy gathering of neighbors, design professionals, and city and county staff celebrated the official opening of the South Orcas Greenstreet project.  The South Orcas Greenstreet is an innovative, community-driven natural drainage project developed by Cari Simson, […]

The Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC) has approved a resolution that will engage cities in a Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) program to protect rural lands in King, Pierce, and Snohomish Counties.  Under this program, counties would buy the right to develop from landowners, thus ensuring that those lands will remain as farmland or other […]

Seattle is the proud home of the University of Washington, and also hosts Seattle University on First Hill and Seattle Pacific University on the north slope of Queen Anne, as well as a great set of community colleges.  And there is also the campus of Antioch University Seattle at 6th and Battery near South Lake […]

Seattle is blessed by hosting a wide range of creative and committed individuals and groups who are willing to push the envelope of what can be done to create a more sustainable City.  Think carrying freight on sailing ships is no longer practical?  Meet Ballard’s Salish Sea Trading Cooperative. The Salish Sea Trading Cooperative relies […]

Seattle has a mission to become more sustainable, and we cannot attain that goal unless we work with our business community.  Fortunately, much of that community is in harmony with Seattle’s sustainability values, and we have forged many good partnerships.  We offer so many great services to help businesses, in fact, that it has become […]

A partnership involving the City of Seattle, King County, the Port, and the State of Washington will soon issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) to seek innovative proposals for industrial development ideas that have been challenging to implement due to regulatory, policy, or financial issues.  This is the first step in a project for adding […]