Ryan Packer
Ryan Packer has been writing for The Urbanist since 2015, and currently reports full-time as Contributing Editor. Their beats are transportation, land use, public space, traffic safety, and obscure community meetings. Packer has also reported for other regional outlets including Capitol Hill Seattle, BikePortland, Seattle Met, and PubliCola. They live in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle.
Kirkland's 20-year growth plan represents a step back from more ambitious proposals considered earlier this year, but it lays down a marker for where the city is headed next.
The King County Council approved a motion getting on board with Executive Dow Constantine's vision to add housing and other uses transforming the County's campus in Downtown Seattle. The vote pushed the idea a small step toward becoming a reality.
A small tweak to Seattle's land use code will allow a 182-unit tower to move forward in Belltown after years of appeal. Clearer direction around stacking height incentives like those in the sustainability-focused Living Building program could potentially allow more homes throughout downtown in the coming years.
Greg Spotts is the latest SDOT Director to leave the city after a short stint, departing after overseeing a strong finish on the $930 million Levy to Move Seattle.
Washington State could be set to pay a significant price for decades of underinvesting in basic maintenance of the state transportation system, outgoing WSDOT head Roger Millar said.
The Pacific Northwest is set to be the first home for one of Amtrak's next-generation trains starting in 2026, Amtrak confirmed at the agency's annual board meeting in Seattle last week.
As Seattle's nine year transportation levy expires and a new one is set to take its place, the city is leaving behind the transformative goals of the Move Seattle era and trading them for something more modest.
Facing a $150 million budget deficit in the next biennium, county leaders asked for state legislative fixes that would give them a path to preserving essential services. Lifting the 1% property tax levy cap is chief among them.