Sound Transit has completed its initial study of the potential ridership benefits from investing in pedestrian and bicycle access around the Northgate Link Light Rail Station. The great news is that the investments proposed by the Sound Transit Board and Seattle City Council deliver large numbers of riders to the station and look like they [...] [Full Post]

  On Monday, May 13th, the Council unanimously adopted the 2012-2013 Comprehensive Plan Amendments. Under State law, the Comprehensive Plan (Comp Plan) can only be amended once a year (with a few specific exceptions), and the process involves a lengthy and thorough review of proposed amendments. The Comp Plan is not taken lightly by the [...] [Full Post]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 5/13/2013

Councilmember Richard Conlin
Councilmember Nick Licata

City to develop outreach strategies for Affordable Care Act

Seattle - Seattle City Council adopted a resolution today enlisting City departments to develop outreach strategies to educate and inform the public about new healthcare coverage programs made available through the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) Departments will coordinate with the efforts of community partners to enroll all newly eligible residents in the new healthcare coverage options.

"The City of Seattle has an extraordinary opportunity to increase the health of our residents by working diligently on enrolling folks in the health care insurance exchange,"said Councilmember Richard Conlin, sponsor of the resolution. "This is one of the most significant advances in health care since the implementation of Medicare in 1965 and it is imperative that we take a leadership role in this."

Seattle's outreach plan will include person-to-person support for individuals, particularly communities who need more intensive help with the application processes and accessing health care services. The Affordable Health Care Act requires that most members of the public enroll for healthcare coverage by January 2014. An estimated 30,000 Seattle residents will become eligible for subsidized health care coverage through Washington's Health Benefit Exchange and Council has made it a priority to enroll them all.

Councilmember Nick Licata said, "The Council action to expedite healthcare coverage is particularly timely considering this week's report that each year in the US, 11,300 newborns die within 24 hours of their birth, 50% more than all other industrialized countries combined."

"Nearly 60,000 Seattle residents are currently without health insurance,"said Mayor Mike McGinn. "I am enlisting City departments to inform and enroll people into expanded Medicaid and subsidized insurance that will soon be available through the Affordable Care Act. This is an unprecedented opportunity that will help our residents receive the care they need and lower health care costs by decreasing reliance on high-cost medical services including emergency room visits."

"We have a landmark opportunity to increase access to health care in our community,"said Dr. David Fleming, Director and Health Officer for Public Health - Seattle & King County. "By connecting residents to coverage, we will ultimately improve the health of our community."

[View in Council Newsroom]

[Full Post]

The first three proposals have been received and evaluated for the Industrial Development District (IDD). The IDD is a partnership involving the City of Seattle, King County, and the State of Washington that seeks innovative proposals for industrial development that have been challenging to implement due to regulatory, policy, or financial issues. I and my [...] [Full Post]

On Monday, April 29, the City Council unanimously adopted Seattle’s first formal Food Action Plan. The goal of the Plan is to increase access to healthy food, support local food production and strengthen the local economy. The Plan builds on my Local Food Action Initiative (LFAI), adopted by the Council in 2008 in response to [...] [Full Post]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 5/6/2013 Council President Sally J. Clark Councilmember Sally Bagshaw Councilmember Tim Burgess Councilmember Richard Conlin Councilmember Jean Godden Councilmember Bruce Harrell Councilmember Mike O'... [Full Post]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 5/6/2013 Council President Sally J. Clark Councilmember Sally Bagshaw Councilmember Tim Burgess Councilmember Richard Conlin Councilmember Jean Godden Councilmember Bruce Harrell Councilmember Nick Li... [Full Post]

On Monday, April 29, the Council unanimously adopted a new Street Tree ordinance. This is the first revision of Seattle’s Street Tree Ordinance since 1961, and the result of several years of work by the Seattle Department of Transportation in cooperation with other Departments, Council staff, and the Urban Forestry Commission. This is the first [...] [Full Post]

On Thursday, April 25th, the Sound Transit Board approved a final plan for the route for East Link through Bellevue. East Link runs from downtown Seattle to Redmond via the I-90 Bridge, and is one of three extensions currently underway for the Sound Transit light rail system. The final plan is the end product of [...] [Full Post]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 5/1/2013 Councilmember Tom Rasmussen Council President Sally J. Clark Councilmember Nick Licata Councilmember Richard Conlin City Council to host second meeting on micro-housing developments Public invited to... [Full Post]