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Removing Minimum Parking Requirements Where Unneeded

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 [...]

One Less Truck! Every Other Week Garbage Collection

The Seattle City Council is authorizing a pilot program to test the idea of moving to garbage collection every other week.  The pilot program, which will be implemented for 800 customers in four neighborhoods from July through December, will examine what rate structure best rewards people for minimizing their garbage, while avoiding unwanted negative impacts. [...]

Sliver on the River Annexation Takes Crucial Steps Forward

  The King County Growth Management Planning Council (GMPC), the body comprised of County and City representatives that approves policy relating to implementation of Growth Management in King County, has unanimously approved a City of Seattle proposal to designate the ‘Sliver on the River’ in South Park as a Potential Annexation Area (PAA) for Seattle.  [...]

International Clean Up After May Day Day

I parked at Pacific Place and walked around to see how things looked after the Black Bloc attacks of yesterday. By 9 a.m. there were more media with cameras and mics than workers with drills removing plywood. Everyone seems to be trying to make sense of yesterday’s action and determine if the City could have [...]

Queue up your questions for the Seattle City Council

News Release:
Take a moment to ask your questions of City Councilmembers. What should be the top priority for Seattle Public Schools new superintendent? What's the City doing to prepare for the upcoming plastic bag ban? How can residents get involved in this year's budget process? Whatever your questions, submit them now.

The carnival sideshow of light rail stations

This afternoon the Council’s Committee on Economic Resiliency and Regional Relations will receive a report we commissioned on increasing job density without radically altering allowed land uses around the SODO light rail station. For those of you not familiar with the area or if you’ve been daydreaming whenever LINK stops at this under-used station, the [...]

Making the Business and Occupation Tax Work

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 [...]