West Seattle, Washington
24 Tuesday
At the top of the list of mayor’s-office cabinet/staff changes announced today is a new role for a West Seattle resident: Natalie Walton-Anderson is the new director of public-safety for Mayor Bruce Harrell. Until recently, Walton-Anderson led the criminal division in City Attorney Ann Davison‘s office, appointed by Davison in 2021. Today’s announcement also notes her background includes management roles in the U.S. Attorney’s Office and King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. You can likely expect to see her at next Tuesday’s mayoral public-safety forum for District 1, 6 pm at Concord International Elementary in South Park (RSVP required – the link is in our calendar listing).
If you want to run for one of the state/local positions that’ll be on the ballot this November, this is your week to do it: It’s King County Elections‘ filing week. Here’s the list of what’s up for election this fall. The local positions of note include both 34th Legislative District state representatives (incumbents Joe Fitzgibbon and Emily Alvarado already have filed to run for re-election) and citywide Council Position 8 (to which Tanya Woo was appointed – now the final year of the term goes to whoever wins). Here’s how to file; here’s who has filed so far. 5 pm Friday (May 10) is the deadlinr.
(SDOT camera at 35th/Holden, south end of newest corridor proposal)
One week after the end of public feedback on his initial $1.35 billion proposal for the new transportation levy, Mayor Harrell has just announced the revised plan. He’s added another $100 million, so it’s now a $1.45 billion, nine-year levy. But the list of potential West Seattle projects in the overview has been scaled back since that previous announcement (here’s our West Seattle-focused report from April).
Perhaps the biggest West Seattle change is a reduction for what’s envisioned for a “corridor” project on 35th SW – instead of the previously mentioned project (including repaving) from Morgan to Alaska, the revised levy only mentions Morgan to Holden. The revised levy document also no longer mentions Fauntleroy Way SW (the Triangle section was originally in the now-expiring Levy to Move Seattle, then shelved in case light rail needed that corridor). The one West Seattle holdover from the first proposal is at Olson, toward the end of the Roxbury corridor:
Olson Pl SW / 1st Ave S: 2nd Ave SW to SW Cloverdale St — Street reconstruction with a widened sidewalk or trail and treatments to keep vehicles from skidding on wet pavement.
We note two additions: On the list of potential sidewalk projects, the new proposal adds SW Brandon between 26th and 30th, something that’s been on the North Delridge wish list forever. And a “transit corridor performance project” is proposed for the block of SW Oregon between California and 44th.
The reduction in named West Seattle projects doesn’t necessarily mean this area is getting less investment – there are many categories in which the plan doesn’t go into detail (we asked about specifics previously and SDOT said those were yet to come). You can read the city’s overview of the new proposal here, and more details here. Now it goes to the City Council, with District 1 Councilmember Rob Saka leading the review as chair of the Transportation Committee and the all-councilmembers Select Committee focusing on the levy, starting next Tuesday morning (here’s the agenda).
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Almost two months have gone by since the city announced the draft of changes to the 20-year plan for Seattle’s future, officially known as its comprehensive plan, currently going by the name One Seattle Plan. (Here’s our first report on it, from March 9th.)
If you have something to say about the draft plan, you have four more days (go here). If you don’t know enough about it to comment, you’re invited to an online informational meeting at 6 pm tonight (here’s the connection information) – and you might be interested in what more than 70 people heard at a West Seattle briefing earlier this week. (Here’s the slide deck used, if you want to cut right to that.)
The briefing was arranged by City Councilmember Rob Saka‘s office after Chief of Staff Elaine Ikoma Ko – who spoke at the meeting – learned that the community groups in Admiral, Alki, and Fauntleroy felt under-informed about the plan, though there was a West Seattle open house a month ago (WSB coverage here). This meeting Monday night at Admiral Church wasn’t a public hearing and wasn’t meant to be a formal comment opportunity, either – just informational.
Nonetheless, some in attendance offered their thoughts, especially learning about the new state law that will be incorporated into the comprehensive plan, requiring many jurisdictions – including Seattle – to allow up to four dwelling units on any lot (six, if two of them are “affordable”). That seemed to be a surprise to many, though current zoning allows three units, with the changes a few years back to open the door for attached and detached accessory dwelling units (ADUs and DADUs) on every lot.
Michael Hubner, the city Office of Planning and Community Development manager who’s leading the plan-revision project, affirmed that its spotlight feature is “confronting our housing challenges,” with Seattle’s population potentially hitting a million people in the next 20 years, which would be a 25 percent increase from the current number. He was joined at the briefing by OPCD’s Brennon Staley.
Hubner also noted that while those in attendance might have not noticed, this is the third year of the comprehensive-plan revision process – a meeting was held in late 2022 at South Seattle College (WSB sponsor), for example. The end of the process is in sight – the final plan will be sent to the City Council for action by the end of the year.
What’s open for public review, Hubner explained, is a trio of documents – the draft plan itself, zoning changes for areas currently zoned “neighborhood residential” (called “single-family” until a council-approved change more than two years ago, and the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the plan.
Hubner reviewed the five types of places outlined in the draft plan – regional center, urban center, neighborhood center, urban neighborhood, manufacturing/industrial center. It’s a “more understandable hierarchy,” he said. Here’s the District 1 version of the map:
District 1 would have no “regional center.” Its current “urban villages” would become “urban centers,” and the West Seattle Junction’s boundary would expand eastward to Avalon (where a light-rail station is planned) – that expansion is one of the things on which the city is “actively seeking feedback.”
The “neighborhood centers” (noted in our first report in March) don’t have boundaries firmed up yet, but each would have a core and expand outward 800 feet – covering “one to three blocks” – from there, with “denser housing and a mix of uses.” Hubner said that in comments, they want to hear “are these the right locations? What do you think about the concept? Want to see more of these, less of these, or?”
As for “urban neighborhoods” – that covers most of the rest of the city. Along with the “four units allowable on every lot” – not required, but allowed – “corner stores” (small stores or restaurants) would be allowed too, and lots might be eligible for six housing units if two were guaranteed to be “affordable,” though the city reps said they doubted that would be common.
One attendee observed that would likely lead to mostly multi-story development, and “what does that do for people with limited mobility? It’s discriminatory.” Staley noted that “stacked flats” – which would mean one-level living even for those on upper floors – might be built too.
Then it was time for Q&A, which some turned into comments.
One person complained about what he saw as too much parking being built into residential developments. The city reps noted that indeed, the city currently has some parking minimums but no maximums, and maybe that could eventually change.
Some zoning might allow more density in “frequent transit” areas, so one person wanted to know how that’s defined. “15 minutes (frequency) all day long and some weekend service.” And yes, bus service will be ‘restructured” when light rail opens the West Seattle extension (currently expected in late 2032).
West Seattle’s lack of a hospital, often brought up in planning discussions, was mentioned. The plan doesn’t really do anything to change that. Hubner said it was an “interesting question,” though.
What about the increased density putting a strain on infrastructure? Utilities have their own plans for what’s needed in the decades ahead, was the reply, but they’re meeting with those entities too.
What about areas that already have neighborhood plans – how did those factor into this? Hubner replied that essentially, they won’t – they’re mostly outdated anyway, in the city’s view. “In most cases, decades old.” But, he added, they do hope to do more “area” (neighborhood) planning “in the future.” (Asked later about what kind of weight is given to neighborhood groups’ comments on the plan, the reply was that it’s important for the comments to describe how many people had input and how it was collected.)
More density doesn’t necessarily lead to more affordable housing if it’s not required to be affordable, one person commented, observing that an old half-million-dollar house tends to be replaced with three million-dollar units. The city reps said their philosophy is that density will ease the housing crunch “by increasing supply and diversity of types of housing.” Staley said, “Nothing is affordable right now.” It was also noted that the Mandatory Housing Affordability program – requiring developers to either include affordable units or pay into a fund that the city uses to bankroll it elsewhere – is coming up for a review too.
One attendee asked if the city has a number about how many housing units D-1 has now and how many this might lead to. No number handy, they replied, but the Draft EIS analyzes option.
Other attendees voiced concerns about a shortage of green space, and the tree-cutting that increased density will lead to. “The Great Seattle Tree Cull” is how one described it. Staley said, “Definitely a tradeoff, more housing means less space for trees.” He reiterated that the state is requiring allowing four units per lot so the city has no choice, “but we welcome comments on how to (address the tree concerns).”
Since one rendering shown featured four-story buildings, an attendee worried about the future of views. Hubner said the four-story buildings would be the result of including affordable units and, again, they doubted developers would do that in most areas.
WHAT’S NEXT? As mentioned above, there’s an online meeting tonight, and next Monday – May 6 – is the deadline for comment in this stage of the process. (Here’s how and where to comment.) In October, Hubner said, a “detailed zoning proposal with maps” will be made available for comment, the final plan will go to the City Council by year’s end, and then the “zoning legislation” will follow early next year.
That’s Seattle Channel video of the public-safety forum led by Mayor Harrell and chiefs/department heads last month, at which time it was promised that regional forums around the city would follow, one for each police-precinct area. Today, the dates and locations of those forums have just been announced; the one for our area will be Tuesday, May 14, in South Park. Here’s the city announcement:
Today, Mayor Bruce Harrell announced five additional community safety forums that will give the public opportunity to help shape the soon-to-be-released One Seattle Safety Framework.
Building on lessons learned from the citywide public safety forum held in March, the five community forums will be held in neighborhoods across the city, starting at Garfield High School on April 30, 2024. Each forum will give the public opportunity to share their ideas for how to make Seattle safer and interact with officials from the city’s public safety departments.
“Public safety is our highest priority – the One Seattle Safety Framework defines the outcomes we aim to achieve and the vision to help get us there, based on what we know works and have put into effect, new approaches, and our shared values,” said Mayor Harrell. “Ensuring the framework is informed by meaningful community input is critical for its success – and these public forums will help add and enhance specific actions most impactful to neighbors and communities. I am grateful for the hard work our emergency responders do every day, and I look forward to working with them, the City Council, the City Attorney’s Office, and our neighbors to continue building a safer Seattle.”
Mayor Harrell’s vision for the One Seattle Safety Framework is to create a city where everyone, in every neighborhood, is safe and feels secure. The framework includes six key strategies, which the public is invited to comment on at the upcoming community safety forums.
-Reduce gun violence and other violent crime with evidence-based solutions and enforcement strategies.
-Respond to 9-1-1 calls efficiently and effectively by hiring more officers and diversifying response options.
-Address the root causes and impacts of violence by investing in community-based solutions and upstream interventions.
-Prioritize a public health and trauma-informed approach to reduce overdoses, reduce violence, and better support victims and survivors.
-Coordinate community safety efforts to avoid duplication and inefficiencies by breaking down silos between departments.
-Build and maintain community trust through strong accountability systems and community engagement on law enforcement priorities.Based on feedback received at the upcoming forums, the City will continue to refine a comprehensive One Seattle Safety Framework with detailed approaches for the above strategies. The City is also releasing a new promotional video showcasing the coordinated approach of the CARE, Fire, and Police departments under this framework, watch here.
The community forums “will feature staff from the Seattle Mayor’s Office, Police Department, Fire Department, CARE Department, Department of Transportation, and youth liaisons,” and will “include specific local information,” the city says. For our area, it’s 6-7:30 pm Tuesday, May 14, at Concord International Elementary School in South Park (723 S. Concord); RSVP here.
Beyond that map, the city won’t get any more specific about which vacant “derelict” properties could get speedier demolition approval if a proposal from Mayor Bruce Harrell gets City Council approval. Its first official discussion is this (Tuesday) morning, when the council’s Public Safety Committee meets. In the announcement of the “emergency” legislation, the mayor’s office said that there’ve been 30 fires in vacant buildings this year as of last Monday, adding:
SFD has identified over 40 vacant buildings in the city that are potentially impacted by this legislation and estimates that up to 10 properties may be addressed by this legislation each year. Depending on the degree of damage, the size of the building, the construction type and materials, the presence of asbestos, and other site-specific conditions, fencing and demolition costs will vary significantly. Property owners will be responsible for work to make the building or property site safe. In extreme cases, the City will be authorized to do the necessary abatement work and then place a title lien on the property to recover costs.
So which buildings are they talking about? We asked on Friday and got this response today from SFD spokesperson Kristin Hanson, to whom the mayor’s office forwarded our request:
There is not a public database that lists which properties are on SFD’s dangerous/derelict buildings list. SFD has a list that we use internally as we work with the Law Department to determine enforcement activities. Buildings on the SFD list are flagged derelict for multiple reasons to include structural issues, history of illegal or unauthorized entry, damage to the exterior that may have allowed further structural compromise due to exposure to winds and rain, and other similar reasons. SFD’s list is a subset of the Vacant Building Monitoring List, which is managed by SDCI.
If you want to check on whether a particular vacant property is being monitored by the city, you can check the address in the Seattle Services Portal. Meantime, you can watch this morning’s 9:30 am meeting via Seattle Channel; here’s the agenda, which also explains how to comment. This is one in a long line of city attempts to deal with the problem of vacant properties; we’ve covered several dating back 15 years, including expansion of the monitoring program five years ago.
If you have something to say about the draft of the Seattle Transportation Levy renewal/expansion, you have one more week for feedback – here’s the official channel for that; you also can share your District 1 priorities with City Councilmember Rob Saka, who chairs the Transportation Committee, which will be reviewing it. Meantime, a rally is planned tomorrow for those who want to advocate for more climate focus in the levy as well as in the Transportation Plan, and you can get there via a bicycle ride from West Seattle to the rally location at Jimi Hendrix Park – here’s the route map shared with us today – meet up at 12:45 pm Saturday at the SW Chelan bicycle crossing:
The route includes a detour across the 1st Avenue South Bridge, since the up-to-nine-days closure of the West Seattle low bridge starts early tomorrow morning. The full ride announcement is in our calendar listing
By Sean Golonka
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
Two Seattle city councilmembers — District 1’s Rob Saka and citywide Position 8’s Tanya Woo — appeared tonight at the monthly meeting of the area’s largest political group, the 34th District Democrats, talking about ongoing city issues including transportation and the contested minimum wage for gig workers.
Saka and Woo’s appearances come as the city, with a council dominated by first-year members, is in the midst of a major year for long-term planning, with an update to its 20-year comprehensive plan in the works and an eight-year $1.35 billion-or-more transportation levy set for the November ballot.
Also tonight, the 34th DDs voted to oppose a trio of Republican-backed statewide initiatives headed for that same ballot, including proposals to repeal the Climate Commitment Act – major environmental legislation designed to cut greenhouse-gas emissions – and to repeal the capital-gains tax.
Saka and Woo talk transportation, public safety, more
Saka, who was elected to represent District 1 last November, said his legislative agenda in his first year “has largely been set for me” as chair of the transportation committee in a year the city is pursuing a new transportation levy, valued at “a minimum” of $1.35 billion.
This Wednesday (April 10), two city councilmembers – District 1’s Rob Saka and citywide Position 8’s Tanya Woo – will speak at the monthly meeting of our area’s largest political group, the 34th District Democrats. All are welcome at the online meeting. After each councilmember speaks, they’re scheduled to answer questions. Also on the agenda (see it here) for the group’s meeting, members will vote on several proposed endorsements. The meeting is set to start at 7:30 pm (after a 6:30 pm pre-meeting program) and you can get the link by registering here.
When the mayor introduced his transportation-levy proposal Thursday (WSB coverage here), that opened a three-week period for feedback to further shape it before he formally sends it to the City Council. The councilmember who will lead the council’s review, District 1’s Rob Saka, is asking for your opinions too, in a survey. It’s short, asking you to rank 10 potential spending areas in the order you’d want to see them prioritized – and also asking if you have a priority you don’t see on the list. Here’s where to find Councilmember Saka’s survey.
(Added: Seattle Channel video)
3:33 PM: Mayor Bruce Harrell has just debuted the first draft of his proposed transportation-levy renewal. The current Levy to Move Seattle is expiring after nine years and $930 million, covering 30 percent of the city’s transportation budget; the new levy would run for the next eight years, raising $1.35 billion. Harrell was clear that this is “the start of a discussion” – as with the expiring levy, this one will likely go through some changes before a final version is sent to the November ballot. The summary of the levy says, “The proposed levy would cost the median Seattle homeowner about $36 per month, approximately $12 more per month than the current levy.” (A current “median home” is considered to be valued at $866,000.)
Here’s the full draft proposal. It includes a few West Seattle specifics as example projects the levy could/would fund:
• Fauntleroy Way SW — Paving to keep roadway functional during light rail station construction and support future improvements.
• 35th Ave SW: SW Morgan St to SW Alaska St — Street reconstruction with a corridor safety analysis and evaluation of transit improvements. Includes sidewalk repair, crossing improvements, and evaluation of bike routes.
• Olson Pl SW / 1st Ave S: 2nd Ave SW to SW Cloverdale St — Street reconstruction with a widened sidewalk or trail and treatments to keep vehicles from skidding on wet pavement.
As mentioned in the Fauntleroy description above, some of this would synergize with the upcoming Sound Transit light-rail expansion to West Seattle (which is projected to open just as this new levy expires at the end of 2032), including “connections” for the West Seattle Junction station, and ST’s interim CEO Goran Sparrman (who is also a former SDOT director) spoke at the unveiling. (added) The 35th SW project is also notable, as the corridor went through rechannelization and other changes south of Morgan in the 2010s before the idea of an overhaul north of Morgan was shelved in 2018 (with some spot changes then made, such as the Graham crossing and the Camp Long light).
WHAT’S NEXT: You have three weeks – until April 26 – to offer feedback to shape the final levy proposal the mayor sends to the City Council in May; go here to do that. The final version of the levy is expected to go to voters this November.
ADDED 5:48 PM: District 1 Councilmember Rob Saka, who chairs the Transportation Committee and will lead the council review of the levy proposal, sent this statement:
This Transportation Levy is a once-in-a-decade chance to build a safer, better connected and more reliable Seattle.
Over my first 100 days in office, I have helped fill potholes with road maintenance crews, walked along city streets in desperate need of sidewalks, and surveyed the state of Seattle’s bridges. At every turn, I saw SDOT employees hard at work with limited resources doing everything they can with to keep our city safe. Now, it’s time for us elected leaders to step up and make sure they have everything they need to do their jobs better, faster, and more effectively.
I appreciate Mayor Harrell’s work on this framework for the levy and see we are in alignment on many key issues. The Council has a lot of hard work ahead of it to review and improve upon this proposal. I am ready and eager to lead that collaborative effort.
(WSB photos. Above, One Seattle Plan project manager Michael Hubner addresses attendees)
By Sean Golonka
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
About 80 West Seattle residents and others came together at Chief Sealth International High School tonight for an open house on the draft One Seattle Plan — a wide-ranging update to the city’s Comprehensive Plan for growth and development that several attendees expressed concerns over as insufficient to address the city’s dire housing needs.
“I feel like it’s been underwhelming,” said John Doherty, a 28-year-old software engineer who lives in West Seattle. “We need more growth in the city.”
Doherty and others attending the open house, the fourth of eight the city has planned to gather feedback on the once-in-a-decade update to its Comprehensive Plan, echoed a concern shared throughout Seattle neighborhoods: that the city is in a housing crisis, and more must be built to meet the needs of its residents.
Michael Hubner, project manager for the One Seattle Plan with the Office of Planning and Community Development, highlighted the stakes of the plan as city officials embark on an effort to reshape Seattle’s growth over the next 20 years.
The question is often asked: What are city leaders actually doing to improve public safety? Mayor Bruce Harrell has announced a series of community forums to try to answer that question. The first is tomorrow night (Thursday, March 14), 6-7:30 pm. In-person attendance at the downtown library is already maxed out but it’ll be streamed live via Seattle Channel (with a recording available afterward). The mayor will talk with moderator Enrique Cerna, and a panel discussion featuring other leaders including the city’s three public-safety chiefs – CARE Chief Amy Smith, Fire Chief Harold Scoggins, Police Chief Adrian Diaz – will follow. Next month, forums are promised in all five SPD precinct areas, so that means there’ll be one in West Seattle/South Park, though specific dates and locations haven’t yet been announced. The forums are described as “open discussion(s) about community safety challenges, accomplishments, and opportunities.”
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
A wide-ranging Admiral Neighborhood Association agenda drew about 30 people to Admiral Church last night; the meeting was facilitated by ANA president Joanie Jacobs.
Here’s how it unfolded, in the order in which this all happened:
SEATTLE POLICE: The Southwest-area Community Liaison Officer German Barreto spoke first. Trends from the past month in the Admiral area: Burglaries are up, thefts are up “but not that much,” motor-vehicle thefts have gone down. Eight so far this year. The seven other types of thefts included mail and packages. Assaults included “a dispute between coworkers at McDonald’s.” Eight burglaries included businesses and homes. No catalytic-converter thefts lately, he said in response to a question – “those have been going down.” In Q&A, one attendee asked about number of officers on patrol at any given time. Second watch (11 am-9 pm) is the busiest, he said, with 10 to 12 officers, but overall it fluctuates, and they have to “augment” with other officers on OT to at least hit minimums. He said they “go from call to call to call” because of the staffing levels, rather than having time to proactively patrol. Another Q: What’s the current state of traffic enforcement? Barreto notes that since there’s really no Traffic Unit due to staffing levels, that doesn’t happen much. Q: Are any detectives located in West Seattle? Reply: No, they’re centralized on the other side of the bay, as are the remaining specialty units such as Homicide and Robbery. In response to a question from president Jacobs, Officer Barreto reiterated, don’t EVER bother calling the non-emergency line – whenever you have someting to report, just call 911.
CITY COUNCILMEMBER ROB SAKA: Two months into his term, District 1 Councilmember Rob Saka is making the rounds of community meetings, and this was his first appearance at ANA.
Shortly after tonight’s 8 pm voting deadline, King County Elections released the first round of results in the presidential primary:
DEMOCRATIC PARTY
Joseph R. Biden Jr. – 195,549 – 84.21%
Uncommitted Delegates – 23,574 – 10.15%
Dean Phillips – 5,698 – 2.45%
Marianne Williamson – 4,713 – 2.03%
Write-in – 2,693 – 1.16%
REPUBLICAN PARTY
Donald J. Trump – 54,171 – 61.01%
Nikki Haley – 29,810 – 33.57%
Ron DeSantis – 1,979 – 2.23%
Chris Christie – 1,272 – 1.43%
Vivek Ramaswamy – 943 – 1.06%
Write-in – 671 – 0.70%
The ballots in tonight’s count represent a 23% turnout so far; here are the latest ballot-return stats. To see the statewide results, go here.
P.S. Here’s our report on the first night’s results four years ago.
If you plan to vote in our state’s presidential primary, tomorrow (Tuesday, March 12) is the deadline. As with other elections, you either need to ensure your ballot has a USPS postmark no later than tomorrow, or put it in a King County Elections dropbox by 8 pm Tuesday (West Seattle has three, plus there’s one each in White Center and South Park). If you haven’t voted in a Washington state presidential primary before, note that it’s unique in one factor: You have to declare a party, and then vote on that party’s section of the ballot, for your vote to count. (Your party choice will remain on the record for 60 days.) And yes, as has been pointed out previously, the ballot contains some candidates who’ve withdrawn – each party had to finalize its list by January 9 as part of the ballot-printing process. These and other questions are addressed in the FAQ on the Washington Secretary of State website. It even includes past presidential-primary turnout stats (49 percent four years ago) and current ballot-return stats (23 percent as of last Friday).
By Sean Golonka
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
West Seattle community members questioned District 1 City Councilmember Rob Saka over his and the city’s efforts to address public safety and transportation at tonight’s meeting of the District 1 Community Network, an umbrella group of representatives from various local organizations around the area.
The group also discussed the ongoing city effort to finalize the transformation of a portion of road along Alki Point as a “Healthy Street,” one of a network of local roads – closed to through traffic – where residents are encouraged to walk, roll, bike, and play in the roadway with the help of “Street Closed” signs.
Here is a breakdown of the D1CN meeting, with about two dozen people in attendance at High Point Neighborhood House and facilitated by Deb Barker of the Morgan Community Association.
QUESTIONS FOR COUNCILMEMBER SAKA: In an opening speech, District 1’s recently elected councilmember reiterated a common mantra of his to be the “king of potholes,” adding that his number one focus is public safety. His priorities in that area include staffing — he was one of several city council candidates last year who supported Mayor Bruce Harrell’s hopes of hiring 500 new officers over five years.
In response to one attendee who asked about the city’s progress with boosting its police force, Saka noted that the city council’s Public Safety Committee would receive more information about that subject, including the latest data on officer staffing levels, during its next meeting on Tuesday (March 12).
(Video is coded to start with State of Bridges briefing; if it doesn’t, go to 1 hour, 38 minutes into the meeting)
SDOT‘s “State of the Bridges” briefing – another reason we went downtown for the Seattle City Council’s Transportation Committee meeting on Tuesday (besides this) – was an informational overview rather than a bridge-by-bridge update, and it was somewhat rushed because the preceding item, a discussion of the Seattle Transportation Plan, had run long.
And one critical component was missing – the bridge-asset management plan called for in the bridge audit requested by the former committee chair Alex Pedersen during the West Seattle Bridge closure. Pedersen noted in a post before leaving office in December that it’s troubling the new transportation levy proposal is being developed without this “foundational document”:
SDOT is still behind on completing its Bridge Asset Management Plan and yet asset management plans should be foundational documents driving (the investment) for the next transportation capital package, as the 9-year, $930 million “Move Seattle” levy expires at the end of 2024.
Pedersen’s observation was made three months ago, and the plan’s not done yet, though the next levy proposal is expected to be made public this spring. The bridge asset plan’s current status was listed as “pending/drafting” in Tuesday’s briefing led by SDOT’s chief infrastructure engineer Elizabeth Sheldon, who said this is what it will include.
The list of “assets” is long: Sheldon’s briefing (see the full slide deck here) noted that the city’s portfolio of roadway structures includes 135 bridges and almost 500 stairways. The city also operates the South Park Bridge, though King County owns it. She also said that Seattle bridges are an average of 60 years old, while the national average bridge age is 47. Only a third of Seattle bridges are in good condition, and changing that, she said, would cost a lot.
No specific numbers, but Councilmember Dan Strauss suggested it sounded dire enough that the city perhaps should consider a levy just to address its bridges. Those currently considered to be in “fair” condition, he said, represented a “watch list,” recalling that “the West Seattle Bridge moved from fair to poor in the span of a week.”
For his part, committee chair and District 1 Councilmember Rob Saka said bridges are “near and dear” to him and that he appreciates “geeking out” on this type of information. He added that he has a field visit to the West Seattle low bridge scheduled toward the end of the month.
(Image from last December’s council-committee agenda, incorporating Google Maps photo)
Three months ago, outgoing City Councilmembers shelved consideration of a plan to pay the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe and Suquamish Tribe $133,000 for murals on up to 15 columns under the West Seattle Bridge – a mile from the Duwamish Tribe‘s Longhouse, funded with money left over in the bridge-repair project. In response to community concerns, then-Councilmember Lisa Herbold elicited SDOT acknowledgment that there had been no outreach to the Duwamish Tribe regarding the prospective pillar art, and a Transportation Committee vote was delayed at her request. According to the agenda published this afternoon, the proposal returns this Tuesday (March 5) to the committee, now chaired by Herbold’s District 1 successor, Councilmember Rob Saka. (The committee’s previous chair, Alex Pedersen, like Herbold, chose not to run for re-election last year.) Three of the committee’s other four members are new to the council as well.
Nothing in the agenda materials for Tuesday’s meeting indicates anything has changed since the December committee meeting at which the vote was postponed. In response to concerns about not involving the Duwamish Tribe in this project, SDOT reps mentioned at the December meeting that the Duwamish would be involved in a different art project closer to the Longhouse. They had few details to offer when we followed up at the time; that project has since been revealed to involve a stretch of sidewalk. Here’s an image the tribe included in an email to its members regarding a planning event for the sidewalk project:
Tuesday’s committee meeting is at 9:30 am at City Hall; it’ll include public comment, in person and remote, and the agenda explains how to participate. Other scheduled topics include an update on the newly released Seattle Transportation Plan and a “State of the Bridges” briefing.
A reader texted us this morning to report getting email saying their ballot had been sent – for the “February 13 special election.”
Aside from the fact that February 13 was nine days ago, our area wasn’t involved in the special election. So we checked with King County Elections, to see if perhaps that was meant to be an alert of ballot-mailing for the upcoming March 12 presidential primary. KCE spokesperson Courtney Hudak confirmed that: “We’ve heard from voters who received email alerts that erroneously included information from the February Election. The team has since sent an updated email alert with the correct date, which, as you say, was supposed to be for the March Presidential Primary! Ballots have been mailed for (that)! Voters should receive their ballots by Monday. If they have not received their ballot by then, they should give us a call at 206.296.8683.”
Also of note – your ballot will include some candidates who have withdrawn from the race since qualifying for the ballot. The KCE website explains why: “The list of eligible candidates was provided by the State Democratic and Republican Parties on January 9. After that date, there was no opportunity to withdraw a name from the ballot.”
By Sean Golonka
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
Local members with the 34th District Democrats, the West Seattle area’s largest political organization, received a wide-ranging presentation on Gaza during the group’s online-only monthly meeting on Wednesday night, through a conversation that focused heavily on the Israel-Hamas conflict’s effects on families in Gaza.
Several candidates for statewide office — including Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal and Treasurer Mike Pellicciotti, Democrats who are both seeking re-election — also made appearances at the meeting, a sign the election season is getting underway, with the primary election set for August 6.
Focus on Gaza
Rachel Glass, the 34th DDs’ first vice-chair, said the conversation was motivated by an “urgent need for dialogue and education” to understand the complexities of the ongoing conflict, and the pre-meeting program featured two local community activists with longtime ties to Palestinians.
(WSB photos/video)
If you’re going to be The King of Potholes, you might as well go get a firsthand look at your kingdom. That’s what District 1 City Councilmember Rob Saka did this morning, joining an SDOT “Pothole Rangers“ crew at work in South Park and West Seattle. We heard him mention the plan during yesterday’s meeting of the Transportation Committee, which he chairs, so we contacted his staff and arranged to meet up at his first stop.
In this case, the Pothole Rangers had a fairly deep rut to deal with immediately south of the city transfer station in west South Park – an industrial area heavily traveled by trucks. Saka put on a hard hat and vest and joined the crew.
The rain stopped just in time, but SDOT’s crew told us they work in every kind of weather except snow/ice. So first task was to dry out this pothole best as they could.
Then came the application of “tack,” to which the asphalt fill would adhere. And finally the asphalt itself, with which the councilmember assisted:
Here’s the “after” view, and how the process concluded:
As recently noted here, SDOT crews – which are based regionally, including one assigned to West Seattle – filled more than 25,000 potholes around the city last year. And there’s always more waiting to be filled – here’s a screengrab from the map of reported-and-waiting potholes:
(Go here for options on how to report one.) Saka told us this is just the first visit he plans to make to a variety of frontline crews – he’ll be visiting bridge-maintenance workers too. He also reiterated that he’s well aware the underlying cause of potholes needs to be addressed too – streets in desperate need of repaving. The next transportation levy is expected to address that, though Saka said he hasn’t been involved yet in specific project lists, so he doesn’t know whether, for example, SW Roxbury (which was supposed to be repaved with Levy to Move Seattle money, then got shelved) will be addressed.
Just one scripted shoutout to West Seattle in Mayor Bruce Harrell‘s State of the City speech today – in the context of the planned Sound Transit light-rail extension. Other topics in his speech, delivered at the Museum of History and Industry in South Lake Union, were familiar and timeless, public safety chief among them – he hailed some ongoing changes, like the creation of the CARE Department (with 911 and a crisis-response team), and said – as we’d heard last week – that Seattle’s Park Rangers will soon be working citywide. He also promised to convene a public-safety forum next month to hear from community members. And he said that when he proposes the next transportation levy, it will focus on “the basics” – repaving, bridge maintenance, signage and striping, potholes (District 1 City Councilmember Rob Saka got a shoutout there), etc. And he acknowledged that the pressure is on, since he can pretty much count on support from the mostly-new City Council: “There is a new level of expectations.” On homelessness, he hit the points made in the media briefing we covered last week. Read the speech here (or watch the video above).
P.S. Set your calendar – the mayor said the next citywide Day of Service is set for May 18th.
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