City of Seattle

Micro-housing boom has some Seattle neighborhoods up in arms

Bellamy Pailthorp — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 17:48:28 +0000

New buildings packed with dorm-like rooms for rent have been popping up in Seattle’s densest neighborhoods.

A grey area in the law is allowing these so-called “micro-housing” projects to go up without neighborhood comment. A brown-bag discussion on the issue of takes place at City Hall today.

Seattle, King County to spend $1.5 billion on wastewater upgrades

Bellamy Pailthorp — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 20:35:09 +0000

The city of Seattle and King County will spend $1.46 billion on upgrades to public sewer systems aimed at reducing the amount of polluted water entering the Puget Sound and other waterways, according to a federal settlement filed under the Clean Water Act.

Under the agreement, the city and county will also pay $750,000 in fines for dumping raw sewage into the Sound and several lakes.

Big city lights to go out for Earth Hour tonight

Bellamy Pailthorp — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 19:10:03 +0000

If you see a big bridge or stadium suddenly go dark tonight, don't be alarmed.

Seattle and Tacoma are joining thousands of cities around the world and turning out the lights for Earth Hour, from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Landmark buildings will go dark for the hour, and residents are encouraged to take part by turning out all non-essential lights to support the ongoing fight against climate change.

Lower Duwamish Waterway plan open for public comment

Bellamy Pailthorp — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 19:09:35 +0000

Seattle’s Duwamish River was once a meandering estuary in the heart of the city. A century ago, it was transformed into an industrial waterway and used as a dumping ground for decades.

Now it’s a Superfund site – and the Environmental Protection Agency has released a plan to clean it up.

Seattle Mayor aiming high on green infrastructure for stormwater

Bellamy Pailthorp — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 01:46:46 +0000

When you look around the streets of Seattle, you can expect to see less concrete and more greenery being put in over the next 12 years.

The City is planning to dramatically increase its use of green infrastructure to treat stormwater runoff.

Stormwater runoff is acknowledged as the single largest source of pollution in Puget Sound.

Seattle, Tacoma rolling out new ‘predictive policing’ software

Bellamy Pailthorp — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 01:49:25 +0000

Imagine you could predict crime the same way weather forecasters issue storm warnings.

It’s happening – with new software recently deployed in Seattle and Tacoma. Police precincts in both cities hope it will help them allocate patrols more effectively.

Less guesswork: Seattle getting second electronic bicycle counter

Bellamy Pailthorp — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 13:01:00 +0000

Five years ago, Seattle adopted a Bicycle Master Plan. It aims to triple the amount of bicycling in Seattle by the year 2017. But until just a few months ago, there was no way to accurately count cyclists. That’s changing.

Climate change pushing water system upgrades

Bellamy Pailthorp — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 18:18:31 +0000

Global climate change is a reality that few people now deny. 2012 was the warmest year on record. So what about Seattle’s water supply?

Managers say they need to speed up about $30-million of investment in a backup plan.

About two thirds of Seattle’s water comes from one of the most pristine sources in the nation. The Cedar River Watershed lies in more than 90,000 acres of protected land southeast of the city, near North Bend.

Seattle makes list of best U.S. cities for urban forests

Bellamy Pailthorp — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 17:21:23 +0000

Seattle is among the nation’s top ten cities for urban forests. This might sound like a no-brainer, but many cities that take pride in their trees did not make the cut.

Seattle planners predict bigger flood zones due to climate change

Bellamy Pailthorp — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 02:23:27 +0000

It’s data that’s been collected and analyzed for several years now.

But predictions on how high tides and extreme storm events might combine to cause flooding in Seattle are seeming less and less like science fiction.

The City has unveiled a new map, showing huge areas that are much more likely to end up waterlogged during storms. And it says the estimates are no longer considered extreme.

Climate change report shows major impacts for Northwest

Bellamy Pailthorp — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 16:34:00 +0000

Imagine a future in which major areas of Seattle’s waterfront are flooded because of rising tides.

Businesses that front on Elliot Bay, including the famous Edgewater Hotel, or parks such as Myrtle Edwards or Golden Gardens, would have to adjust to storm surges more than six feet higher than we’re used to.

According to a new federal report on climate change, that future is just a few decades away.

Seattle gun buyback plan: Turn in your gun, get a $100 giftcard

The Associated Press and Bellamy Pailthorp — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 19:31:21 +0000

Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn and County Executive Dow Constantine say there’s not much they can do about gun laws. Past efforts to ban firearms in parks have failed because they’re preempted by state laws. But they say they can revive an idea last tried in Seattle twenty years ago: a gun buyback program.

They hope to get hundreds of weapons off the streets with a privately-funded effort.

Coal opponents outnumber proponents at Seattle hearing

Bellamy Pailthorp — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 17:24:24 +0000

It was one of the biggest outpourings of environmental activism that Seattle has seen since the WTO protests more than a decade ago.

Study: Cherry Point coal terminal would snarl Seattle traffic, cause dangerous delays

Bellamy Pailthorp — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 04:05:30 +0000

The City of Seattle continues to build its case against huge new coal
trains that would rumble through town if an export terminal is built