pwalchtaylor.bsky.social

For those Seattle folks like me who missed the release of the mayor’s Housing Production Task Force members, here they are: wilson.seattle.gov/2026/10/08/m...

This is probably the most coverage Beaux Arts or it’s city council has gotten since it incorporated. All thanks to @typewriteralley.bsky.social’s diligent reporting for @theurbanist.org!

According to the Seattle Times Seattle can’t enforce parking rules because the police want a slush fund/thing to point to when asked how they are saving money? So why did we move parking enforcement from SDOT back to SPD? Maybe we should rethink that. www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...

Tell Seattle City Council to not let historic districts stop important safely improvements. We can preserve historic neighborhoods without historic levels of traffic injuries and deaths.

@cmeddielin.seattle.gov is such a master of the cross examination. He refuted so much of the garble coming from the rest of council with a couple of pointed questions.

I met with a contractor today in Kitsap County. She got stopped speeding on the way and the sheriff asked her for proof of citizenship. She is a citizen, and ended up getting to leave, but was clearly disturbed. I did not know that the Kitsap Sheriff was enforcing immigration laws.

Good morning! We are a newly formed grassroots groups of environmental experts & advocates who love cities, nature, & people. We want to build a fun & collaborative community of environmentalists who love trees and orcas just as much as they love busses, bike lanes, and walkable communities.

@ericacbarnett.bsky.social’s (along with @amysundberg.bsky.social) budget coverage provides a great window into the process. It’s extra impressive for having to suffer through the sanctimonious bloviating of many council members.

Join me in supporting The Urbanist through a new or upgraded subscription (which comes with ad free website) or a one time donation. No one else covers most of what they do!

New rule: if it isn’t raining and over 60 Lake Washington Boulevard is open for walking and biking.

Question for Seattle housing folks: Has anyone seen who is on the mayor’s Housing Production Task Force?

This is why you should support @theurbanist.org. Without them and @typewriteralley.bsky.social no one would cover the PSRC or many other government meetings. We can’t affect what we don’t know about and The Urbanist provides our window into crucial policy discussions.

I just listened to this interview with @mayor.seattle.gov and she sounded like the leader we voted for and the leader Seattle needs: smart, humane, and full of ideas on how to make our city work better. Legacy media should be embarrassed by their efforts to smear her.

Something rubs me the wrong way about “artist focused” affordable housing. Are artists are the only low income folks worthy to live in their community? The stepping stone to cool neighborhood status? I have never seen a food service or manual labor focused affordable housing project.

Great work @transportation.seattle.gov! Now can you fix the part where they disappear at MLK?

As I've said a few times since this report was posted nearly a month ago, it shows nothing except that these folks are message-testing and have money to pay consultants to make them shiny slide decks (that they should be using *internally*). GNC is the same ol' folks in a different trench coat:

SDOT shouos build the MLK bike lane as part of a corridor safety project. Slower speeds and fewer lanes will make accessing Link stations safer. It will also mean fewer cars hitting our many billions of dollars light rail and causing it shut down for hours at a time.

I wrote a thing! We’ve seen many example of SEPA being abused to stop things such as zoning changes, affordable housing, a bike trail, and even a grocery store. It’s time for the legislature to make larger fixes so that SEPA can’t be weaponized by NIMBYs to thwart important projects and policies.

Let SDOT know what you all think about bike share in Seattle! I just did and it was super easy.

Conservative media and politicians are trying to manufacture a public safety crisis out of thin air. She fired a chief who wasn’t here and didn’t want to cooperate with the CARE Department. Seattle has challenges, but how has safety changed under mayor Wilson?

One night, two great urbanists. I got my ticket. Have you got yours?

Does @seattleparksfoundation.org know that it is funding political work? Do its donors know that it is funding anti-housing, anti-growth political work? Does the IRS know?

Perhaps today you would like to read and share the most read article in @theurbanist.org's history, from 2024: www.theurbanist.org/op-ed-seattl...

Congratulations @cmeddielin.bsky.social for passing SEPA reform and cutting a layer of the Seattle Process! And for charming all your colleagues along the way. It sounds likes you really put in the work to make it happen!

@psrc.bsky.social has a new site analysis and data tool (buildherepugetsound.com). I’ve only played around a little, but it seems very useful. The best thing I’ve done so far is filtering for sites subject to the HB 1491 TOD bill. It’s pleasantly surprising how much land will be subject to it.

The Seattle Dept. of Construction and Inspections is running *7 week* behind on their energy code reviews. For the affordable family housing project I’m working on, it’s turning 2 week review cycles into 9 week review cycles. All other reviews are on time or very near. It’s bananas.

Please join tomorrow as City Council considers CB 121215 - legislation related to SEPA appeals. Public comment starts at 2 PM. There have been lots of questions, misunderstandings, and misinformation about this legislation. See FAQs here: council.seattle.gov/2026/07/24/f...

Seattle's critical comprehensive plan, a process that so far has taken 5 years, cost millions of dollars, hinges on whether every single person who has a spare $120 to file an appeal is satisfied that every potential, even marginal, impact is fully studied. The EIS was 3047 pages, but not adequate.

Having light rail to a nature walk and u pick blueberries is pretty great! And it was followed up by walking through the Bellevue Art Fair and going to the Downtown Park playground two stops away!

If @cmeddielin.bsky.social’s post resonates with you, try to provide or send in comments for Tuesday’s council vote. This is a very wonky but important bill that will help speed up the Seattle Process and make important changes happen quicker.

If you are looking to @theurbanist.org for endorsement this year, you should also check out their upcoming Endorsements Party where you can meet some candidates and learn more about why they chose who they did: www.theurbanist.org/join-the-urb...

Seattleites: if you, like me, have relied on @thestranger.com for election recommendations in the past, please be aware that those recommendations have been enshittified, likely due to changes in the paper's ownership. Use the Urbanist recommendations instead:

Is it concerning that @cmeddielin.bsky.social ‘s SEPA reform not on next Tuesday’s council agenda?

I went with my kids on open Lake Washington Boulevard today. Such a breath of fresh air to not worry about them being hit by cars. And it’s great seeing so many people out enjoying the safe access to the lake! Thanks to advocates and @mayorofseattle.bsky.social for making it possible!

Pioneer Square and the CID are two of the best and most pedestrian friendly neighborhoods in the city. They need to be reconnected by filling in the traffic moat dividing them. Fourth and Jackson need to be turned back to city streets from the oversized beasts they are now.

The Seattle Bicycle Advisory Board and Transit Advisory Board are actively recruiting members. We're hosting open houses on Thursday, May 28 (noon to 1 PM) and Monday, June 1 (5 to 6 PM). Join us: https://sdotblog.seattle.gov/2026/05/18/seattle-transportation-boards-committees-volunteer-positions/

This is one of my big fears: a truck comes from behind, should see you, but right hooks you anyway. I have read about the exact situation several times with the same results. I have thankfully only experienced the near miss of cars doing which happens, ALL THE DAMN TIME.

I can’t count the number of issues that wouldn’t be covered or would only after the vote if it weren’t for the work of @typewriteralley.bsky.social. A true Seattle treasure!

Should Seattle sales tax be increased to subsidize wealthy suburban road building? No! But that's what the King County Council is proposing to do this Friday. Tell them to treat Seattle fairly, and not siphon $3 million sales tax for Bellevue etc. Take action now! actionnetwork.org/letters/8415...

Pioneer Square pops off for First Thursday!

The fact it took Sound Transit 8 month of negotiations and a review of the cart engineering to approve a coffee vendor for tell me everything I need to know about why the agency can’t deliver its rail projects. www.theurbanist.org/op-ed-its-ti...

How can we expect folks to not park in the bike lane with @seattleutilities.bsky.social and other agencies doing it themselves?

1000x this. Blue states and cities will lose politically if they can’t win economically. And as of now we largely are losing.

Way to go @cmeddielin.bsky.social for proposing legislation that would remove SEPA appeals to the hearing examiner for adoption development regulations and the comp plan. A small, unflashy, change the will shave 151 days on average in process!

If this passes, it will be because Seattle votes for it. If we don’t get our fair share we should vote no. You shouldn’t get to hate on our city and steal our money at the same time.

Any reason why the Seattle City Council just canceled what looks like every transportation committee meeting for the whole summer? Did Seattle solve transportation? Does Saka need a summer vacation?

@typewriteralley.bsky.social ‘s coverage of Bainbridge Island (and other cities) is a great example of the value of @theurbanist.org. I grew up in Kitsap, but would have no idea what’s going on without their coverage. They’ve changed the game in our region. www.theurbanist.org/bainbridge-i...

@kuow.org I’m unsubscribing from Week in Review and would urge other to as well so long as you continue having Paul Guppy on. Having different view points is great, but I draw the line at “gay people don’t deserve equal rights.”