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The Urbanist
@theurbanist.org
31K followers 400 following 4.7K posts
Advocacy journalism for better cities.👩‍🦽👨‍🦯🚶🚴‍♀️ 🚎 ⛴️ 🚊 🚆 🏙️

Based in the Seattle metro area.

Read our coverage on theurbanist.org. 📰
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theurbanist.org
Leaders from across the Pacific Northwest recently gathered at the Cascadia Innovation Corridor Conference in Seattle and reaffirmed their commitment to building high-speed rail linking the corridor from Portland to Seattle to Vancouver, B.C.

Story: www.theurbanist.org/2025/11/10/c...
Cascadia Forges Ahead on High-Speed Rail Despite Headwinds » The Urbanist
# Leaders from across the Pacific Northwest recently gathered at the Cascadia Innovation Corridor Conference in Seattle and reaffirmed their commitment to building high-speed rail linking the corridor...
www.theurbanist.org
November 11, 2025 at 4:58 AM
Reposted by The Urbanist
theurbanist.org
NEW STORY // Cascadia Forges Ahead on High-Speed Rail Despite Headwinds

By Doug Trumm via @theurbanist.org. 🔗 www.theurbanist.org/2025/11/10/c...
Cascadia Forges Ahead on High-Speed Rail Despite Headwinds » The Urbanist
# Leaders from across the Pacific Northwest recently gathered at the Cascadia Innovation Corridor Conference in Seattle and reaffirmed their commitment to building high-speed rail linking the corridor...
www.theurbanist.org
November 10, 2025 at 10:45 PM
theurbanist.org
Absolutely unhinged.
chrissteller.bsky.social Chris Steller @chrissteller.bsky.social · 9h
Zoning Practice magazine devotes an entire issue to *checks notes* pickleball noise
NOVEMBER 2025 | VOL. 42, NO. 11/ APA ZONING PRACTICE Unique Insights | Innovative Approaches | Practical Solutions Managing Pickleball Noise Through Zoning In this Issue: Why Pickleball Noise Is Different | The Role of Local Staff and Depart: ments | Tools for Mitigating Pickleball Noise | Designing the Zoning Amendment || Variances and Conditional Review | Conclusions
November 11, 2025 at 4:20 AM
theurbanist.org
Immigration is good. Fighting immigration is disastrous.
npr.org NPR @npr.org · 4h
The construction industry, where more than a quarter of workers are foreign-born, has long struggled to find enough workers. Now, industry officials say Trump's immigration crackdown is making it worse.
ICE is sending a chill through the construction industry
The construction industry, where more than a quarter of workers are foreign-born, has long struggled to find enough workers. Now, industry officials say Trump's immigration crackdown is making it worse.
n.pr
November 11, 2025 at 4:12 AM
theurbanist.org
NEW STORY // Katie Wilson Takes 91-Vote Lead in Dramatic Seattle Mayor Race

Story by Doug Trumm via @theurbanist.org // 🔗 www.theurbanist.org/2025/11/10/k...
Katie Wilson Takes 91-Vote Lead in Dramatic Seattle Mayor Race » The Urbanist
# Progressive challenger Katie Wilson now leads incumbent Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell by a razor-thin 91-vote margin after another batch of votes were counted Monday. Wilson appears well-positioned to...
www.theurbanist.org
November 11, 2025 at 3:00 AM
Reposted by The Urbanist
typewriteralley.bsky.social
I'm tuned into the Clyde Hill City Council tonight, which just approved an *emergency* ordinance scaling back the city's middle housing code when it comes to cottage housing, adding a 1,500 square foot maximum size.

Clyde Hill is apparently concerned that large cottages won't be affordable?
8. It has come to the city’s attention that some developers may seek building permit applications to construct two “cottage” housing units, each potentially consisting of approximately 5000 square feet gross floor area, on one single-family lot. Immense homes at this scale do not meet the intent of cottage housing and frustrate, rather than serve, the legislature’s intent to increase affordable community-oriented housing stock. 9. The city council has determined that an emergency exists to stop the construction of new large-scale cottage housing in the city of Clyde Hill that fails to serve the purpose and intent of the state’s middle housing legislation. The city council elects to place an interim zoning control on cottage housing and to revise the definition to limit the total gross floor area for cottage homes to 1500 square feet.
November 11, 2025 at 2:40 AM
Reposted by The Urbanist
stephenjacobsmith.com
The good news: Portland is opting into Oregon's optional 4-story single-stair code section.

The bad news: Portland's fire marshal has managed to insert a poison pill into what appeared to be a take-it-or-leave-it appendix text, likely making it unusable in most cases.

djcoregon.com/news/2025/11...
Portland’s new single-staircase rule faces big hurdles
The city now allows single-staircase buildings as tall as four stories, but a fire access rule may make most projects unbuildable, one designer warns.
djcoregon.com
November 10, 2025 at 9:31 PM
Reposted by The Urbanist
joeveyera.bsky.social
Nordstrom Rack may be on the move in downtown Seattle, with new permitting documents filed with the city connecting the off-price chain to the old Forever 21 space at 6th and Pine.
November 11, 2025 at 1:50 AM
theurbanist.org
👀
typewriteralley.bsky.social Ryan Packer @typewriteralley.bsky.social · 8h
JUST IN: Washington's Growth Management Hearings Board has invalidated the Seattle City Council's ordinance legalizing housing in a small slice of SoDo near the sports stadiums, siding with the Port of Seattle in its appeal against the move.
Based upon review of the Petition for Review, the briefs and exhibits submitted by the parties, the GMA, prior Board orders and case law, having considered the arguments of the parties, and having deliberated on the matter, the Board finds: • The City has failed to comply with SEPA’s procedural requirements; • The Board defers consideration of Issues 15 and 16; • Ordinance 127191 is non-compliant with the GMA; • Ordinance 127191 is remanded to the City for compliance pursuant to the following schedule below; and • Continued validity of Ordinance 127191 substantially interferes with the fulfillment of GMA Planning Goals 10 and 11 and therefore declares it invalid.
November 11, 2025 at 1:16 AM
theurbanist.org
The online prediction markets seem to think the Seattle mayoral race is basically over, but there's still a bunch of votes to count. So, we'll see!
Polymarket gives Wilson a 95.5% chance of winning Kalshi gives Wilson a 95% chance of winning
November 11, 2025 at 12:49 AM
Reposted by The Urbanist
wilsonforseattle.bsky.social
SEATTLE!!!

We’ve now taken the lead by 91 votes! 🤯 This thing is certainly not over! Over 1,000 ballots have been challenged, so if you haven’t tracked your ballot yet get on it! Our trusty volunteers have been working hard to "cure" ballots so they count! We're so close!
A photo of Katie Wilson seated in a wooden chair beside a white brick fireplace smiling at the camera with her hands folded an image of the election results from King County
November 11, 2025 at 12:16 AM
Reposted by The Urbanist
ericacbarnett.bsky.social
Seattle mayor Bruce Harrell was putting out at least a press release daily celebrating all the amazing things the mayor's office was doing right up until, let's see, November 3.

Nothing since then, though. Weird!
November 10, 2025 at 6:14 PM
theurbanist.org
🚨 BREAKING 🚨 Katie Wilson now leads incumbent Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell in today's ballot drop by 91 votes.

She has closed a Harrell lead that was as large as 8 points in early results.
City of Seattle ballot results shown with Ballots Counted: 272,041 * Registered Voters: 505,393 53.83% Mayor Katie Wilson 133,469 49.83% Bruce Harrell 133,378 49.79% Write-in 1,028 0.38%
November 11, 2025 at 12:02 AM
theurbanist.org
🚨🚨 Just in: Katie Wilson has taken a narrow lead in the Seattle mayor race.
November 10, 2025 at 11:56 PM
theurbanist.org
NEW STORY // Cascadia Forges Ahead on High-Speed Rail Despite Headwinds

By Doug Trumm via @theurbanist.org. 🔗 www.theurbanist.org/2025/11/10/c...
Cascadia Forges Ahead on High-Speed Rail Despite Headwinds » The Urbanist
# Leaders from across the Pacific Northwest recently gathered at the Cascadia Innovation Corridor Conference in Seattle and reaffirmed their commitment to building high-speed rail linking the corridor...
www.theurbanist.org
November 10, 2025 at 10:45 PM
Reposted by The Urbanist
seattlebikeblog.com
Rad Power Bikes sends employees notice of 'potential' closure as efforts continue to 'save Rad'

#SEAbikes #Seattle
Rad Power Bikes sends employees notice of ‘potential’ closure as efforts continue to ‘save Rad’
Read the full November 7 WARN letter (PDF). Seattle-based e-bike giant Rad Power Bikes has filed official notice to Washington State as well as the company's 64 Washington employees that the company could end operations "as early as January 2026." A November 7 Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification ("WARN") filed with the state (PDF) lists both service-level workers at the company's retail and repair shop as well as corporate workers at their Seattle headquarters, including top-level positions like CEO and CFO.
www.seattlebikeblog.com
November 10, 2025 at 9:03 PM
theurbanist.org
There's still a lot of curable ballots from Seattle (about 1,800). Most are unsigned or signature mismatches, and most skew younger.
Graph showing the type, number, and cohort of challenged ballots
November 10, 2025 at 9:02 PM
Reposted by The Urbanist
typewriteralley.bsky.social
I can't say experts in the transit and transportation field look to be particularly well-represented on the 100-person transition committee being rolled out here.
November 10, 2025 at 8:41 PM
Reposted by The Urbanist
amysundberg.bsky.social
I chatted with Erika Evans a few days ago to discuss her vision for the Seattle City Attorney's office.
November 10, 2025 at 5:01 PM
Reposted by The Urbanist
typewriteralley.bsky.social
The transition also has its own website.
www.girmaytransition2025.com
Girmay Transition 2025
www.girmaytransition2025.com
November 10, 2025 at 8:13 PM
Reposted by The Urbanist
typewriteralley.bsky.social
Executive-elect Girmay Zahilay has announced Doug Baldwin, Microsoft's Brad Smith, MLK Labor's Katie Garrow, and Seattle Indian Health Board's Esther Lucero as his transition team's co-chairs.

Deputy Exec Karan Gill will be serving as the transition's executive director.
November 10, 2025 at 8:12 PM
Reposted by The Urbanist
kromandavid.bsky.social
The word from King County Elections is we'll probably get around 35,000 Seattle ballots in today's count. That will leave roughly 10,000 left. It sounds like they had quite a few "cured" ballots come in over the weekend that will be counted Tuesday (Yes, they're counting on Veteran's Day).
November 10, 2025 at 7:43 PM
theurbanist.org
NEW STORY // Evans Trounces Republican Seattle City Attorney, Shares Plans for Transition

Story by Amy Sundberg via @theurbanist.org // 🔗 www.theurbanist.org/2025/11/10/e...
Evans Trounces Republican Seattle City Attorney, Shares Plans for Transition » The Urbanist
# Seattle City Attorney-elect Erika Evans chatted with The Urbanist about what's next after her resounding victory in the November election, unseating Seattle's lone Republican office-holder.
www.theurbanist.org
November 10, 2025 at 4:51 PM
Reposted by The Urbanist
jefft.bsky.social
Go here, fill in 3 of the fields. If your signature has been verified and you're counted, the next screen should look nice and green like the second screenshot.

info.kingcounty.gov/kcelections/...
November 10, 2025 at 5:48 AM
theurbanist.org
NEW // Sunday Video: In Praise of Chicago and Its Beloved L Trains www.theurbanist.org/2025/11/09/s...
Sunday Video: In Praise of Chicago and Its Beloved L Trains » The Urbanist
# Chicago has gotten a lot of national attention this year, but not for the reason we'd usually hope. Ray Delahanty of CityNerd, however, made a recent visit to check out what's happening in the city ...
www.theurbanist.org
November 10, 2025 at 12:51 AM