I-5 Study Shows Benefits of Capping Urban Freeways
Putting a lid on the interstate through downtown Seattle could create new space for parks and housing, reduce pollution, and reconnect the disrupted street grid. February 8, 2021, 8am PST | Diana Ionescu |
Scott Bonjukian
Doug Trumm reports on Seattle s quiet release of the Lid I-5 Feasibility Study, which highlights the benefits of capping freeways in cities. The report, funded through a community benefits package from the Washington State Convention Center expansion project, was designed to understand the technical and financial feasibility of lidding the freeway and to look at opportunities for maximizing public benefits.
1 month ago
Your assertion that aerial gondola systems don’t “offer sufficient capacity or expandability to meet West Seattle’s needs long-term” is inaccurate. At 4500 passengers per hour, SkyLink will offer more than twice as much capacity as Sound Transit predicts West Seattle will need by 2040. Also, aerial systems are easily expandable, as they offer different system capacities for different throughput requirements. The SkyLink 3S system could be expanded from the Junction area station to link with the Admiral business district and the WS Water Taxi. And/or an expansion could run from the Delridge node to mid-Delridge or Westwood, and/or over the hill from mid-Delridge to Morgan Junction, or from the Alaska Junction area to Morgan Junction. All at 80%-90% less cost than extending light rail. Increased passenger requirements could be carried by BRT.
Small Cities Relax Accessory Dwelling Units Regulations Too
A city of about 40,000 residents across the Puget Sound from Seattle has relaxed zoning regulations to entice more homeowners to build accessory dwelling units. January 7, 2021, 8am PST | James Brasuell |
The city of Bremerton in the state of Washington recently eased regulations for the development of Accessory Dwelling Units to increase housing production and affordability, reports Doug Trumm. Existing rules allowed backyard cottages or attached ADUs to be up to 60% of the size of the primary residence, writes Trumm. New rules allow ADUs up to 1,000 square feet in size or 60% of primary residence, whichever is larger. That means smaller lots can still support a reasonably sized ADU. Production was anemic under previous rules.
WSDOT Report Outlines Plan for Cascadia High-Speed Rail
A regional high-speed rail network could be coming to the Pacific Northwest, linking cities from Oregon to British Columbia. December 31, 2020, 9am PST | Diana Ionescu |
A report from the Washington State Department of Transportation(WSDOT) encourages the development of high-speed rail in the region and suggests a framework for bringing ultra-high-speed ground transportation (UHSGT) to the Pacific Northwest.
Leaders from Oregon and British Columbia praised the report as a positive step toward regional collaboration, citing the potential for job growth and economic development. Although a plan to design a plan doesn t exactly inspire confidence, writes Doug Trumm, designing a regional system will require close cooperation across state and national lines and coordination with other transit agencies to ensure useful connections to existing and future transit options. The WSDOT report outlines steps in three broad areas:
Report Makes The Case for Social Housing
The economic disruption of the pandemic has strengthened public support even among Republicans for an ambitious social housing program at the federal level, according to the findings of a recent report. December 30, 2020, 9am PST | James Brasuell |
Doug Trumm shares news of The Case for Social Housing, a report published in November by the Justice Collaborative Institute and written by Daniel Aldana Cohen and Mark Paul.
The report calls for the federal government to reverse that in a big way and produce twelve million social housing units by 2030, echoing a proposal from Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minneapolis), according to Trumm.