Posted Wed, Jun 25, 8:22 p.m.

RE: Can't politicians be honest AND get re-elected?: Rep Eddy, You write that East Link "absorbs an enormous amount of our overall revenue "capacity" (variously measured as what's currently authorized but including what I think the market will bear, long term). While absorbing all that money (to say nothing of ...

Posted Mon, Jun 23, 7:49 p.m.

rail is a 100-year investment: it's foolish to try to calculate the cost over such short timelines. Every developed city on planet earth has some for of rail transit in its transportation portfolio. Sorry dudes, but Seattle is not that special. Rail works well in 99% of the developed cities ...

Posted Wed, Mar 12, 9:08 a.m.

I agree: Richard Morrill is exactly right. There is a housing affordability crisis in central Seattle. Which is why we need to invest heavily in high-capacity rapid transit, so people can live anywhere, and work anywhere.

Posted Tue, Jan 15, 12:59 p.m.

TIF: the "main problem" to implementing the Vancouver/HK approach is not unions, but rather that the financing scheme you lay out, Tax Increment Financing, is illegal in Washington state. right?

Posted Sun, Jan 13, 7:21 p.m.

costs: "But what's the answer to the construction worker in the pickup truck who starts to believe he's been priced off a public road?" That he should pass the increased costs on to the general contractor that's employing him, no? I live in Seattle and do consulting on the Eastside. ...

Posted Tue, Nov 27, 9:28 p.m.

can't it be both?: Two responses: 1. It depends on what stage of renewal the city is in. If the city is really run-down, like Philly 10 years ago, you have to go after the low-hanging fruit, the childless folks, first, because they're the ones who are more willing to ...

Posted Wed, Sep 26, 4:02 p.m.

hilarious: that penultimate paragraph alone was worth the price of admission.

Posted Thu, Aug 2, 10:52 a.m.

Logical: "Led by Bellevue business leader and former legislator Kemper Freeman Jr., this group believes transportation modes should be analyzed logically." Well, THAT's an unbiased statement! So all other groups are, by definition, "illogical"? Wouldn't have anything to do with the fact that Freeman donated tens of thousands to Washington ...

Posted Wed, May 2, 2:49 p.m.

What about 405?: 405 is a major north-south route that serves our region, and it's about to undergo a big expansion if the upcoming RTID passes. In the event of a major emergency closing I-5, a good chunk of N-S through traffic could be diverted to our shiny, new 405. ...

Posted Tue, Apr 24, 3:48 p.m.

RE: THE SEVEN HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE 520s: Right now we just don't have the densities to justify. When we do, then put the thing in. 45 years from now or so. Not before. The problem with that is that once you do have the densities, the cost of real ...

Posted Mon, Apr 23, 11:03 a.m.

office hours: I've always thought that one of the biggest challenges to that part of town is that it's primarily filled with financial and government offices that empty out during evenings and weekends. Westlake may be clumsy, but at least it's surrounded by shopping and entertainment centers, like Union Square ...

Posted Thu, Apr 19, 12:13 p.m.

Look Closer: think Granville Avenue in Vancouver Actually, you don't even have to go that far. Just think about Highway 99/Aurora north of Green Lake. Or south of downtown. Or anywhere else that isn't the stretch between N. Seattle and SoDo.

Posted Mon, Apr 2, 6:29 p.m.

RE: growth obsessed: ... adding, I completely agree about the glut of high-end condos. I wish there were more diversity to the new housing stock.

Posted Mon, Apr 2, 5:13 p.m.

growth obsessed: Mr. Berger, Aren't Sens. Hagel and Dorgan being just as "growth-obsessed" as you accuse Seattle leaders of being? That aside, it seems unlikely that a few tax breaks, no matter how generous, could counter the immense tide of opportunity that's pushing an entire generation of Americans toward coastal ...