Posted Mon, Nov 28, 10:27 p.m.

The time is long past when we should allow historians to dismiss a building by a prominent architectural firm built to the highest standards for a client rich with history as insignificant and unworthy of preservation. The lesson of history is that taste changes. The building is representative of its ...

Posted Wed, Nov 2, 8:02 p.m.

One Saturday morning, early in the first First Avenue location, there were quite a few of us perusing books in the tiny place, a bit of a club. Two blue-hairs entered disruptively, queens of some domain, and began to handle books. Tension built as they quickly broke the backs of ...

Posted Wed, Sep 8, 9:38 p.m.

Good job.

Posted Mon, Aug 23, 2:23 p.m.

Seattle's hills: obstacle to opportunity. What if give cyclists and their bikes a quick easy, free lift to the top of our steep hills: Queen Anne, Capitol Hill, First Hill & Beacon Hill? Many long tiresome rides beyond the capability of all but athletic cyclists would suddenly become a downhill ...

Posted Mon, Aug 23, 2:15 p.m.

Great article! Yes, sharrows are meaningless, dangerous, and a waste of money. After all candidates pledged to "support war on cars" at the WaBus Survivor political event, one would have thought that we might have seen some political leadership. Instead, we have the same dated policies and no movement beyond ...

Posted Mon, Aug 16, 11:02 p.m.

With regard to the Chihuly controversy, thanks for demonstrating how the powerful try to make a bad deal look good. Shall we give another sweet deal to the same interests that were given preferential treatment for developing the Space Needle? According to your version of history one is led to ...

Posted Mon, Aug 16, 8:49 a.m.

Yes to Gehl: drive more cars underground. A commonly-priced toll for entering downtown and the deep-bore tunnel would have the advantage of eliminating toll-driven under-utilization of the tunnel and more cars on surface streets. The impact of a downtown entry toll could be offset by a reduction in parking meter ...

Posted Wed, Aug 4, 9:39 a.m.

Cascadian - the deep bore tunnel is a compromise. Eliminating the viaduct is about as far from keeping things the way they have "always been" as possible. Eliminating the viaduct restores the city fabric and encourages density. As for Deep-Bore Tunnel opponents being progressive, they are no more progressive than ...

Posted Wed, Aug 4, 8:09 a.m.

This piece should be titled: "McGinn wants tunnel debate to redefine Seattle Politics." More at www.lightandair.wordpress.com

Posted Wed, Aug 4, 8:01 a.m.

The gross errors: The money we are talking about isn't Seattle's and can't be reallocated without State action - that's why tunnel opponents "don't have a plan" but only an idea. They don't have the votes in Olympia to accomplish their goals and no leverage to get them. For good ...

Posted Tue, Aug 3, 9:54 p.m.

A good short take on McGinn. Obduracy is a great word to describe what is going on at the surface level. However, McGinn's strategy is not so thin. If it wasn't the tunnel he would hammer the Council on something else, anything else. McGinn’s opposition to the Deep-Bore Tunnel is ...

Posted Fri, Jul 30, 9:01 a.m.

Excellent summary Mr. Brewster. A little light on the rapscallion protagonist . . .

Posted Thu, Jul 29, 8:48 a.m.

Nonsense, the Mayor does not have plans, he has ideas the state won't fund. By not forcing McGinn to explain how he will get the Governor and the Legislature to fund his ideas the press becomes part of the Mayor's propaganda machine. Seattle at risk of losing a world-class waterfront ...

Posted Fri, Jul 16, 12:41 p.m.

Recall McGinn? Exactly. Delay is the biggest cost risk for the viaduct replacement project. McGinn is Seattle’s number one risk. Not only does he risk losing over $2 billion in funding for the deep-bore tunnel and waterfront projects, he is willing to risk the return of a new viaduct and ...

Posted Thu, Jul 15, 11:25 a.m.

Recall McGinn? Delay is the biggest cost risk for the viaduct replacement project. McGinn is Seattle’s number one risk. Not only does he risk losing over $2 billion in funding for the deep-bore tunnel and waterfront projects, he is willing to risk the return of a new viaduct and a ...

Posted Thu, Jul 15, 8:19 a.m.

Great article – • Mayor McGinn is willing to gamble that he can return over $2 billion dollars to a starved state legislature and get it served back to his specifications after riling virtually every politician, and especially the Governor, with his combative, trial-attorney tactics. He has no leverage and ...

Posted Thu, May 6, 5:09 p.m.

Boycott the Space Needle. The message is simple – no loss of planned open space at Seattle Center. http://lightandair.wordpress.com/

Posted Thu, May 6, 5:08 p.m.

Boycott the Space Needle. The message is simple – no loss of planned open space at Seattle Center. http://lightandair.wordpress.com/

Posted Thu, May 6, 5:03 p.m.

Boycott the Space Needle. The message is simple – no loss of planned open space at Seattle Center. http://lightandair.wordpress.com/

Posted Thu, May 6, 5:02 p.m.

Boycott the Space Needle. The message is simple – no loss of planned open space at Seattle Center. http://lightandair.wordpress.com/

Posted Thu, May 6, 5:01 p.m.

Boycott the Space Needle. The message is simple – no loss of planned open space at Seattle Center. http://lightandair.wordpress.com/

Posted Wed, Mar 17, 1:37 p.m.

Great idea. There are no real obstacles to implement this idea. Name your own alley and see what sticks. Speaking of Nitze-Stagen, that organization named the area south of downtown SODO prior to attracting Starbucks to the old Sears building. The name stuck fast and outlived the Kingdome it references. ...

Posted Fri, Feb 19, 8:58 a.m.

Most people are not complaining about the idea of cutting costs by reviewing positions, salaries and benefits. The problem is how ham-handed McGinn was in his approach to the issue. As for salaries, they may be a little high - but only a little. The median salary at the city ...

Posted Sat, Dec 5, 11:52 a.m.

I don't see evidence of a true more-than-autos approach at SDOT. In what substantial ways is Seattle more walkable than before the Nickles-Crunican era? I see a token investment in sidewalks, bicycle lanes that may be worse than nothing at all, an unwillingness to inconvenience any motorist for the benefit ...

Posted Wed, Oct 28, 9:51 a.m.

"McGinn has insisted that his campaign is an exemplar of how he would run the city: open, personal, direct." McGinn's campaign has been deceitful and dishonest, using every dirty trick from Karl Rove's playbook - there is no reason to believe his administration would be different. His tactics are documented ...

Posted Wed, Oct 21, 8:50 a.m.

It is apparently not too soon to single out one candidate for epithets while ignoring the right-wing tactics of the other. On what basis do you suggest that Mallahan is someone's shill or avatar? Is it because he invested his own money? Has a degree from the Jackson School? Worked ...

Posted Tue, Oct 20, 11:51 p.m.

Eric, My understanding is that WSDOT has totally revamped its cost estimating in the last few years using the CEVP/Cost Estimate Validation Process and that 35% of the estimated cost for the tunnel is for contingencies - I assume that includes both normal and special risk contingencies. WSDOT has started ...

Posted Tue, Oct 20, 3:30 p.m.

As others have pointed out, this is a fluff piece. Like many other people and organizations, Sightline has prostituted itself to the McGinn Campaign. The two factors Sightline cited to explain the under-budget performance of the 1989 Mt. Baker are also true of the deep-bore viaduct replacement tunnel: knowledge from ...

Posted Mon, Oct 5, 12:05 p.m.

Jane Jacobs was against disruption - the kind created by cut and cover tunnels or wholesale demolition for urban renewal. The deep-bore tunnel was selected in large part because it will minimize disruption. McGinn's disingenuous reasoning on the tunnel and his (and his supporters) dismissal of the political work done ...