crosscut.com : Tacoma

There's nothing new in a plan to save Puget Sound

Crosscut — Tue, 13 May 2008 05:00:01 PDT

While the Puget Sound Partnership works to include citizen comment in the process of developing a plan to save the Sound, some scientists say they already weighed in — back in 2006 — but it looks as if their comments are being ignored.

Puget Sound on Prozac

Crosscut — Mon, 12 May 2008 05:00:01 PDT

Pretty as it is, our signature waterway is a chemical dump for everything from oil to sewage — and even anti-depressants. You may be surprised (and disgusted) by what turns up there.

Sound Transit did not hear us

Crosscut — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 12:00:01 PDT

Prop. 1 was soundly defeated, but the leadership of Sound Transit plans to deliver Son of Prop. 1 to the voters this fall. The agency better get used to rejection.

A big, new growth management plan is already outgrown

Crosscut — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 22:00:01 PDT

The Puget Sound Regional Council's Vision 2040, to be adopted tomorrow, has been outrun by seven years of population growth in the very outlying areas the plan is intended to protect, says the recent former Washington secretary of transportation. He explains what's happened and argues for a recalibration of strategy.

Some good Googie news

Crosscut — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 09:22:01 PDT

In the world of news related to Northwest Googie architecture and historic preservation, there are some new and interesting developments. They range from negotiations over a controversial Ballard diner, an upcoming lecture on Googie architecture by the expert on the topic, possible landmark status for popular a burger stand in Tacoma, and the announcement of the state's 2008 awards for historic preservation. Here's a quick rundown.

Why governance reform for local transit would not work

Crosscut — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 05:00:01 PDT

A governor's commission suggests fixing our transportation problems by changing the governing board to a directly elected body, as in Portland. A skeptic says such a reform would be slow, reduce accountability, and probably make our transportation planning worse.

Cordon blues: New York is no indicator of tolling's future

Cascadia Center — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 23:00:01 PDT

The sort of tolling under consideration here and elsewhere in the U.S. is completely different from that proposed for Manhattan. That was "cordon" pricing, and it fell flat in the Big Apple. True congestion pricing makes a lot of sense in metro Puget Sound, contends the author. He explains the difference.

Gregoire bus tour update: Campaigning means babysitting

Crosscut — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 19:27:01 PDT

Editor's note: Liz Burlingame, a student at University of Washington and member of Seattle Politicore, is an embedded blogger on the Gregoire bus tour. Not many people know more about babysitting than Bill Jemkins. Babysitting campaign signs, that is.

Seattle fails the button test

Crosscut — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 08:52:01 PDT

In the absence of SWAG (stuff we all get) from official Obama campaign channels, a bounty of homemade political buttons has surfaced in Seattle. Certainly they lack the slick messaging of Clinton's campaign, or even Obama's advertorially smart O logo, but they characterize well a campaign that has relied on true grassroots momentum, to historic effect.

Tacoma: Dam if we do

Crosscut — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 05:00:01 PDT

Tacoma's Cushman dam reduced parts of the Skokomish to a trickle years ago, and the time to repair the damage — to salmon habitat and to the Skokomish people — is now.

Washington's higher ed priority: posh dorms

Crosscut — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 15:00:01 PDT

Officials at Washington State University announced last week that the school plans to build new dorms. On the face of it, the initiative seems long overdue: The school hasn't built dorms in 37 years. However, the $26 million dollar residence hall adds only 229 beds, at a cost of $113,537 per bed. The residence hall is part of a larger plan to upscale the dorm experience.

After sell-off of the Times Co.'s Maine papers, a look at McClatchy

Crosscut — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 05:00:01 PDT

McClatchy Co. has an ownership interest in almost half of newspapers published daily in Washington, including the Seattle Times. Here's a look at how they may be faring and feeling in the wake of the Times' Maine newspaper sale.

Sound Transit version 2.1

Crosscut — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 11:19:01 PDT

Imagine this scenario. Sound Transit comes back to ballot this fall with a shortened light rail plan and all three county executives within the voting district oppose it. Wouldn't that make for an interesting campaign season?

It might just happen. Right now, Ron Sims (King), John Ladenburg (Pierce), and Aaron Reardon (Snohomish) have grave reservations about Sound Transit's scaled-back proposal, which would extend the line up to Northgate and across the Interstate 90 floating bridge to the Eastside suburbs.

Best places to do business in America? Think Boise and Olympia

Crosscut — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 09:33:01 PDT

Forbes has a new listing of the best places to build a business or a career. and the surprise local leader is Boise, which came second (after Raleigh, N.C.). Seattle finished 20th, while Portland was 35th.

New figures confirm Seattle's housing affordability woes

Crosscut — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 05:00:01 PDT

The pattern is very strong: In Seattle you have affluent, largely single people chasing a small supply of urban housing. The result is small household size, an exodus of families to the suburbs, and very high housing prices in the city.

Readers riff on Russell Investments and Tacoma's aroma

Crosscut — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 10:51:01 PDT

Although finance as a discussion topic tends to get yawns or groans from most people, my profile on Tacoma's Russell Investments, little-known outside the investment world, drew many readers and comments. Here on Crosscut, Scottacoma says this:

Russell Investments: Tacoma's global high-roller

Crosscut — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 00:00:01 PST

Having outgrown its headquarters building, the company needs new digs for 1,100 employees. A bigger issue, though, is the possibility Russell has outgrown Tacoma. State and local politicians are scrambling to keep the 72-year-old company there, but Russell's employees live in a big world.

Sound Transit survey, take 2

Crosscut — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 10:34:01 PST

As reported in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Sound Transit received complaints about their regional transportation survey, also criticized by some Crosscut readers.

Traffic's so bad, we might actually be willing to pay a toll

Crosscut — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 05:00:01 PST

Puget Sound policy-makers have been taking the public pulse. Their surveys reveal that people are generally pessimistic about the future, frustrated with traffic, and willing to pay to cross Lake Washington in a car — as long as it's really cheap.

The 'Street of Dreams' defense

Crosscut — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 14:51:01 PST

Outside court, it had been eerily silent during the Briana Waters trial. No courthouse protests, no action in the streets, not even flyers at The Evergreen State College. Her supporters had been circumspect. Then, this morning, it was all over the news. "Street of Dreams" arson. ELF.