Office of the Mayor Mayor Edward B. Murray

Mayor Murray

Updates from Seattle Mayor Edward B. Murray

U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell, Mayor Murray, Port of Seattle and SODO business leaders celebrate funding milestone for Lander Street bridge

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U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell, Mayor Ed Murray, Port Commissioner John Creighton and SODO business leaders announced a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that directs up to $10 million from the Port of Seattle towards completing the South Lander Street bridge project and $5 million towards solutions for a broader approach to ease traffic and improve safety on major freight and transit corridors throughout Seattle. The South Lander Street bridge is a critical project serving one of the busiest and most high-risk rail crossings in the country. The project is estimated to cost $123 million, funded through commitments from federal, state, and local partners. Last fall, the project was awarded a $45 million federal grant thanks to the advocacy of Senator Cantwell.

“Washington state loses millions of dollars in economic activity because of train, truck, and urban traffic congestion –at Lander Street alone. By moving freight faster, we can fuel our export economy and create good paying jobs,” said Senator Cantwell. “I’m proud to have helped secure the $45 million from the FASTLANE grant program which I championed in the FAST Act in 2015. I will continue fighting to fix our infrastructure to build strong economic growth and make our country more economically competitive.”

 “The City of Seattle, the Port of Seattle, the state of Washington, and federal leaders like United States Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell all came together around this vital infrastructure project because we are all committed to building a thriving, 21st Century economy that channels our booming $38 billon maritime industry,” said Mayor Ed Murray. “I’ve worked on this project dating back to my time in the state legislature, to support our industrial and maritime economy. Our shared economic values of mobility, safety, living wage jobs, and a clean environment all aligned around this bridge to the future.”

 “The Safe and Swift Corridor Program will create efficiency for freight, and continue the safe movement of cargo through our gateway,” said Port of Seattle Commissioner John Creighton.  “This partnership will improve transportation for commuters, truckers, buses and bicyclists in these critical corridors.”

South Lander Street is an essential east-west corridor serving Port of Seattle freight, King County Metro buses, bicyclists, commuters and pedestrians. The corridor is closed for more than 4.5 hours daily due to rail traffic, impacting approximately 13,000 vehicles.

 The corridor is considered one of the most high-risk rail crossings in the state.  Since 2011, three fatalities have occurred between trains and pedestrians at the South Lander Street crossing and an average of 485 track violations occur daily as cars, pedestrians and bicycles cross the tracks when the safety gates are deployed.  The new four-lane bridge will provide safe connections for 1,400 pedestrians daily, primarily traversing between the SODO light rail station and area employers. This project will remove all at-grade access to the tracks at that location, improving safety for all.

The project is scheduled to break ground in early 2018.  For the latest updates on the South Lander Street project, click here.

 

 

 

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Mayor Murray unveils updated Pedestrian Master Plan, investments improving safety in Seattle neighborhoods

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sidewalks

The updated Pedestrian Master Plan (PMP) directs $22 million for 50 blocks of new sidewalk improvements in 2017. The PMP focuses these investments by prioritizing sidewalks that provide safer access to schools and transit options.

Today, Mayor Ed Murray along with Council President Bruce Harrell, Councilmember Mike O’Brien, City planners, and pedestrian advocates announced a series of pedestrian safety investments guided by the City’s updated Pedestrian Master Plan and Vision Zero safety program. These new investments will further the City’s goal of making Seattle the safest and most walkable city in the country by improving street and intersection safety, and new sidewalks. Funding for these safety improvements were made possible through the Move Seattle levy.

“All of us depend on a safe, accessible transportation infrastructure to get to work, school, and everywhere we need to be in our daily lives,” said Mayor Murray. “The Pedestrian Master Plan calls for critically needed upgrades to sidewalks in under-served communities, and through our Vision Zero program, we are making busy streets and intersections safer for everyone. These safety investments can help make Seattle neighborhoods safer and more walkable for all residents.”

“By prioritizing investments and improvements towards more walkable neighborhoods, we build stronger, healthier, safer, and more inclusive communities,” said Council President Harrell (District 2, South Seattle). “Our locally owned small businesses down the street thrive, residents walk more and become healthier, communities feel safer because of the social connections and eyes on the street, and the natural environment benefits.”

“Every investment we make in pedestrian infrastructure can literally mean the difference between life and death,” said Councilmember Mike O’Brien (District 6, Northwest Seattle). “I’m hopeful that these dollars and future funding keep us on track toward Vision Zero.”

The updated Pedestrian Master Plan (PMP) directs $22 million for 50 blocks of new sidewalk improvements in 2017. The PMP focuses these investments by prioritizing sidewalks that provide safer access to schools and transit options. The PMP is guided by an equity consideration, ensuring under-served communities are prioritized for pedestrian improvements. These investments will be made in neighborhoods from Greenwood, Lake City in the north end, to Beacon Hill, Roxbury Heights and Rainier Valley in the south end. Click here for a map of the improvements. Mayor Murray is transmitting his recommended PMP update to Council for adoption later this week.

​”Many people in the South Seattle community including myself have suffered due to the lack of safety improvements along the Rainier Avenue corridor,” said Phyllis Porter of Seattle Neighborhood Greenways. “I am thankful for the initial phase of the Rainier Avenue Safety Project in the Rainier Valley and look forward to continued improvements along the corridor.”​

Additionally, the acceleration of the second phase of the Rainier Avenue corridor safety improvements was announced today. As part of Seattle Department of Transportation’s (SDOT) Vision Zero program, Rainier Avenue between S. Kenny Street and S. Henderson Street will see $2.25 million in improvements to pedestrian safety at intersections. Vision Zero improvements may include marked crosswalks, dedicated left turn arrows, channelization upgrades, and new signal timing to prioritize pedestrians. The improvements will be completed by 2019. The first phase of the project made similar improvements in the Columbia and Hillman City neighborhoods. Rainier Avenue is one of many Vision Zero projects throughout the city to improve corridor and pedestrian crossings. These projects, along with SDOT’s expansion of new, lower speed limits will improve safety in neighborhoods across Seattle.

“We analyzed bicycle and pedestrian crashes that happened from 2007 to 2014 in Seattle so we could identify problems to address through better street design and traffic operations. We looked at different data sources to explore the relationship between where, how, and to the extent possible, why crashes happen,” said Scott Kubly, Director of the Seattle Department of Transportation. “As a result, we have a better understanding of some of the most common issues, and where and how we need to focus our efforts for making our streets safer for all users.”

Vision Zero is SDOT’s approach to traffic safety with a goal of ending traffic deaths and serious injury by 2030. The program is a blend of safety measures such as lowering speed limits, improving traffic signals, pedestrian and bike crossing enhancements, and increasing transit efficiency to make streets safer for all modes of transportation, especially pedestrians. Despite a rapidly increasing population, fatal and serious injury incidents in Seattle have been declining since 2014.

Today’s announcement was made at Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School in South Seattle, which will receive $130,000 in new speed humps and curb ramps on all streets around the school and marked crosswalks at 44th Ave S. and S. Willow St. These safety improvements are part of SDOT’s Safe Routes to School program, which encourages and funds easier, safer ways for students to get to school.

 

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Mayor Murray, stakeholders announce framework to complete ‘missing link’ of Burke-Gilman Trail

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burke gilman trail missing link route

Today, Mayor Ed Murray along with Councilmembers Mike O’Brien and Rob Johnson, Ballard business owners, and bicycle and pedestrian advocates, announced that a framework agreement has been reached to move forward on completing the “missing link” of the Burke-Gilman Trail.

“After years of disagreement, we have a path forward to finally complete the ‘missing link’ of the Burke-Gilman Trail,” said Mayor Murray. “Bicyclists and pedestrians will no longer need to weave, dodge, or hold their breath while navigating through Ballard and maritime businesses along the water will maintain access to the roads they depend on. Today’s announcement highlights our collaborative effort to complete the trail, making the Burke-Gilman safer and more accessible for all.”

As the City finishes the environmental review process, the framework calls for stakeholders to work together on the design elements of a preferred alternative route that would complete the “missing link” with a marked, dedicated trail for pedestrians and cyclists. This proposed trail would run along Market Street between the Ballard Locks and 24th Avenue Northwest, then turn on to Shilshole Avenue Northwest and run along the south-side of the street. The existing trail east of the Ballard Bridge, along Northwest 45th Street, will be improved to allow for better access for businesses and safer travel for bicyclists and pedestrians. The City expects the final environmental impact study to be released in May.

“The community has been working on a safe completion of the missing link of the Burke Gilman Trail for years and it is great to be moving one step closer to construction,” said Councilmember Mike O’Brien (District 6, Northwest Seattle). “It is also great that we have even more consensus around the best routing.”

“I am thrilled that we have an agreement to finally fix the missing link and to connect the Burke-Gilman Trail,” said Rob Johnson (District 4, Northeast Seattle). “We all benefit when residents, workers and goods can travel our streets safely and efficiently be they in a delivery truck, on a bus, walking or biking.  This is a great success for bike safety, trail access, and Seattle’s economy.”

“This is a great announcement for people who use the Burke-Gilman Trail and for nearby businesses,” said Warren Aakervik, Ballard business owner. “The City of Seattle, businesses, and all the stakeholders are committed to a trail that is safe for recreation and commuting and allows for predictable access for trucks using the corridor. Our maritime businesses are dependent on easy access to the water and roads, and this agreement gets us that. This is a win for everyone.”

“To say we are elated is a vast understatement,” said Blake Trask, Senior Policy Director of the Cascade Bicycle Club. “This project will benefit generations. We are grateful to the many parties, including local Ballard businesses, for coming together, listening to one another, and committing to building a trail that is safe and predictable for everyone.”

“This plan balances the needs of maritime industrial businesses and the community,” said Eugene Wasserman, President of the North Seattle Industrial Association. “We look forward to working with the City, bicycling and pedestrian advocates, and Ballard residents in a manner that meets the needs of everyone that uses this corridor and maintains the vitality of the Ballard maritime industry.”

 

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Metro, SDOT expand late-night bus service for workers, travelers and nightlife denizens

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Seattle Mayor Ed Murray and King County Executive Dow Constantine announced legislation Tuesday to expand and improve late-night bus service in the City of Seattle. The proposal, which Executive Constantine submitted to the King County Council, meets the demand for transit from late-night and early-morning workers, as well as those enjoying nightlife and traveling off-hours to the airport.

Late-night Metro ridership increased 20 percent in the last five years. This proposal more than doubles the City of Seattle’s investment in late-night bus service, through the City’s voter-approved Seattle Transportation Benefit District.

King County Metro and the Seattle Department of Transportation developed the late-night service expansion package after a public outreach process last year that drew more than 4,500 responses and identified better late-night transit options for:

  • Workers in jobs with late-night or early-morning work shifts such as health care and many segments of the service industry.
  • Travelers and workers heading to and from downtown to Sea-Tac Airport after 1 a.m.
  • People enjoying Seattle’s nightlife, including music and arts venues.
  • Low-income and vulnerable populations.

“Giving people affordable, reliable, and convenient transportation choices is key to Seattle’s top two priorities — equity and sustainability,” Mayor Murray said. “This is particularly important for working families and people of color who are hit disproportionately by the increasing cost of transportation, which is nearly $10,000 a year on average.”

“We live in a fast-growing region, and late-night mobility is critical for nightshift workers to support their families, for travelers on early-morning flights, and for those out enjoying Seattle’s arts and music scene,” Constantine said. “Metro’s partnership with the City of Seattle makes our late-night transit network easier to use and more accessible for everyone at all hours.”

Metro currently has about 40 routes with some level of late-night service, including three Night Owl routes that loop through some Seattle neighborhoods between 2:15 a.m. and 4:30 a.m. and operate only during those hours. The City of Seattle fully funds the Night Owl routes.

The proposal invests about 11,000 annual service hours, 8,800 of which are funded by the City of Seattle, and replaces current Night Owl routes 82, 83, and 84 by adding late-night trips to existing all-day routes.

The City’s investment includes:

  • Two additional late-night round trips on the following routes: 3, 5, 11, 70, serving neighborhoods such as Capitol Hill, Central Area, Eastlake, Fremont, Green Lake, Phinney Ridge, Queen Anne, and University District. Other routes already provide late-night service to areas such as South Seattle and West Seattle.
  • Additional late-night service on routes 65 and 67 serving Northeast Seattle areas such as Lake City, Seattle Children’s Hospital, and Northgate for the first time.
  • Cross-town (non-downtown) connections through added service on routes 44 and 48, creating a grid pattern that expands late-night bus travel options without having to go through downtown and diversifying travel options to, from, and through the University District.

Metro will add 2,000 service hours, which include:

  • Additional late-night service at about 2 a.m. on Route 120 serving Delridge, White Center and Burien.
  • Hourly all-night service on the RapidRide C, D, and E Lines, which currently operate all night but with less than hourly frequencies.
  • Extend Route 124 from Tukwila to Sea-Tac Airport after 1 a.m., increasing transit options for travelers and workers.
  • Added time to allow bus drivers adequate restroom breaks.

Metro and its partners invest about $7.7 million for all bus routes system-wide between midnight and 5 a.m. This proposal increases that total by $730,000, with $500,000 from the City of Seattle.

If approved, the late-night service plan would take effect in September 2017 with Metro’s semi-annual service change.

For more information, see: Proposed expansion to Night Owl bus service.

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City of Seattle prepares for forecasted cold weather

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With weather forecasts predicting temperatures below freezing and possible snow Sunday night through Tuesday, the City of Seattle is preparing for possible accumulations and advising residents to prepare at home and for hazardous travel conditions.

Additionally, the Seattle Human Services Department is expanding capacity at the shelter operated at Seattle City Hall (601 5th Ave) to accommodate additional women tonight. Individuals looking for shelter from freezing temperatures are encouraged to come to City Hall and enter from the 4th Avenue entrance. Also, the shelter operated at the King County Administration Building (500 4th Ave S) will provide 50 additional beds tonight for men seeking shelter from the cold weather.

In the event of snow and/or ice, City emergency planners urge residents to prepare their homes for cold weather, build emergency supply kits for homes and vehicles, and not to drive unnecessarily. For more information on how to prepare for winter weather, please visit the Seattle Department of Transportation’s winter weather website and Take Winter By Storm. Additionally, for up-to-date information pertaining to impacts in the City of Seattle, please sign up for alerts at Alert.Seattle.gov.

The City of Seattle Emergency Operations Center will open at 5 a.m. Monday, February 6. City staff continue to monitor forecasts and City departments are preparing operations to respond to impacts from snow and ice.

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Mayor Murray, Councilmember Johnson comment on pedestrian safety improvements

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Today, Mayor Ed Murray and Councilmember Rob Johnson issued the following statements regarding the recent series of pedestrian crashes in Seattle:

“I join many Seattleites in my growing concern over the recent series of crashes involving pedestrians around the city. I am deeply committed to improving pedestrian and bicycle safety and I am directing Scott Kubly, director of the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT), in coordination with the Seattle Police Department, to review the circumstances of these incidents and determine any action the city should take. Seattle remains committed to the goals of Vision Zero, the plan I announced in 2015 to end traffic deaths and serious injuries by 2030 through innovative engineering, enforcement and education. Last summer, SDOT announced the reduction of speed limits on many arterial and residential streets in the city, in an effort to achieve this goal. Additionally, SDOT will be expediting $3 million in pedestrian and bicycle safety improvements announced earlier this month. We must do all we can to ensure our streets are safe for all Seattleites.”

“Over the past several days, we have had several tragic collisions on Seattle streets, including another terrible collision on NE 65th Street between a car and a pedestrian this morning,” said Councilmember Rob Johnson. “Today’s collision serves as a tragic reminder of the necessary urgency of actions to make our city streets safer for all users. I stand on NE 65th Street every day with my young daughters as we wait to catch the bus and bear witness to drivers exceeding the speed limits, ignoring pedestrians and bicyclists, and acting recklessly. I join my neighbors in their demand that the City #Fix65th. As a City, we need to emphasize and prioritize investments in critical road safety projects to prevent the next tragedy from occurring. I’m calling on SDOT and Mayor Murray to release a design plan and timeline by Valentine’s Day detailing how they will make NE 65th Street safer because everyone deserves to use our city streets without threat of injury or death.”

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City announces $3 million in bicycle and pedestrian improvements

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 Today, Mayor Ed Murray announced over $3 million in funding for Safe Routes to School, as well as other bicycle and pedestrian improvements throughout the city. These projects will grow Seattle’s bicycle and pedestrian network as we continue to lay the foundation for a multimodal transportation system that reflects our growth and our values. The funding for these new projects is derived from funding previously allocated to the 2017 re-launch of the city’s bike share program. It will instead be invested in safety improvement projects and expanding the city’s bicycle and pedestrian network. Pronto, the city’s current bike share service, will end March 31.

“This shift in funding priorities allows us to make critical bicycle and pedestrian improvements—especially for students walking and biking to school,” said Mayor Murray. “While I remain optimistic about the future of bike share in Seattle, today we are focusing on a set of existing projects that will help build a safe, world-class bicycle and pedestrian network.”

The funding will go to the following projects:

  • Adding pedestrian safety improvements, including traffic calming and crosswalk improvements, at 19 schools through the Safe Routes to School Program.
  • Completing a missing link of the 4th Avenue bicycle lane and extension to Vine Street.
  • Accelerating design and outreach for the east/west connections in the Center City bicycle network.
  • Improving accessibility in Pioneer Square by adding curb ramps at key locations.

These projects are scheduled to begin in 2017.

“Cascade Bicycle Club applauds the Mayor for accelerating the downtown bicycle network and connecting key neighborhoods to where people live, work, play, and shop,” said Blake Trask, Senior Policy Director, Cascade Bicycle Club. “These new safety improvements around targeted schools will amplify the bike and walk education that Cascade provides in every Seattle Public elementary school.”

“I’m thrilled Mayor Murray has renewed his commitment to safer routes to school! Any investment in safe routes is a good investment in our children’s health and in Seattle’s future,” said Cathy Tuttle, Executive Director, Seattle Neighborhood Greenways. “Mayor Murray’s targeted spending on a downtown bicycle network is also a bold statement that Seattle values safe streets for all people, whether they choose to get around by walking, riding a bike, or in a vehicle. Great choices for a healthy Seattle, Mr. Mayor!”

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Looking back at 2016, a year of movement and reaffirmation

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Plaza Roberto Maestas

In many ways, 2016 was a year of both progress and reaffirmation. Time and again, our community stepped up to care for its most vulnerable residents, showed the world our spirit of inclusiveness and demonstrated what it means to put progressive values into action.

Here’s a look back at how we kept momentum and set the stage for even bolder action in pursuit of a more equitable, livable and vibrant city in the year ahead.

Housing affordability
It’s no secret Seattle is in the midst of a housing affordability crisis due to a booming economy driving population growth and demand for housing that has outpaced supply. In August voters renewed the Seattle Housing Levy by an overwhelming margin, adopting the largest affordable housing funding measure in the city’s history. By leveraging $290 million in levy funds with other pieces of our Housing Affordability and Livability Agenda, we’re on track to create 20,000 income- and rent-restricted affordable homes over the next decade, along with 30,000 market-rate units to meet growing demand. Since the start of 2015, 1,725 income and rent-restricted homes have opened, with 3,512 more units in development. This represents the most aggressive housing production this city’s ever seen and we’re on pace to triple past investments in affordable housing. This year we celebrated the opening of affordable housing and cultural space at Plaza Roberto Maestas (pictured above), broke ground at Arbora Court and Anchor Flats, and continued work with partners to leverage the Housing Levy.

To promote greater housing production and more equitable distribution of affordable housing, we adopted the Mandatory Housing Affordability program that for the first time ensures residential and commercial developers create or fund affordable housing with every new project. Supporting a vision laid out in the Seattle 2035 Comprehensive Plan, growth is being directed at urban centers and villages with access to transit, parks, small businesses and schools. In addition, the City this year adopted a number of new tenant protections, such as tackling source-of-income discrimination and prohibiting rent increases when units don’t meet minimum maintenance standards.

In October we struck a deal for redevelopment of Civic Square, otherwise known as “the hole next to City Hall,” which will result in nearly $22 million to support affordable housing and our Equitable Development Initiative.

To learn more about HALA, developer requirements and how you can join conversations about smart growth strategies, visit http://seattle.gov/hala and watch a replay of this Facebook Live Q&A.

Homelessness
Related to housing affordability, we’ve been facing a homelessness crisis affecting not just Seattle but a number of West Coast cities. The causes are many, from a decades-long decline in state and federal funding for health and human services to a worsening opioid epidemic. With more than 3,000 people – including 500 families – living unsheltered in Seattle, it’s clear that we must take bold action and try new approaches to achieve the goal of getting those experiencing homelessness off the street and into stable housing. To that end, this year we’ve initiated Pathways Home, a person-centered strategy that focuses on programs and approaches that best achieve the goal of ending homelessness by finding stable housing for those living unsheltered.

Pathways Home is transformational, and will take years to fully implement. We’ve begun by establishing performance-based contracting, funding programs that assist vulnerable residents with finding and keeping stable housing, and pursuing low-barrier shelter including a soon-to-open Navigation Center that will accommodate the individual needs and challenges of those experiencing homelessness including those with pets and those fighting addiction.

While Pathways Home offers the best chance to end homelessness in the long term, we must do more to provide safer alternatives for those living unsheltered and establish greater safety and certainty for those living in and near encampments. Like many, I was shocked by the violence and terrible conditions of the unauthorized East Duwamish encampment known as “the Jungle,” which existed for decades as a threat to the health and safety of its inhabitants and the wider community. Following months of outreach, in October we worked with the State to close the Jungle, found safer shelter for dozens of those who had been living there and cleared away hundreds of tons of garbage.

Also in October I unveiled Bridging the Gap, an interim action plan on homelessness that:

  • Creates safer alternative spaces to live, including four new authorized encampments including up to two low sites.
  • Expanded outreach by tripling the number of outreach workers connecting with people living in encampments, dedicating a Seattle Police team to partner with outreach workers to address behavioral disorder issues they encounter, and training frontline City employees on how to best offer referrals for people experiencing homelessness.
  • Enacted more compassionate protocols for unauthorized encampments, including clearer notice of cleanups, improved handling of storage and personal belongings, and transparency around when and why cleanups are carried out.
  • Improved trash and needle pickup with Seattle Public Utilities to help address areas most affected by trash buildup and make needle deposit boxes more accessible.

Our efforts to curb homelessness and work with neighborhoods to address issues related to encampments will continue in the year ahead, but I believe we are on the right track and are pursuing the most effective strategies. We can’t do it alone, and it will take the Federal and State government stepping up to bring an end to this crisis. We’ll be further challenged by the Trump Administration if it makes good on its threats to cut local funding.

Seattle Will Remain a Welcoming City
Speaking of President-elect Trump, 2016 will go down as a year when a presidential campaign waged through outrageous bigotry, misogyny and divisiveness challenged our core values. As I said on Election Day, regardless of the outcome of the presidential race, Seattle’s values will not change. We will continue to be a city that embraces diversity, welcomes immigrants, and declares that we will never enact a religious test. I recently spoke to these policies in an interview with the BBC.

In November I signed an Executive Order reaffirming these values. We made clear that City employees will not ask residents seeking services about immigration status unless police officers have a reasonable suspicion that a person is committing or has committed a felony violation. City employees will serve all residents and services will remain accessible to all residents, regardless of immigration status, ancestry, race, ethnicity, national origin, color, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender variance, marital status, physical or mental disability, or religion.

Further, I’ve directed that $250,000 be set aside to address the needs of unauthorized immigrant students enrolled in Seattle Public Schools. These students and their families are part of the fabric of our community. These parents work and pay taxes and make our community a more vibrant place. Their children will become the innovators and problem-solvers of the future, and deserve the chance to focus on school rather than live in fear of their family being ripped apart.

Equity and Inclusiveness
Building greater equity and inclusiveness was a major theme of our work in 2016. We completed a workforce equity strategic plan to better ensure the City’s workforce reflects our community’s diversity both in hiring and in participation, retention and advancement. Women- and minority-owned businesses accounted for nearly 20% of City contracts, one of the highest rates since passage of I-200 nearly 20 years ago.

We filled several important cabinet positions with skilled leaders who bring rich experience, diverse backgrounds and innovative thinking to our departments. These include:

  • Mami Hara, our new Director of Seattle Public Utilities, who previously served at Philadelphia Water and helped implement Green City, Clean Waters, one of the nation’s most ambitious green infrastructure programs.
  • Dylan Orr, who was sworn in as Director of Office of Labor standards in December. Dylan helped spearhead the City’s adoption of secure scheduling regulations to afford workers greater stability, a healthier workplace and more work-life balance. Previously, Dylan was appointed by President Obama as Special Assistant to the Office of Disability and Employment, making him the first openly-transgender person to be appointed by a presidential administration.

In addition to diversifying the City’s leadership, we took a series of steps to build greater equity and access in services, programs and community engagement:

  • In July I issued an executive order directing the Department of Neighborhoods and others to develop robust, modern community engagement plans that offer greater avenues for participation to under-represented communities and make use of digital platforms including the web and social media. A shift to more representative and accessible outreach will ensure greater equity and inclusiveness in neighborhood decision-making. To learn more and participate in Equitable Outreach opportunities, visit https://engageseattle.consider.it/.
  • We launched a Language Access program to increase the City’s ability to serve immigrant and refugee communities, and held a number of free workshops to provide resources to those seeking to become citizens.
  • In August we secured an Age-Friendly City designation from the World Health Organization and AARP, recognition of our commitment to increasing age-friendly policies such as access to recreation, safe transportation, housing assistance and more.
  • In October our Mobile Community Service Center made its debut during a Find It, Fix It walk in Georgetown. This “City Hall on wheels” will bring services and information to under-served neighborhoods.
  • In the 2017-18 budget we funded expansion of Community Centers, increasing operating hours at several facilities, switching to free programming at five community centers and reducing drop-in fees for activities such as toddler gyms and basketball at all facilities.
  • On Earth Day, we released an Equity and Environment Agenda to help ensure those most affected by environmental injustices have a bigger role in finding solutions and benefiting from them. Environmental equity means fighting pollution in communities of color through support for a “Green Wall” in Georgetown, promoting career opportunities in exciting fields of renewable energy and others through Green Pathways, and supporting the MobilizeGreen Conference which is building the next generation of leaders in environmental justice.

    Duwamish Valley Youth Corps

    Duwamish Valley Youth Corps members learn job and leadership skills while supporting environmental projects in their community.

  • In February I signed an executive order directing all City data be open by preference, meaning City departments will always make their data accessible to the public while taking steps to screen for privacy, security and quality. An open data policy builds equity and accountability, while increasing transparency and opportunities for innovation. We’ve established performance dashboards showing progress on public works projects and tools for exploring the City budget. App and software developers can work with these and other datasets at data.seattle.gov to develop new tools and solutions.

Education Summit
Closely tied to equity is our work on education reform, career readiness and pre-K programs.

In its second year, the Seattle Preschool Program expanded to serve 680 students, up from 280 the prior year, and exceeded equity goals with more than 75% of those served being students of color.

Building on our early learning initiatives, last spring I convened the City’s first Education Summit in 25 years, bringing together more than 500 attendees and facilitating more than 1,300 community engagements to address disparities facing students of color by ensuring all students are being prepared for the jobs of the future. Given that 43% of Seattle’s African American and Latino students do not graduate on time, or at all, we must do more to close the achievement gap. We’ve set a goal of raising post-secondary credential attainment to 70% for all Seattle Public Schools students by 2030.

Education summit

In November, we received recommendations from an Education Summit advisory panel comprised of leaders in education, business and community engagement. Among the recommendations we’ll pursue in the coming year:

  • Expanding the My Brother’s Keeper mentoring program for African American/Black male students from Aki Kurose Middle School to five additional middle schools.
  • Expanding the innovation school model, which has been successful in addressing disparities in middle schools around attendance, behavior and curricula, to a high school.
  • Broadening the City’s Summer Learning Program to serve an additional 200 students, with an emphasis on programs offering culturally specific curriculum.
  • Investing in post-secondary programs that ensure students who graduate from high school remain engaged during the summer and successfully enroll in college.

The Seattle Department of Education and Early Learning, in partnership with the Seattle School District, community, philanthropy, and business community will release an action plan early next year outlining next steps.

I’d like to thank everyone who has participated in the Education Summit. Our work is by no means done but we couldn’t have gotten to this point without strong community buy-in.

Police Accountability & Reform
One of the biggest challenges in my time as Mayor has been overseeing a change in culture, training and accountability in our Police Department to improve its relationship with communities of color and comply with the terms of a federal consent decree on use of force. The past year saw tremendous progress. The federal monitor, Judge James Robart, wrote in the latest progress report:

“The Seattle Police Department has made significant progress over the last year in achieving compliance with many aspects of the Consent Decree. With diligence and hard work, and in the absence of unforeseen impediments, and if there comes about greater community cooperation and trust, the SPD could well reach full and effective compliance in as little as a year from now (Fall 2017) in many, if not all, areas. It has been a prodigious effort to come this far, and the distance traveled now exceeds the distance that remains.”

Evidence of that progress can be found in a recent survey showing an approval rating of 72% for the Seattle Police Department, compared to 54% in 2015. Seattle’s police force is becoming more diverse and better equipped to deal with people in crisis without resorting to force.

In October, we sent a reform package to Judge Robart for review that includes the strongest police accountability measures in the City’s history:

  • Creation of the Office of Inspector General, empowered to review and report on any aspect of SPD’s policies and practices.
  • Increases the independence of our Office of Professional Accountability, replacing sworn SPD officers with civilian staff tasked with overseeing all investigations and complaints against officers.
  • Makes the CPC a permanent body, ensuring community input is institutionalized into Seattle’s police services.

Thanks to Chief O’Toole, and to all in SPD and community who have helped make our reform efforts a model across the nation. I look forward to continuing these efforts in the year ahead.

Transportation
A fast-growing city striving for greater livability and working on the front lines of the fight against climate change needs a modern, multimodal transportation infrastructure. We saw great progress on transportation this year, from the historic passage of ST3 which will expand LINK Light Rail service for decades to come, to the opening of new LINK Light Rail stations connecting downtown with Capitol Hill and the U-District, to the opening of the Westlake cycle track, recently named the best new bike lane in America by People for Bikes.

University of Washington LINK Light Rail opening

Celebrating the opening of the Capitol Hill-UW LINK Light Rail line.

Seattle is a leader on climate action and is moving away from fossil fuels by promoting renewable energy, walkable urban villages and transit-oriented development. This year we launched Drive Clean Seattle, through which we’re accelerating adoption of electric vehicles in our municipal fleet and making dozens more EV charging stations available throughout the City.

Seattle electric vehicle facts

We also took big steps on pedestrian and driver safety by adopting reduced speed limits as part of our Vision Zero initiative aimed at eliminating traffic fatalities by 2030.

Strengthening bonds
While most of our efforts are focused locally, I’m a big believer that cities have a role to play in making the world a better place, and that we can and should learn from one another. This year Seattle continued to lead on climate action, equity and inclusion, and innovation, while forging stronger bonds with other communities committed to these efforts.

In May, Seattle was selected to participate in the 100 Resilient Cities Network, one of only 37 cities chosen from 325 applicants. As part of the 100RC Network, we’ll work to bolster our ability to deal with challenges now and in the future. I’m most excited that we are bringing equity to the table as a strategy for building greater economic and environmental resilience by ensuring solutions are informed by and accrue benefits to all in our community.

Mexico City MOU signing

Joining Mexico City’s Chief of Government, Miguel Ángel Mancera Espinosa, Ph.D, to announce a new partnership between our cities.

In December, I spoke at a climate conference in Mexico City and signed a memorandum of understanding with leaders of that city, pledging cooperation on trade, information technology, clean technology, creative industries, education, people-to-people exchanges, and other fields of common interest. Just as we’ll share innovative approaches taking shape in Seattle, we’ll continue to learn from other communities through these partnerships.

I’m proud of the progress we’ve made together this year, and excited by the opportunities that await in 2017. As this year comes to an end and we gather with family and friends to celebrate the holidays and look forward to new beginnings, I want to thank all of you for your input, civic pride, kindness and generosity. I am proud to be the mayor of this great city and humbled by the actions of our passionate and dedicated community.

I wish you all a very happy holiday season and a bright new year.

 

 

 

 

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Mayor announces $47 million in affordable housing investments

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Mayor Ed Murray announced the City’s commitment of $47 million in funding to produce and preserve 610 affordable homes. He made the announcement at the Capitol Hill Light Right Station, where the money will fund transit oriented development, matching investments in affordable housing with other investments that make Seattle a more affordable and livable city. This investment is $13 million more than originally anticipated this year for the competitive funding process managed by the Seattle Office of Housing (OH) due to an increase in payments through the Incentive Zoning program.

“We once again see the power of leveraging public funding from the Housing Levy with incentive payments from developers to produce affordable housing in our city,” said Mayor Ed Murray. “As we continue to work on investing and implementing housing affordability measures across the city, we are ensuring working people and families will have the resources to make Seattle home for years to come.”

This year marks the last year of funding from the 2009 Seattle Housing Levy, which was renewed and doubled by voters this August. For the last seven years, the 2009 Levy has provided $15 million per year to invest in affordable multifamily housing.

“I want to acknowledge Seattle voters for continuing their commitment to affordable housing through renewing the Housing Levy this year,” said Steve Walker, director of the Office of Housing. “With your support, this year we are ensuring 225 people experiencing homelessness and 385 low-income families will have an affordable place to call home.”

The 2016 funding awards will support the construction of six new buildings (with 472 apartments) and the preservation of three buildings (with 138 apartments) throughout Seattle. A full list of buildings is included below.

“From people experiencing homelessness to low-wage workers who want to live near where they work, the need for affordable housing in Seattle has never been greater,” stated Chris Persons, CEO of Capitol Hill Housing. “The funding provided by the City through the Housing Levy is made possible by the voters. Their support is critical to the creation of these buildings that ensure low-income residents will have access to housing options across the city.”

Every year, the Office of Housing provides a notice of funding availability to affordable housing developers and solicits proposals based on current City priorities. In June, OH announced $34 million in funding, and received 11 applications totaling $58 million in requests. An increase in the amount of payments from the Incentive Zoning program allowed OH to increase the total funding awarded to $47 million this year. Each City dollar is leveraged with three dollars from other sources to maximize these public investments even more.

Over the last 35 years, the Office of Housing has invested nearly $500 million in the creation and preservation of over 13,000 units of affordable housing. These apartments retain their affordability for at least 50 years. These homes provide stability for homeless adults, families and youth; seniors and people with disabilities; and low-wage working families.

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More information on the Rental Housing Program can be found at www.seattle.gov/housing.

The Seattle Office of Housing provides support to low-income residents in Seattle through rental housing preservation and production, home buyer assistance, free weatherization services and home repair loans. www.seattle.gov/housing.

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Mayor Murray issues statement on latest SODO arena proposal

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Mayor Ed Murray issued the following statement after receiving a letter from the Chris Hansen-led investment group today:

“The City will review the letter sent by a group of stakeholders, including Chris Hansen, suggesting a revision to the previous SODO arena proposal. We share the goal of bringing the NBA and NHL to Seattle. The City will continue to consider all options to build a new, state of the art arena that will accomplish that goal and that can serve the city for years to come.”

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