ashley's blog

The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) is in the process of updating the State Freight Rail Plan to meet federal and state requirements. The update will qualify the state for new federal grants authorized through the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008. The date for completion of the plan is Dec. 31. (To see Northwest Hub’s coverage of the Preliminary National Rail Plan, which was released on Friday, click here.)

Great City—a group of environmentalists, neighborhood leaders, business people and citizens—issued a new land use white paper this week to recommend actions the incoming mayor and city council could take to create “a better path forward for Seattle.” The intention is to complement efforts gaining momentum around the region such as the Cascade Agenda and the Quality Growth Alliance.

The Seattle Department of Planning and Development (DPD) released its biweekly land use information bulletin today. The following list provides the highlights. For more detailed information, click here.

Downtown Development Scheduled for Design Review

(Pete Buck, chairman of the nonprofit board of Northwest Hub, will be contributing serendipitous observations from time to time. He has a tiny camera in the glove box of his car and an eye and ear for what is good in the world. Anyone with ideas for positive happenings, programs, things, etc., should contact him at pete@northwesthub.org.)

After months of strong opposition to the deep-bored tunnel option as a replacement for the Alaskan Way Viaduct, mayoral candidate Mike McGinn has shifted his position. He announced in a statement Monday that if elected, he would go along with Seattle City Council’s 9-0 decision to fund the tunnel project.

On Friday the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) released the Preliminary National Rail Plan, which is meant to address the country’s rail needs.

The Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008 directed the administrator of the FRA to develop a Preliminary National Rail Plan, and the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009 set the framework for the development of high-speed rail in the U.S. The preliminary plan is a first step in both processes.

Seattle City Council voted unanimously today to approve Council Bill 116668, a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the Washington Department of Transportation (WSDOT) and the city, authorizing both parties to move forward with the Alaskan Way Viaduct deep-bored tunnel and seawall replacement.

[Editor's Note: This piece was updated on Oct. 19 to include a new response from People for Puget Sound.]

Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) and the House Democratic Caucus today launched the Livable Communities Task Force, which will identify ways the federal government can partner with local communities to improve Americans’ quality of life.

Marcus Rapaport may soon deliver a new source of energy to Cowlitz County residents. Rapaport, who hails from Olympia, has proposed the construction of a power plant that would create hot gas from wood waste, generating electricity and producing ethanol.