ashley's blog

King County Council implemented new updates to the Farmland Preservation Program (FPP) at its meeting on Oct. 5.

Northwest Hub is looking for a Development Associate to join our dynamic team of young, enthusiastic online media and journalism professionals. We are nonpartisan and not-for-profit and have a growing reputation for credible, relevant reporting in the land use, environmental and real estate industries.

In order to better inform property owners and better serve emergency responders, Seattle is reassessing which areas of the city are most prone to flooding, according to a press release. The re-mapping effort, which uses new technology in conjunction with data from record-setting 2007 floods, is the first update to Seattle’s flood prone areas since 1987.

The American Planning Association (APA) announced today that Spokane neighborhood Browne’s Addition has been designated one of 10 Great Neighborhoods for 2009 by APA's Great Places in America program, according to a City of Spokane press release. Great Places are selected annually and "represent the gold standard in terms of having a true sense of place, cultural and historical interest, community involvement and a vision for tomorrow," according to the APA website.

Two brothers in Skagit County are turning brown stuff into green energy. With their new digester, which went online Sept. 28, Kevin and Daryl Maas are able to turn 55,000 gallons of liquid cow manure into enough clean energy to power 500 homes every day.

National Journal’s Transportation Expert Blog recently posed the question: What should a national freight policy do and how should it be funded? (To check out the full question, which was posted by Lisa Caruso of NationalJournal.com, click here.)

Even after interim repairs are completed to the federally owned and operated Howard Hanson Dam, there is still a “1 in 4 chance” that water may have to be released that could cause the Green River to overtop its banks and flood the valley, according to a press release released this afternoon by the King County Council. (To read Northwest Hub's prior coverage of the Howard Hanson Dam issues, click here.)

Sound Transit announced that it will be holding a series of workshops as part of the process of designing the preferred alternative for East Link, which is "Sound Transit’s voter-approved project to build light rail between Seattle and Overlake."

On Oct. 8 Sound Transit will be holding an open house for the Link light rail station at Capitol Hill. Participants will learn about night-time construction, noise variance, business mitigation and have a chance to ask questions. 

The meeting will be held from 6-8 p.m. on Oct. 8 in room 1110 at Seattle Central Community College (1701 E. Broadway Ave.). A presentation will begin at 6:30 p.m.

As city governments nationwide struggle to provide affordable rental housing in transit corridors, a new report warns that more than 175,000 rental units near public transit in 20 U.S. metropolitan areas could see rents skyrocket in the next five years due to the expiration of federal subsidies.