Also in this edition: Masking Up and Getting Vaccinated



Durkan Digest Standard Header



This week,?following?unanimous?passage?by the City Council, I?announced [ [link removed] ]?that I will sign?legislation to?allow more flexibility in permitted uses for empty downtown storefronts.?This temporary change to allow more uses for our storefronts will help restore the vitality of our downtown. I appreciate the City Council for quickly passing this legislation and supporting the City?s work to help downtown small businesses, workers, and arts and cultural organizations recover.?

Downtown is?our city?s?economic engine and heartbeat. It is?up to us to help it build back better than ever for all those who live, work, or visit?these businesses and neighborhoods. As part of our effort to revitalize downtown, we?re making it easier than ever to pursue new, innovative uses for storefronts, like art installations or museums.?

Downtown Seattle at night

The new temporary proposal will provide flexibility for businesses, artists, and other organizations to activate empty storefronts by allowing art installations, museums, and a greater variety of businesses, among other new options. Previously, downtown businesses on select streets had to abide by a much narrower set of permitted pedestrian-friendly uses for storefronts.?

Supporting?downtown is critical as Seattle works to build back better, and more equitably than ever before.?This newly passed legislation is just?one?piece of our efforts to bring people back to downtown, especially our retail core.??

As part of the?our?$9 million investment in?downtown recovery [ [link removed] ], the City will spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to support storefront activations by providing resources for small businesses and arts and cultural organizations that want to come downtown and bring new life to the streetscape.??

In the coming?days and?weeks,?we plan to announce?additional efforts to activate empty storefronts, including matchmaking services for small businesses or artists to find empty storefront space,?Welcome Back Week?events,?as well as additional funding.?You can find more information on the City?s downtown recovery efforts at?www.seattle.gov/covidrecovery [ [link removed] ]?

As always, please continue to write me [email protected], reach out via?Twitter [ [link removed] ]?and?Facebook [ [link removed] ], and stay up-to-date on the work we?re doing for the people of Seattle on my?blog [ [link removed] ].????

Stay Safe and Healthy,?

Mayor Jenny Durkan's Signature________________________________________________________________________

Masking Up and Getting Vaccinated

Tweet from Mayor Durkan encouraging residents to wear a mask indoors [ [link removed] ]

This week, Governor?Inslee?announced additional vaccination requirements, and an indoor mask mandate.?The Governor has made the right call to protect our kids, our education professionals, and our communities.??

We know what works to protect ourselves against this virus: vaccines, masks, testing, going outdoors, and distancing. Vaccines are widely available across Seattle and King County. You can visit?[link removed] [ [link removed] ]?to find a vaccine appointment near you. Remember to wear masks indoors ? even if you?re vaccinated. If you are exposed or have symptoms,?visit one of our rapid, accessible, and free testing sites [ [link removed] ], which are still crucial for preventing the spread of COVID-19 in our communities.?Mask up, and get vaccinated to curb the spread of the Delta variant, save lives, and protect our most vulnerable populations.?

Read more [ [link removed] ]?
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Applications for the 2021 - 2022 school year now available!

Graphic encouraging residents to apply for the Seattle Preschool Program

The 2021-2022 school year is just around the corner, and applications for the Seattle Preschool Program (SPP) are now open now! @SeattleDEEL SPP classrooms operate on a full-day schedule of six hours, Monday through Friday, with extended child care available at some locations. For more information on how to register your child, go to:?www.seattle.gov/applyspp [ [link removed] ]??

Read more [ [link removed] ]?
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West Seattle Bridge

Tweet from SDOT about Senator Cantwell and Deputy Secretary of Transportation, Polly Trottenberg for stopping by the West Seattle Bridge [ [link removed] ]

Thank you Senator?Cantwell?and?Deputy Secretary of Transportation, Polly?Trottenberg?for stopping by?the?West Seattle Bridge this week, and Representative?Jayapal?for also supporting this critical infrastructure repair. The City of?Seattle?and SDOT are?continuing to expand?and?improve detours to keep everyone moving until the high bridge safely reopens in mid-2022.?

Read more [ [link removed] ]?
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Adding a Temporary Bus Lane to Help People Get Around the WSDOT Montlake Bridge Closure

A King County Metro Bus at NE Campus Parkway and 12th Ave NE in 2016 [ [link removed] ]

A King County Metro Bus at NE Campus Parkway and 12th Ave NE in 2016. Photo: SDOT

It?s been tough for many northeast Seattle travelers since the?Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) closed the?Montlake?Bridge for much needed repairs [ [link removed] ]. In that time, we?ve been working closely with our partner transportation agencies to monitor the effects of the closure on city streets and look for opportunities to help the situation.???

The temporary bus lane will be in effect 24/7 for the duration of the?Montlake?Bridge closure. We will monitor traffic closely to see how well it works and consider whether there may be a long-term benefit in keeping the bus lane after the?Montlake?Bridge reopens.???

Read more [ [link removed] ]?
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WEEKEND READ: As people took up cycling during pandemic, Seattle went on a bike-lane-building binge

From the Seattle Times story, a biker on Dr. Jose P. Rizal Bridge

By? Michelle?Baruchman??

Seattle residents have new biking options for getting around the city.?

Since the start of 2020 and the first half of 2021, the city has built almost 7 miles of protected bicycle lanes, focusing largely on connections in downtown and South Seattle.?

Notable projects include new lanes on?Fourth Avenue in downtown [ [link removed] ]; on?12th Avenue South [ [link removed] ]?connecting Beacon Hill to the Chinatown International District; on?Bell Street [ [link removed]. ], providing a connection between downtown, Belltown, and South Lake Union; on?East Union Street [ [link removed] ]?in the Central District; and on?Southwest Avalon Way [ [link removed] ]?in West Seattle.?

In September, the Seattle Department of Transportation will complete nearly three-quarters of a mile of?protected bike lanes in Uptown [ [link removed] ]?near the new Climate Pledge Arena at Seattle Center.?

The mileage ? a projected 5.02 miles in 2021 alone ? represents a surge for bicycle-lane construction, which fell quiet at the beginning of 2020 as the coronavirus pandemic emerged. And it comes as the?popularity of bicycling [ [link removed] ]?? a socially distant form of recreation and transportation ? has grown during the pandemic.?

Several projects were pushed until this year or further into the future as a result of lockdown restrictions that limited work crews, changes in funding availability and pending?legal battles [ [link removed] ]?over land use.?

With the exception of 2019, this year will see the most mileage of protected bike lanes constructed in Seattle in the last five years.?

SDOT spent almost $2 million from its bike budget on three projects in 2020 and has spent another $3.3 million on the 12th Avenue, East Union and Bell Street projects alone so far this year. Amazon paid for the construction of the lanes on Seventh Avenue between Bell Street and Blanchard Street.?

The new protected bicycle lanes on 12th Avenue South ?make me feel safer,? said?Ketty?Hsieh, 52, because they have plastic posts separating cyclists from fast-moving traffic.?Hsieh?travels the route almost every day to commute between Seward Park and the Polyclinic on Seventh Avenue.?

Read more [ [link removed] ]?
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