Transit and land use in Seattle’s ‘Green New Deal’ resolution

Seattle City Council blog:

Selected highlights of the Resolution include making Seattle climate pollution-free by 2030; prioritizing public investments in neighborhoods that have historically been underinvested in and disproportionately burdened by environmental hazards and other injustices; exploring the creation of Free, Prior, and Informed consent policies with federally recognized tribal nations; and, creating a fund and establish dedicated revenue sources for achieving the Green New Deal that will be used to make investments in communities, along with an associated accountability body.

This is a non-binding resolution, of course, so it's easy to throw the kitchen sink at it. But it moves the needle on an issue that is very much in need of needle mobility.

Here are some of the transit and land use components. (Note this is the draft text that's on the city's website. SCC Insight posted an updated copy with some changes but I don't see a final version).

Section 9. Road transportation made up about 62 percent of Seattle's core emissions in 2016, with most of these emissions originating from passenger vehicles and the remainder from medium- and heavy-duty trucks. To reduce transportation-related emissions, the City commits to pursuing the following strategies:

A. Make transit more affordable, reliable, and widely accessible;

B. Support efforts by King County Metro to convert all transit vehicles to be fully electric and explore fare-free transit by prioritizing communities for whom affordability is the greatest barrier to transit, while ensuring that service and reliability are not negatively impacted;

C. Facilitate more transit-oriented development, with at least 25 percent of all such development affordable to those at 30 to 60 percent of area median income;

D. Create a comprehensive system of dedicated bus lanes and bike lanes across the entire city;

E. Prioritize use of the public right-of-way for moving people and goods, not for moving single-occupancy vehicles, and conduct all transportation planning and construction accordingly;

F. Pilot new electric vehicle and transportation projects in communities with the greatest need for transportation options;

G. Expand transportation options, including connected infrastructure for biking, walking and rolling, to provide viable alternatives to driving;

H. Create a citywide goal of 100 percent electric vehicles for ride share, carshare, and freight by no later than 2025 and develop a plan for achieving this goal;

I. Implement a congestion pricing plan that is equitable and creates revenue to support transit expansion to benefit low-income, historically marginalized, and transit-disconnected communities first and foremost; and

J. Encourage City departments and businesses in Seattle to allow employees to telecommute.

Section 10. The City commits to continue implementing comprehensive strategies to mitigate development impacts and prevent displacement of vulnerable communities. In addition to the anti-displacement initiatives identified in Section 2 of Resolution 31870, which the Council adopted concurrently with Ordinance 125791, implementing the mandatory housing affordability program citywide, the City will pursue the following strategies:

A. Encourage the creation of more housing, particularly affordable housing, locating this housing near transit hubs, green space, and neighborhood amenities to reduce dependence on private vehicles;

B. Explore anti-displacement strategies and alternative housing models, such as community-owned cooperative housing, community land ownership, and community land conservation that will allow communities to grow and prosper within Seattle, particularly on City-owned land not currently used for housing that could be repurposed to address the housing crisis;

C. Continue to increase housing density as a means to meet both current unmet demand for affordable housing and projected future population growth;

E. Require that landlords who participate in City weatherization programs limit rent increases for ten years to ensure that low-income renters are able to remain in place and receive the benefits of weatherization;

F. Prioritize low-income housing, especially for people earning 30 percent or less than area median income;

G. Coordinate the City's approach to measuring displacement and risk of displacement to advance anti-displacement efforts, and publish this data on the City's website in a clear and easily-accessible location;

H. Remove financial barriers and increase outreach regarding accessory dwelling units (ADUs) for low-income homeowners seeking to build an ADU on their property;

I. Provide support and capacity building to ensure that residents of neighborhoods currently experiencing displacement or at high risk of displacement can engage in conversations with developers regarding proposed projects in their neighborhoods; and

J. Develop a centralized hub of information and expand outreach to people at risk of displacement.

A solid list, to be sure. I hope this council or the next one runs with it.