Riley Avron
@ravron.bsky.social
160 followers 440 following 110 posts
Urbanist in West Seattle. Let's make housing more affordable and available, and getting around without a car safe and easy for everyone.
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Reposted by Riley Avron
wilsonforseattle.bsky.social
A PAC supporting Bruce Harrell has now raised more than $1 million from wealthy donors, and soon they will use it to attack me so that our city stays unaffordable. With less than a month until election day, I want to make a few things clear. #thisisyourcity
ravron.bsky.social
When I talked to the SDOT crew putting them in, they said "going all the way to 26th" from Avalon. So I suspect they didn't do this area :/. Curious to find out too, though.
ravron.bsky.social
Am I right in remembering it will remain mixed use with pedestrians until 2026? Or are both paths open?
ravron.bsky.social
typewriteralley.bsky.social
Confirmed: SDOT will be removing the bus only lane on E Union Street this weekend, ceding this part of the $130 million RapidRide G project back to general purpose traffic in response to requests from nearby property owners.
Bus only lane at 12th Ave
ravron.bsky.social
Quotes from canvassing for @wilsonforseattle.bsky.social:

"I saw her Goodwill video and loved it, she's an actual person!"
"Wilson? Yeah she's a commie. But I don't like Harrell much neither, so we'll see."
ravron.bsky.social
I suggest donating to the PAC. The campaign is likely to hit its $900k maximum campaign valuation using vouchers, so donating to the campaign is zero-sum with vouchers.
ravron.bsky.social
Yep. There's already much discussion amongst the urbanist progressives about how to adjust the poor comp plan results once we get a better mayor and a few more good council members.

It helps that the city is on track to be 18 months late on the comp plan, which gives time for the election.
ravron.bsky.social
Oh, they're serious — seriously opposed to more homes.
ravron.bsky.social
I believe it was @ronpdavis.bsky.social with this analogy.

The pressure to build is like a boiling pot. Crack the lid just a bit, and a jet of steam comes out. "Wow, that's scary! Clearly we can't open the lid."

But lift it off entirely, and nothing dramatic happens.
ericacbarnett.bsky.social
Allowing housing in EVERY neighborhood, rather than engaging in perennial piddly debates about tiny sections of Seattle, would greatly ease gentrification pressure in areas like the CD, CID, Southeast Seattle, and South Park because renters wouldn't be confined to tiny swaths of the city.
Reposted by Riley Avron
ericacbarnett.bsky.social
Allowing housing in EVERY neighborhood, rather than engaging in perennial piddly debates about tiny sections of Seattle, would greatly ease gentrification pressure in areas like the CD, CID, Southeast Seattle, and South Park because renters wouldn't be confined to tiny swaths of the city.
ravron.bsky.social
Wasn't there much made about how we couldn't have more amendments, nor could they be modified, due to public hearing rules? And now they're just making all these changes anyways?
ravron.bsky.social
Yeah, there's always some new excuse. Inspired by this essay, I've resolved to stop caring about the technical issues, and demand more homes all the same.

venat.substack.com/p/how-the-an...
An excerpt from an essay:

Meanwhile, there's no point in playing a game where you hold zero power. Planners have home field advantage in technical discussions, but citizens possess something far more potent: constitutional authority. The democratic system grants you, as a voter, the power to set terms of engagement that bypass technical complexity entirely.

This is precisely the game that NIMBYs keep playing and winning. They don't debate angular plane calculations or heritage character assessments. They express emotions, demand specific outcomes, and threaten political consequences if those outcomes aren't delivered. When planners respond with technical objections—citing guidelines, referencing best practices, invoking institutional wisdom—NIMBYs hold the ultimate trump card: they don't care.
ravron.bsky.social
typewriteralley.bsky.social
This morning @councilmember-amr.bsky.social called for the council's transportation committee to pursue some type of formal inquiry into the decision to rule out additional bus lanes on Denny Way's most congested blocks to get the Route 8 out of traffic.
ravron.bsky.social
Honestly hard not to take it personally when anti-housing activists describe the type of homes my friends and I live in as "a monstrosity" and "soulless."
ravron.bsky.social
Yeah. I know it's a meme but… land value tax would solve this.
Reposted by Riley Avron
tech4housing.org
Amazon is trying to buy Seattle’s election! Send your Democracy Vouchers or donate money to @wilsonforseattle.bsky.social to help cancel Corporate PAC spending. #ThisIsYourCity WilsonForSeattle.com
ravron.bsky.social
Thank you, @seattledot.bsky.social! Important not just to complain when they miss the mark, but also recognize when they do a good job.
seattledot.bsky.social
The barriers were repaired by crews this morning.
Crews repairing the barrier, view from a SDOT traffic camera
Reposted by Riley Avron
housingconsortium.org
We're two weeks out from the Final Seattle Comprehensive Plan Public Hearing on 9/12. This is a make-or-break moment that will decide the future of housing and growth in Seattle. Please join us in showing up and demanding a bold plan to address our city's housing crisis: bit.ly/OneSeattleFi...
ravron.bsky.social
Ooh, very interesting. Thanks for the suggestion.
ravron.bsky.social
Yep, we have the same. I'm thinking I may just decommission the radiant heating and install a typical mini-split system.
Reposted by Riley Avron
councilmember-amr.bsky.social
The Seattle City Council is about to start taking votes on the 20-year Comprehensive Plan which will determine how housing in Seattle is built.

I biked around Seattle to talk to people about what we need to do to build more housing, and make our communities more walkable, and livable.
Reposted by Riley Avron
matthutchins.bsky.social
I'm loving Rinck amendment 84-removing off-street parking requirements citywide, striking pages and pages and pages of antiquated text.

We can put design first, rather than starting with the minimum parking and designing around that.
Reposted by Riley Avron
matthutchins.bsky.social
One of the reasons that new housings starts have tanked is that Harrell’s administration sat on the comp plan for a year.
Property owners are treading water waiting for the new zoning.
Spare me the election season rhetoric that Harrell is the right person to make housing more affordable.
a man in a suit and tie stands in a field of flowers
Alt: a man in a suit and tie stands in a field of flowers. Waiting for the comp plan
media.tenor.com