Ryan Packer
@typewriteralley.bsky.social
Pedestrian
Reporting at The Urbanist as Contributing Editor
Transportation advocate
Probably covering a random public meeting
(they-them)
📍Puget Sound
https://www.patreon.com/typewriteralley
Reporting at The Urbanist as Contributing Editor
Transportation advocate
Probably covering a random public meeting
(they-them)
📍Puget Sound
https://www.patreon.com/typewriteralley
Pinned
Ryan Packer
@typewriteralley.bsky.social
· Nov 24
Hi new followers-
Several years ago I decided to start documenting how regularly people in my city of Seattle were getting hurt while trying to get around via walking or biking, in as close to real-time as possible.
In response to consistent feedback I'm going to continue on this platform.
Several years ago I decided to start documenting how regularly people in my city of Seattle were getting hurt while trying to get around via walking or biking, in as close to real-time as possible.
In response to consistent feedback I'm going to continue on this platform.
Living in a city for long enough as a renter means constantly being confronted with buildings you walked through but never moved into...something that always forces you to consider (if just for a second) the person you would be today if you had.
November 20, 2025 at 3:05 AM
Living in a city for long enough as a renter means constantly being confronted with buildings you walked through but never moved into...something that always forces you to consider (if just for a second) the person you would be today if you had.
Seattle Fire is currently responding to a driver hitting someone walking at Albion Place N and N 34th Street, next to Fremont Brewing.
November 20, 2025 at 2:19 AM
Seattle Fire is currently responding to a driver hitting someone walking at Albion Place N and N 34th Street, next to Fremont Brewing.
I'm so excited for The Urbanist to roll into 2026 at full strength, covering new admins at the city and county and major stories elsewhere, including at Sound Transit.
I hope you'll consider joining us at our holiday party to support that work. It's also fun!
www.eventbrite.com/e/the-urbani...
I hope you'll consider joining us at our holiday party to support that work. It's also fun!
www.eventbrite.com/e/the-urbani...
The Urbanist Winter Holiday Party
Come celebrate the holidays with The Urbanist team, elected officials, and urbanist community members!
www.eventbrite.com
November 20, 2025 at 2:09 AM
I'm so excited for The Urbanist to roll into 2026 at full strength, covering new admins at the city and county and major stories elsewhere, including at Sound Transit.
I hope you'll consider joining us at our holiday party to support that work. It's also fun!
www.eventbrite.com/e/the-urbani...
I hope you'll consider joining us at our holiday party to support that work. It's also fun!
www.eventbrite.com/e/the-urbani...
Somehow I failed to work into this story that the current mayor pro tem of Clyde Hill is the guy who led the team at Microsoft that brought the world autocorrect.
NEW STORY // Housing Emergency? Clyde Hill Shuts the Door to Most Middle Housing
Story by Ryan Packer via @theurbanist.org // 🔗 www.theurbanist.org/2025/11/18/h...
Story by Ryan Packer via @theurbanist.org // 🔗 www.theurbanist.org/2025/11/18/h...
Housing Emergency? Clyde Hill Shuts the Door to Most Middle Housing » The Urbanist
# Already under scrutiny for potential violations of state housing law, the city of Clyde Hill's new restrictions make its middle housing code one of the most restrictive in the state.
www.theurbanist.org
November 20, 2025 at 12:52 AM
Somehow I failed to work into this story that the current mayor pro tem of Clyde Hill is the guy who led the team at Microsoft that brought the world autocorrect.
Covington CM Joseph Cimaomo, talking at the last regional transit committee mtg of 2025, issued a plea for better transit service in SE King County.
"I would like to be able to take a bus from Covington to North Bend, without having to transfer 8 different times and go over 3 different highways."
"I would like to be able to take a bus from Covington to North Bend, without having to transfer 8 different times and go over 3 different highways."
November 19, 2025 at 11:25 PM
Covington CM Joseph Cimaomo, talking at the last regional transit committee mtg of 2025, issued a plea for better transit service in SE King County.
"I would like to be able to take a bus from Covington to North Bend, without having to transfer 8 different times and go over 3 different highways."
"I would like to be able to take a bus from Covington to North Bend, without having to transfer 8 different times and go over 3 different highways."
Reposted by Ryan Packer
My latest on how the 2026 Seattle budget (final Council vote on Friday) is not setting Katie Wilson up for success, between its accounting tricks, one-time funding, and CM provisos. Also some details about the federal Continuum of Care changes, which I know many of you have been concerned about.
NEW STORY // Katie Wilson to Inherit Seattle’s Budget Woes
Story by @amysundberg.bsky.social via @theurbanist.org // 🔗 www.theurbanist.org/2025/11/19/k...
Story by @amysundberg.bsky.social via @theurbanist.org // 🔗 www.theurbanist.org/2025/11/19/k...
Katie Wilson to Inherit Seattle’s Budget Woes » The Urbanist
# Katie Wilson may have won the mayoral election, but her challenges are just beginning. Outgoing Mayor Bruce Harrell is leaving a budget mess behind him.
www.theurbanist.org
November 19, 2025 at 10:01 PM
My latest on how the 2026 Seattle budget (final Council vote on Friday) is not setting Katie Wilson up for success, between its accounting tricks, one-time funding, and CM provisos. Also some details about the federal Continuum of Care changes, which I know many of you have been concerned about.
Girmay Zahilay's campaign website for Executive has been updated since the election, with the "policy priorities" page now gone.
November 19, 2025 at 10:07 PM
Girmay Zahilay's campaign website for Executive has been updated since the election, with the "policy priorities" page now gone.
Hearing from multiple sources that King County's Executive Climate Office (ECO) is set to be fully eliminated under the new administration.
Continuing to hear more and more about a significant staff shakeup at King County, ahead of Executive-elect Girmay Zahilay's swearing in next week. Scores of policy shop folks, including those in the county's climate office, have been invited to apply to keep their own jobs, and morale is not great.
November 19, 2025 at 1:48 AM
Hearing from multiple sources that King County's Executive Climate Office (ECO) is set to be fully eliminated under the new administration.
Sure, it took almost a decade to build one apartment building, but what matters is that in the end we broke up the massing
More than nine years after the process started, the "Save Madison Valley" building is finally getting close to opening its doors to residents.
November 19, 2025 at 12:49 AM
Sure, it took almost a decade to build one apartment building, but what matters is that in the end we broke up the massing
More than nine years after the process started, the "Save Madison Valley" building is finally getting close to opening its doors to residents.
November 19, 2025 at 12:08 AM
More than nine years after the process started, the "Save Madison Valley" building is finally getting close to opening its doors to residents.
Here's a question: why is the county council set to add a provision to the county budget essentially neutering the force and effect of the requests that it's making within that very budget?
November 18, 2025 at 8:29 PM
Here's a question: why is the county council set to add a provision to the county budget essentially neutering the force and effect of the requests that it's making within that very budget?
Continuing to hear more and more about a significant staff shakeup at King County, ahead of Executive-elect Girmay Zahilay's swearing in next week. Scores of policy shop folks, including those in the county's climate office, have been invited to apply to keep their own jobs, and morale is not great.
November 18, 2025 at 8:12 PM
Continuing to hear more and more about a significant staff shakeup at King County, ahead of Executive-elect Girmay Zahilay's swearing in next week. Scores of policy shop folks, including those in the county's climate office, have been invited to apply to keep their own jobs, and morale is not great.
Reposted by Ryan Packer
Federal Way Pedestrian Hit & Run: A 42-year-old female crossing the street at S 320th and Pete Von Reichbauer Way S was hit by a driver who fled the scene about 30 minutes ago. openmhz.com/events/691cc...
November 18, 2025 at 7:46 PM
Federal Way Pedestrian Hit & Run: A 42-year-old female crossing the street at S 320th and Pete Von Reichbauer Way S was hit by a driver who fled the scene about 30 minutes ago. openmhz.com/events/691cc...
What do we have here, in the International District Chinatown Station pocket track?
November 18, 2025 at 7:20 PM
What do we have here, in the International District Chinatown Station pocket track?
Throwback to the time that The Urbanist sent Katie Wilson to cover the grand opening of a Belltown highrise, which featured the hoisting of a $1.6 million supercar to the building's roof. But how people cover child care costs is a scandal, am I right?
www.theurbanist.org/2024/05/19/h...
www.theurbanist.org/2024/05/19/h...
Op-Ed: Hoisting ‘Supercar’ 47 Stories Inaugurates Condo Opening, New Gilded Age » The Urbanist
# A million-dollar McLaren Elva briefly graced the 47th floor rooftop next to the jacuzzi to promote the
www.theurbanist.org
November 18, 2025 at 5:32 PM
Throwback to the time that The Urbanist sent Katie Wilson to cover the grand opening of a Belltown highrise, which featured the hoisting of a $1.6 million supercar to the building's roof. But how people cover child care costs is a scandal, am I right?
www.theurbanist.org/2024/05/19/h...
www.theurbanist.org/2024/05/19/h...
CM Alexis Mercedes Rinck is currently providing remarks at the budget committee as to why she doesn't support diverting Seattle Transit Measure dollars for transit service to Rob Saka's proposal for a transit safety czar.
November 17, 2025 at 8:32 PM
CM Alexis Mercedes Rinck is currently providing remarks at the budget committee as to why she doesn't support diverting Seattle Transit Measure dollars for transit service to Rob Saka's proposal for a transit safety czar.
The budget is getting to the one yard line, and Maritza Rivera and Sara Nelson are highlighting a real issue: permit fees on new housing projects going up.
Yet their only proposal to find funding that would fill that gap seems to be using "underspend" $ - which isn't just free money.
Yet their only proposal to find funding that would fill that gap seems to be using "underspend" $ - which isn't just free money.
Background: the council is set to increase permit fees across the board as part of the budget.
seattle.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=...
seattle.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=...
seattle.legistar.com
November 17, 2025 at 8:25 PM
The budget is getting to the one yard line, and Maritza Rivera and Sara Nelson are highlighting a real issue: permit fees on new housing projects going up.
Yet their only proposal to find funding that would fill that gap seems to be using "underspend" $ - which isn't just free money.
Yet their only proposal to find funding that would fill that gap seems to be using "underspend" $ - which isn't just free money.
At the Seattle city council's budget committee this morning, a discussion of permit fees and the fact that the large office and highrise residential projects (now few and far between) had been subsidizing lower permit fees for small and midrise projects.
November 17, 2025 at 7:57 PM
At the Seattle city council's budget committee this morning, a discussion of permit fees and the fact that the large office and highrise residential projects (now few and far between) had been subsidizing lower permit fees for small and midrise projects.
Hearing this is getting cleaned up when the council passes the final version of updated neighborhood residential zoning on December 16.
Seattle is killing off DADUs unless you have an alley!
Being able to build in the rear yard was how DADUs were possible. If you need a 15 foot setback most DADUs will not work!!!
Need a fix before the one seattle plan vote!
@alexis4seattle.bsky.social
Being able to build in the rear yard was how DADUs were possible. If you need a 15 foot setback most DADUs will not work!!!
Need a fix before the one seattle plan vote!
@alexis4seattle.bsky.social
November 17, 2025 at 6:37 PM
Hearing this is getting cleaned up when the council passes the final version of updated neighborhood residential zoning on December 16.
Can't say I'm looking forward to at least four more years of this type of disingenuousness.
The disingenuous whiners at the Seattle Times ed board actually suggested that Katie Wilson—mayor-elect and the founder of the Transit Riders Union (who used to do outreach at the bus stop on Third and Union)—doesn't know that the county, not the city, runs the buses. Cry harder, losers
November 17, 2025 at 5:54 PM
Can't say I'm looking forward to at least four more years of this type of disingenuousness.
Trying to embrace the long pacific northwest winter that we're heading directly into. But it's a hard thing to embrace.
November 17, 2025 at 2:51 AM
Trying to embrace the long pacific northwest winter that we're heading directly into. But it's a hard thing to embrace.
Living in Capitol Hill is a study in contradictions: you're in a place has added more carfree households than maybe any other neighborhood on the west coast over the past two decades, and yet every net new car that gets added actively degrades your quality of life.
November 17, 2025 at 2:01 AM
Living in Capitol Hill is a study in contradictions: you're in a place has added more carfree households than maybe any other neighborhood on the west coast over the past two decades, and yet every net new car that gets added actively degrades your quality of life.
Imagine what this would have looked like if Durkan fully got her way and Lorena González hadn't amended the STM up to 0.15%.
Seattle used to fund so much transit service until covid (and jenny durkan)
In 2019, almost 75% of the city lived within walking distance of a bus every 10 mins or better. Today, it's only like 50%!
Time to get the buses running again!
In 2019, almost 75% of the city lived within walking distance of a bus every 10 mins or better. Today, it's only like 50%!
Time to get the buses running again!
November 17, 2025 at 1:14 AM
Imagine what this would have looked like if Durkan fully got her way and Lorena González hadn't amended the STM up to 0.15%.
Ida Culver House is redeveloping their own existing senior living facility into a new one serving twice as many people, that's what this proposed development is.
Instead of building a new 5 story apartment in a single family neighborhood they are going to graze an existing 3 story apartment.
November 17, 2025 at 12:08 AM
Ida Culver House is redeveloping their own existing senior living facility into a new one serving twice as many people, that's what this proposed development is.
Seattle Fire is currently responding to a driver who hit a 2-year-old child and then fled the scene at Alki Avenue SW near 61st Ave SW.
Driver was last seen heading south on Alki.
Driver was last seen heading south on Alki.
November 16, 2025 at 11:09 PM
Seattle Fire is currently responding to a driver who hit a 2-year-old child and then fled the scene at Alki Avenue SW near 61st Ave SW.
Driver was last seen heading south on Alki.
Driver was last seen heading south on Alki.