Sightline is co-sponsoring a brownbag panel this Thursday, August 11 from 12 noon to 1:30, on Seattle’s new regulatory reform initiative. The event will be hosted by Great City as part of their regular lunchtime series. They’re held at GGLO’s space on the Harbor Steps in downtown Seattle at 1301 1st Avenue.
I’ll be speaking on the panel alongside Dave Freiboth from the M. L. King County Labor Council, George Allen from the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce, and Diane Sugimura, director of the city’s Department of Planning and Development. The panel will be moderated by land use attorney Chuck Wolfe, who also summarized the proposal over at Crosscut.
The event is free and open to the public. Hope to see you there!
Though your ideas have merit for the long term, many thousands need jobs NOW.
Jobs TODAY need to be the focus, e.g. wouldn’t more and immediate Building Trade jobs be created per dollar spent paving streets for bike lanes, buses, etc. than high-tech engineering boring, shoring, etc. of a tunnel. Yes the tunnel creates jobs like wars create jobs but they are not the best return on your dollars spent. Simple, low-tech, expanding on what is currently being accomplished could employ immediatly the young and old.
Another low tech-example currently being accomplished is through WA State’s set aside of several million dollars to pay incentives for Community Solar participants (ref. RCW458-20-273). This is currently helping to creating living wage green mfg. and construction jobs. Expand-it and more immediate employment.
Another, City of Portland’s United Streetcar company is developing their own Streetcar, have orders from Arizona, has bid on Seattle’s First Hill Streetcar and over half their suppliers are from the NW. Follow Portland, S.F. and other cities, require the City of Seattle, Sound Transit and King County’s tens of millions to be spent on the mfg. of transportation vehicle’s final assembly be performed locally.
Yes, your ideas are good, … long-term. Opportunities TODAY for living wage green jobs NOW appear to be over looked.
Chuck,
The regulatory reform initiative is, in fact, designed to create jobs and economic opportunity in Seattle in the near term by improving some features of the city’s land use code. That’s why the Building Trades and King County Labor are enthusiastic supporters. The hope is that these changes can be enacted within a month or two.
What time?
Good catch, Rob!
It’s from noon to 1:30.
I’ve updated the post too.