Dear friends & neighbors,
As the warmer weather makes its’ way back to Washington State, I wanted to get in touch to recap successes from this past session and give a preview of what’s on the horizon. During the interim my “day job” keeps me pretty busy but working on your behalf doesn’t stop!
Budget wins for the district
An important part of my job in Olympia is securing funding for district wide projects that keep the 36th an amazing place to live, work, and play. Here’s what we were able to bring home in this year’s supplemental budget.
- $64M for food banks, summer EBT for kids and food assistance for seniors
- $26M increase in special education funding for our K-12 schools
- $4M for Aurora Avenue North safety improvements
- $5.6M for roof replacement at Whittier Elementary School
- $400,000 to build the new Ocean Pavilion at the Seattle Aquarium
- $500,000 for streetscaping around the new Seattle Storm practice center in Interbay
- $300,00 for Uplift NW (formerly the Millionaire’s Club) to design a new headquarters
- $1.6 million for behavioral health organizations in State to develop Occupational Therapy services and workforce pipelines
- $250k to replace the Sea Scouts’ Waterway 18 dock at Portage Bay
- $200k for the Sailor’s Union of the Pacific low-income workforce grants will remove barriers to well-paying jobs in an area of great importance
Smart development for the future
It’s no secret our state needs more housing. This is especially true for our district and our city. Recently, Mayor Harrell and other city officials released the One Seattle Comprehensive Plan. While the plan aims to address our need for building more housing I, like many of you, feel that there is more our city can do to be ready for our next 50-100 years of housing growth. My recommendations to the plan align with many other housing advocates and include:
- Allow larger apartment buildings in more places throughout the city, so we can build more than just townhomes
- Allow for family-sized homes in middle housing – develop more 3 and 4 bedroom homes
- Allow more homes near transit
- Expand the list of neighborhood centers – areas that allow for a variety of housing options centered around a local commercial district and/or major transit stop (such as RapidRide)
- Allow for taller homes in regional centers like Capitol Hill, Ballard, etc.
- Revise the affordable housing density bonus to ensure its accessible to a range of developers, not just the largest entities
- Commit resources to invest in affordable housing for low-income and extremely low-income residents
I encourage you all to join me in vocalizing your thoughts with the plan and advocating for the necessary changes to be made. You can send your comments through the One Seattle Engagement Hub: www.engage.oneseattleplan.com or by emailing your comments to OneSeattleCompPlan@seattle.gov.
Additionally, to address our need of 1 million more housing units I once again plan on introducing Transit Oriented Development. Last year, we were able to get it through the House and the Senate Local Government Committee, but not through Ways and Means and to the Senate floor. Our continued advocacy will get it to the Governor’s desk. By making the necessary adjustments to current zoning laws and promoting housing around transit hubs we can build thriving and affordable communities throughout the State.
Election Year communications restrictions
There are certain restrictions on legislator communications to prevent the use of state resources for election purposes every election year. These restrictions include a freeze on my legislative Facebook account and my legislative webpage beginning Monday, May 6, 2024, until after the general election in November.
However, I am still here to help you! Even during the election year freeze, you can still reach out to my Legislative Assistant Julia Lain or email me if there’s anything I can do to assist you or your family. You’ll also be able to find loads of information and access to state & local resources on my website → housedemocrats.wa.gov/reed
I’m looking forward to seeing everyone out and about in the district this Summer!
Best,
