Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell signed new legislation Wednesday that streamlines the permitting process for transit expansion paving the way for light rail in the Washington city.
The legislation streamlines the permitting process for Sound Transit expansion into Ballard and West Seattle. Seattle’s city council adopted the light rail transit facilities land use code amendments last month. The new legislation is part of Harrell’s vision to safely and efficiently deliver light rail to Seattle and builds on one of his executive orders issued in February.
“Voters overwhelming approved the Sound Transit 3 expansion in 2016, and we have an obligation to deliver light rail on time and within budget. Seattle is fully committed to taking every available step to partner with Sound Transit and support this work, and this legislation to reduce permitting time is an important step forward,” Harrell said. “Light rail expansion is a generational investment in our region’s future and the largest transit expansion happening in the country. We cannot – we will not – squander this transformative opportunity and let red tape get in the way of real progress.”…