06.29.2023

Today’s Forecast

Seattle’s dreaming big

Mayor Bruce Harrell releases full Downtown Activation Plan

The announcement comes as the number of workers commuting to downtown rises closer to pre-pandemic levels. | Photo by Daniel Schwen

Stop, activate, and listen. After months of hints, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell released his full Downtown Activation Plan yesterday — along with a flashy new website — that’s intended to help bring Seattleites back to the heart of the city.

The mayor’s proposal consists of several short-term and long-term goals, along with what he’s calling “Space Needle-level” ideas. They all attempt to address main strategies for making downtown somewhere we all want to hang like increasing safety, letting the arts flourish, enticing tourists, and being caretakers for the environment.

Plans for the future

The plan goes into the most detail about current downtown revitalization projects, but here are some others the city said would be coming down the pipeline:

Giving a one-time grant to the Downtown Seattle Association for cleaning this summer
Creating a Crisis Care Center and opioid overdose recovery center
Creating affordable housing through rezoning and converting old office space into residential space
Hiring a new Director of Citywide Special Events and a Creative Economy Manager
Building a Tribal Interpretive Center on the waterfront
Installing navigation kiosks throughout the area for tourists

In addition, the Mayor’s “Space Needle-level” ideas add some big ticket items to his wish list, like:

Completing a new streetcar line
Building “vertical neighborhoods” with more mixed-use buildings
Planting an urban forest
Introducing a new market specifically for BIPOC communities
Creating a “makerspace” facility for students, entrepreneurs, and educators to network and work on projects together

What’s next

Now that the plan is out there for everyone to look at, the City is hoping to get feedback from Seatteites and other people within the larger metro area.

Asked

Would elements of the plan make you consider visiting downtown more often?

A. Yes, I’d love to see these things.
B. I like some of these ideas, but not all.
C. No, these don’t address my concerns.

Let us know

Events

Thursday, June 29

Garden Story Time | Thursday, June 29, Thursday, July 27, Thursday, Aug. 31 | 1-2 p.m. | Highline SeaTac Botanical Garden, 13815 24th Ave. S., SeaTac | Free | Bring a blanket and your kiddo for a story with the garden as a backdrop.
Free Tasting: Wines to Pair with Grilled Foods | Thursday, June 29 | 4-6 p.m. | Town & Country Markets Ballard, 1400 NW 56th St., Seattle | Free | This event comes just in time for your Fourth of July cookout.
“Supreme Models: Iconic Black Women Who Revolutionized Fashion” | Thursday, June 29 | 6-8 p.m. | TASWIRA, 510 Occidental Ave. S., Seattle | Free | Watch the mini film and then check out a panel discussion afterward featuring local Black creators.

Friday, June 30

Sound & Fury: An Improvised Shakespearience | Friday, June 30-Saturday, July 29 | 9:30 p.m. | Csz Seattle, 3509 Fremont Ave. N., Seattle | $20 | Local comedians weave an off-the-cuff Elizabethan-era tale — iambic pentameter and all.
Gay in Y2K: Drag Performance | Friday, June 30 | 9 p.m. | The Octopus Bar, 2121 N. 45th St., Seattle | $10 | Wrap up Pride Month with these performances inspired by the great early 2000s.

Saturday, July 1

Yoga and Wine | Saturday, July 1 | 10:30 a.m.-12 p.m. | Gard Vintners Woodinville Wine Tasting Room, 19151 144th Ave. NE, Woodinville | $20 | This class is a win-win for your body and mind.

Events calendar here

Click here to have your event featured.

News Notes

Stat

So, we’re pretty popular. Seattle led all US cities in hotel occupancy from June 11-17 with 86.8% of rooms booked. During the same time, downtown hotels broke a single-day revenue record with more than $5 million in sales and a 96.7% occupancy rate. (Puget Sound Business Journal)

Sports

Whip out those calendars — the Seattle Kraken released its 2023-24 season schedule. The team’s first regular season home game will take place on Tuesday, Oct. 17 against the Colorado Avalanche. We’ll also play host to the NHL Winter Classic on Monday, Jan. 1, 2024.

Biz

The Seattle City Council passed a bill to make some COVID-era allowances for home-based businesses permanent. These include permissions for businesses to operate outdoors, clarifications on parking requirements, and eliminating limits on the number of packages that can be received in a day.

Ranked

Redmond was recently named the most livable small city in the US by SmartAsset. Also on the list were Sammamish in the No. 2 spot and Kirkland at No. 7 taking into account factors like number of residents with health insurance and median household income. (My Northwest)

Civic

King County officials voted to require businesses in unincorporated areas of the county to accept cash in addition to credit. The new law comes as a response to the growing number of businesses who only accept cards or use Amazon’s “Just Walk Out” technology, which often exludes unbanked folks. (KUOW)

Outdoors

Kirkland’s Juanita Beach has reopened for swimming after county officials closed it last week due to high bacteria levels. For updated information on local beaches closures and temperature, swimmers can check King County’s website. (KING 5)

Tech

Slow loading websites may soon be in the past for some Washingtonians. The state recently received $1.2 billion from the federal government to expand access to high-speed internet in areas with unreliable or nonexistent service. The money is part of a larger $42 billion infrastructure package from the government. (Seattle Times)

Wellness

Meet the only probiotic Halle Berry will take. It’s created by scientists and optimizes metabolism to support a healthy weight. Use code 6AMCITY for 20% off your first month.*

Food

Where has all the Sriracha gone?

Three shelves full of sriracaha bottles.

And to think we took this sight for granted last year. | Photo by Paul Narvaez via Wikimedia Commons

Last year, we heard word from Huy Fong Foods that a sriracha shortage was on the horizon. Now, it seems we’re in for another sriracha drought — quite literally.

Droughts in Mexico — where Huy Fong Foods sources its chilis — have affected supplies. In an interview with Food & Wine, the company recently revealed that the sauce shortage comes as a result of an “unexpected crop failure from the spring chili harvest.”

So what about those who crave capsaicin? Unfortunately, there’s no end to the shortage in sight. And — since it doesn’t sell to stores directly — Huy Fong Foods can’t predict when products will return to shelves. Our advice is to go local. Check out:

All the Jawns: It has a promising Hot Jawn chili sauce.
DeLaurenti Food and Wine: This Pike Place staple even has a different brand of Sriracha.
Callahan’s Hot Sauces: We have it on good authority that the habanero sauce is a solid choice.

The Wrap

Today’s edition by:
Alina

From the editor

I, too, have suffered from the sriracha shortage. Lucky’s Pho just isn’t quite the same without it and I’ve only got a tiny bit left in the bottle in my fridge right now. It’s getting scary over here.

Missed our previous newsletter?

›

Send Us A Scoop, Question, or Feedback

Share the good news. Get rewarded.

Have someone who needs to stay in the know? Get amazing rewards for every new subscriber you bring by sharing your unique referral link (below).

Facebook

Twitter

{{profile.vars.rh_totref_26}} friends are looped into all things local because of you.

Claim your rewards

Content marked with an * is paid advertising. Content marked with an ^ is created by our content studio. The company may also generate commission from affiliate links in the newsletter.

Change your preferences or unsubscribe here.

P.O. Box 2505, Greenville, SC 29602

ADVERTISE | CAREERS | ETHICS | PRIVACY | THE BUY