Seattle mayor Katie Wilson announces executive orders on housing, public transit

Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson issues executive orders on homelessness, transit improvements

Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson signed two executive orders Thursday aimed at addressing homelessness and improving public transit.

SEATTLE - Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson on Thursday announced her first two executive orders, aimed at helping homelessness and improving public transit.

The orders look to accelerate the expansion of emergency shelter and affordable housing, along with adding a bus lane along Denny Way, one of the city’s busiest corridors.

Big picture view:

Mayor Wilson said the majority of people who are homeless want help, but there's just not enough options for everyone.

"We do not have enough shelter, enough housing, enough services," Wilson said. "The vast majority of our neighbors who are sleeping unsheltered on our streets, they want help."

Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson announces her first two executive orders since taking office, focused on sheltering homeless and improving public transit.

Wilson said her plan is to work with multiple local organizations to find city-owned public land and other areas that can be used for emergency shelter and housing.

"We have the World Cup coming this spring, and we’re going to be moving fast so that we can bring more people inside," Wilson said.

It will be an aggressive push that will rely on community support, the mayor said. 

Dig deeper:

The second executive order directs the Seattle Department of Transportation to implement at least one bus lane and other transit improvements along Denny Way.

Wilson said the goal is to significantly improve reliability and on-time performance for Route 8 and other transit riders on the corridor.

"I know the feeling of waiting for the bus, and it's 30 minutes late or 40 minutes late. I know the feeling of sitting on the bus, knowing that you could be walking up that hill faster than that bus is going – so it’s time we deliver excellent public transit for our residents, for our workers."

SDOT has been ordered to return with a timeline, budget and implementation plan by April 17, along with recommendations for other high-impact transit corridors.

City leaders and advocacy groups praised the moves, calling them urgent steps to bring people indoors and deliver faster, more reliable transit.

"Our homelessness crisis has taken too many lives and fractured too many communities, and no single agency or jurisdiction can solve it alone. This moment demands sustained, coordinated action between the City, King County, service providers, and community partners. All working together with urgency to bring people inside, expand housing, and prevent further loss of life," said Seattle City Council Member Dionne Foster. "I appreciate this swift action and expedient timeline laid out in the Mayor’s Executive Order and look forward to collaborating with Mayor Wilson to make it easier to site shelter, issue permits, and make structural changes to bring people inside faster. This Executive Order will help ensure we are using all the levers available to expand shelter capacity and lower housing costs in our city."

Wilson said both orders mark the beginning of broader efforts to address homelessness and make transit in Seattle "irresistibly good."

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