About this website
Outside City Hall is a column by John Fox and Carolee Colter of the Seattle Displacement Coalition that has been appearing in Pacific Publishing newspapers and elsewhere since 2004. This web site was recently established to further inform the public of these important issues.
Categories
- Addiction
- Affordable Housing
- Anarchism
- Budget
- City Hall
- Cliff Cawthon articles
- Density
- Displacement
- Election 2017
- Gentrification
- George Howland articles
- Healing
- Homelessness
- Housing Preservation
- Humor
- LGBTQ
- Media
- Melissa Hellmann
- Neighborhoods
- Personal Essays
- police accountability
- Politics
- Protest
- racial justice
- Rebekah Demirel articles
- Resistance
- Transportation
- Trees, parks, and open space
- Uncategorized
- University District
- Upzoning
OUTSIDE CITY HALL Newsletter
Sign up for our email newsletter, with links to the latest writing by John Fox, Carolee Colter, George Howland Jr., and updates on activities of the Seattle Displacement Coalition.
To subscribe, and if you have questions, please send an email to jvf4119@zipcon.net, or call 206-632-0668.
Author Archives: John V. Fox
Our response to the claim you’re a climate-change denier if you don’t jump on Councilmember Mosqueda’s pro-density crusade.
Mosqueda claims she has a corner on “hard data” but there’s nothing environmentally sound about cramming more growth into Seattle’s neighborhoods We’re breaking records for new rental construction in Seattle at three to four times our normal annual rate. And … Continue reading
Posted in Density, Politics, Transportation, Upzoning
Comments Off on Our response to the claim you’re a climate-change denier if you don’t jump on Councilmember Mosqueda’s pro-density crusade.
The Seattle City Council elections: our predicted winner in each race isn’t always who we would prefer
The good, bad, and ugly and our wishes for the victors Ok folks, here’s our predictions for the seven Seattle City Council races. Mind you, they are not always who we would prefer, but rather those most likely to succeed. … Continue reading
Posted in Affordable Housing, City Hall, Density, Displacement, Housing Preservation, Neighborhoods, Politics, Upzoning
Comments Off on The Seattle City Council elections: our predicted winner in each race isn’t always who we would prefer
Neighborhood challenge to MHA upzones is not over: State Growth Management Hearing Board to hear citizen’s appeal Tuesday November 5th
Room 1610 Seattle Municipal Tower, 9AM-4PM (PST): A decision favoring SCALE representing over two dozen neighborhood and housing groups would overturn Seattle’s city-wide MHA upzones implemented earlier this year In an appeal hearing that may take two days (November 5th … Continue reading
Posted in Affordable Housing, City Hall, Density, Displacement, Gentrification, Housing Preservation, Neighborhoods
Comments Off on Neighborhood challenge to MHA upzones is not over: State Growth Management Hearing Board to hear citizen’s appeal Tuesday November 5th
GMA Hearing Board last July overturned Olympia’s “missing middle” upzone plan
The decision was a victory of neighborhood groups in Olympia effectively striking down that city’s upzone plan – does it portend the fate of Seattle’s massive MHA upzone plan? Olympia’s “missing middle” ordinance allows more multifamily housing—duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, accessory … Continue reading
Posted in City Hall, Density, Neighborhoods
Comments Off on GMA Hearing Board last July overturned Olympia’s “missing middle” upzone plan
Shaun Scott’s vendetta against single family housing – where 60 percent of all Seattleites live
Scott suggests you’re racist if you don’t want to abolish single-family zoning: does that mean 88,000 people renting one in Seattle are racist (28 percent of renters) and 29 percent of all African-Americans? South of Othello between 46th S and … Continue reading
Posted in Affordable Housing, City Hall, Density, Displacement, Gentrification, Housing Preservation, Neighborhoods, Politics, Upzoning
Comments Off on Shaun Scott’s vendetta against single family housing – where 60 percent of all Seattleites live
Pedersen vs Scott and Gossett vs Zahilay: October 15th, 530pm at UHeights Center
Join us at a unique candidate forum that brings together both City and County councilmember candidates to discuss issues affecting the U District. City Council candidates Alex Pedersen and Shaun Scott, and King County Council candidates Larry Gossett and Girmay Zahilay will answer questions from our community … Continue reading
Posted in City Hall, Neighborhoods, Uncategorized
Comments Off on Pedersen vs Scott and Gossett vs Zahilay: October 15th, 530pm at UHeights Center
Kshama’s rent control “Hail Mary” to mobilize her base; it’s illegal but so what?
Her effort to rein-in rents shows why we need her on the Council Honestly, we didn’t initially take the time to read Kshama’s draft rent control law, because in the literal sense, it’s “not going anywhere fast”. State law explicitly … Continue reading
Posted in Affordable Housing, City Hall, Housing Preservation, Politics, racial justice
Comments Off on Kshama’s rent control “Hail Mary” to mobilize her base; it’s illegal but so what?
Cliff Cawthon writes about Reagan Dunn’s misguided “homeward bound” program
Busing the homeless out of Seattle won’t help Earlier this month, King County Councilmember Reagan Dunn offered what he characterized as a more effective answer to homelessness: free bus tickets out of town. It’s his rebuttal, and what he claims … Continue reading
Posted in Cliff Cawthon articles, Homelessness, Politics
Comments Off on Cliff Cawthon writes about Reagan Dunn’s misguided “homeward bound” program
Councilmember Pacheco wants to remove ‘SEPA’ rules requiring city to study displacement impacts on small businesses due to upzoning
Pacheco’s bill makes study of economic impacts optional and removes right of an appeal to hearing examiner; small businesses along Seattle’s historic “Ave” say it’s intentionally designed to rob them of any chance to secure measures to minimize impacts of … Continue reading
Posted in City Hall, Density, Displacement, Gentrification, Housing Preservation, Politics, University District, Upzoning
Comments Off on Councilmember Pacheco wants to remove ‘SEPA’ rules requiring city to study displacement impacts on small businesses due to upzoning
A second round of upzones for historic University District moves forward; activists to hold “Save the Ave” fundraiser, 5pm-9pm, Aug 10th at the Big Time
Rob Johnson, former Councilmember from the 4th District is long gone but his proposal to upzone the Ave and over a dozen other blocks in the neighborhood lives on. Residents and small businesses wonder why CM Johnson proposal moves forward … Continue reading
Posted in City Hall, Density, Displacement, Gentrification, Housing Preservation, Neighborhoods, Politics, University District, Upzoning
Comments Off on A second round of upzones for historic University District moves forward; activists to hold “Save the Ave” fundraiser, 5pm-9pm, Aug 10th at the Big Time