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ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
AND VIBRANT NEIGHBORHOODS
Make downtown a place where more people live, work, shop, and socialize. Focus on office-to-housing conversions, social housing, public space activation, addressing persistent safety concerns, and collaboration with the arts and culture communities.
Spur investment in commercial districts by reducing regulatory barriers such as permitting, change-of-use requirements, and other hurdles to starting and expanding small businesses.
Explore a retail revival program in which the City or an associated nonprofit holds a master-lease on multiple properties and subleases space to small local businesses and for other public uses. Flexible lease terms and technical assistance can allow small local businesses to thrive and create lively commercial districts.
Incentivize filling vacant commercial space through a well-designed vacancy tax or fine, encouraging property owners to make good use of their ground floor retail space.
Reduce conflicts over public space by rapidly reducing unsheltered homelessness, stepping up the City’s response to the fentanyl and opioid crisis, and prioritizing public safety.
Legalize coffee shops and corner stores in every neighborhood — and not just on literal corners, as in the current draft of the Seattle Comprehensive Plan. Cafés, convenience stores, shops selling arts and crafts, and offerings of professional services can enliven neighborhoods, improve public safety, create jobs, and foster economic resilience.
Minimize the costs and bureaucratic labor involved in setting up a business. Currently it is far too difficult for prospective business owners to navigate the multiple agencies, forms, permits, licenses, and registrations involved. This complexity privileges wealthy and out-of-state groups with financial capital over local entrepreneurs.
Model good communication and responsive government, working with Seattle’s small, local businesses to implement strategies that will make them more successful and resilient, from technical support to marketing.
Facilitate low-interest small business loans through a public development authority and/or a partnership with community lending institutions.
Restart and expand the Storefront Repair Fund, so that small businesses that experience property damage can call on the City for help to defray the cost of repairs.
Explore how the city can use its purchasing power to assist small businesses that want to provide benefits such as retirement savings, health insurance, or ORCA passes.
Create more car-free and vehicle-lite spaces in dense neighborhoods throughout the city, where people and families can visit, shop, play, and socialize without fear.
Pilot a “superblock” zone in the heart of Capitol Hill, diverting cars to allow walking and other modes on the street and permitting businesses to expand into the sidewalks.
Chart a course to opening public bathrooms in high-traffic areas throughout the city. Explore near-term solutions such as a partnership wherein the City offers a tax credit or other reasonable compensation to businesses and other institutions that open their facilities to public use. The City may also be able to provide staff support to keep these bathrooms clean, safe, and welcoming.
Continue to work toward a future where we can Lid I-5!
This is a chance to make permanent upgrades to downtown public spaces and public transit — not just expensive, temporary improvements for the duration of the event.
As mayor, I will expand shelter capacity and services for the people currently homeless downtown, so that Seattle can showcase not just clean streets but good values. This needs to be done thoughtfully and as soon as possible to ensure we can get people the support they need. Current mayor Bruce Harrell has clearly demonstrated that he will merely sweep people into the shadows for the duration of the event, as happened with the 2023 MLB All-Star Game.
The neighborhoods of the Chinatown-International District will be heavily impacted by the FIFA World Cup 2026; the City must work closely with CID communities to ensure that the impact on residents and small businesses is positive and not harmfully disruptive.
Finally, we should make sure attending the games is affordable for local fans!
Our Downtown core and neighborhoods throughout the city have struggled to bounce back from the COVID-19 pandemic. The City must do more to revitalize and activate downtown, as well as support small businesses and neighborhood business districts across Seattle.
But we can do more than just recover. We can make progress creating great, welcoming spaces for people in all Seattle’s neighborhoods — places where kids can run around without fear and businesses benefit because people want to stay and relax. The new Pike Place Market “limited vehicle access pilot” is the exciting and long-overdue outcome of years of community organizing and advocacy. With real leadership in City Hall we can go much further, much faster.
The FIFA World Cup 2026 is just around the corner, and it will be the biggest sporting event Seattle has ever hosted. It’s a chance to welcome people from all over the world and show off our city. Big events come with big investments — but we should make sure they’re investments in a real legacy for our city, not cosmetic fixes to pretend we don’t have problems.
Make downtown a place where more people live, work, shop, and socialize. Focus on office-to-housing conversions, social housing, public space activation, addressing persistent safety concerns, and collaboration with the arts and culture communities.
Spur investment in commercial districts by reducing regulatory barriers such as permitting, change-of-use requirements, and other hurdles to starting and expanding small businesses.
Explore a retail revival program in which the City or an associated nonprofit holds a master-lease on multiple properties and subleases space to small local businesses and for other public uses. Flexible lease terms and technical assistance can allow small local businesses to thrive and create lively commercial districts.
Incentivize filling vacant commercial space through a well-designed vacancy tax or fine, encouraging property owners to make good use of their ground floor retail space.
Reduce conflicts over public space by rapidly reducing unsheltered homelessness, stepping up the City’s response to the fentanyl and opioid crisis, and prioritizing public safety.
Legalize coffee shops and corner stores in every neighborhood — and not just on literal corners, as in the current draft of the Seattle Comprehensive Plan. Cafés, convenience stores, shops selling arts and crafts, and offerings of professional services can enliven neighborhoods, improve public safety, create jobs, and foster economic resilience.
Minimize the costs and bureaucratic labor involved in setting up a business. Currently it is far too difficult for prospective business owners to navigate the multiple agencies, forms, permits, licenses, and registrations involved. This complexity privileges wealthy and out-of-state groups with financial capital over local entrepreneurs.
Model good communication and responsive government, working with Seattle’s small, local businesses to implement strategies that will make them more successful and resilient, from technical support to marketing.
Facilitate low-interest small business loans through a public development authority and/or a partnership with community lending institutions.
Restart and expand the Storefront Repair Fund, so that small businesses that experience property damage can call on the City for help to defray the cost of repairs.
Explore how the city can use its purchasing power to assist small businesses that want to provide benefits such as retirement savings, health insurance, or ORCA passes.
Create more car-free and vehicle-lite spaces in dense neighborhoods throughout the city, where people and families can visit, shop, play, and socialize without fear.
Pilot a “superblock” zone in the heart of Capitol Hill, diverting cars to allow walking and other modes on the street and permitting businesses to expand into the sidewalks.
Chart a course to opening public bathrooms in high-traffic areas throughout the city. Explore near-term solutions such as a partnership wherein the City offers a tax credit or other reasonable compensation to businesses and other institutions that open their facilities to public use. The City may also be able to provide staff support to keep these bathrooms clean, safe, and welcoming.
Continue to work toward a future where we can Lid I-5!
This is a chance to make permanent upgrades to downtown public spaces and public transit — not just expensive, temporary improvements for the duration of the event.
As mayor, I will expand shelter capacity and services for the people currently homeless downtown, so that Seattle can showcase not just clean streets but good values. This needs to be done thoughtfully and as soon as possible to ensure we can get people the support they need. Current mayor Bruce Harrell has clearly demonstrated that he will merely sweep people into the shadows for the duration of the event, as happened with the 2023 MLB All-Star Game.
The neighborhoods of the Chinatown-International District will be heavily impacted by the FIFA World Cup 2026; the City must work closely with CID communities to ensure that the impact on residents and small businesses is positive and not harmfully disruptive.
Finally, we should make sure attending the games is affordable for local fans!
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