City of Seattle asks residents to vote on how to spend $2 million
May 30, 2019, 4:13 PM
The City of Seattle maps the various projects that districts can vote on. (Seattle Department of Neighborhoods)
(Seattle Department of Neighborhoods)
The Seattle’s Department of Neighborhoods is asking the city’s residents a question: Which street improvement projects would you spend $2 million on?
How much does improving a neighborhood cost?
As part of its “Your Voice, Your Choice,” initiative, the city collected ideas over the course of a month early in 2019. Now, it’s asking residents in each individual council district to narrow down the field and prioritize their favorite projects.
Right now, there are dozens of projects in each district to choose from. The list includes new crosswalks at select intersections, additional traffic lights and signals, traffic calming measures, traffic circles, and more.
Residents can create an account and rank each project in their district on a scale from “low priority” to “high priority.” Eight to 10 of the highest priority projects in each district will move forward for a final vote in September.
Winning projects will subsequently be included in the city’s 2020 budget, funded by the $2 million allocated to the initiative.
Of all the projects on the list, a proposed Greenway on 6th Avenue Northwest in District 6 has garnered the most positive attention, boasting 261 total vote, the vast majority of which resided in the “high priority” section of the scale.
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Other popular projects include increases to pedestrian safety in Districts 3 and 4, speed humps in District 5, and flashing beacons in District 1.
Improving a neighborhood can cost a lot of money, too. As part of a separate initiative to have people vote on city projects, SDOT pegged the cost of a new traffic signal in Loyal Heights at $250,000. The estimate for a marked crosswalk ran between $10,000 to $20,000.
A citizen’s request for an ADA-compliant ramp in Briarcliff at Magnolia Boulevard and Dravus Street would cost the city between $15,000 and $25,000.
Meanwhile, a proposal for a sidewalk on the west side of the 6800 block of Sylvan Way Southwest would run the city a whopping $350,000 to $500,000 per block.
