Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell projected cautious optimism for the city’s trajectory and defiance toward threats from President Donald Trump — while also promising to work toward a traffic-free Pike Place Market.

Harrell’s speech touched on transportation, public safety, housing and the environment. He promised to speed up construction of new homes and Sound Transit light rail lines by clearing permitting requirements. He also announced the coming groundbreaking of a new Memorial Stadium in Seattle Center and a proposed renewal of the city’s tax levy to provide free pre-K and community college.

Full article available below:

In his annual State of the City address, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell projected cautious optimism for the city’s trajectory and defiance toward threats from President Donald Trump — while also promising to work toward a traffic-free Pike Place Market.

The speech, delivered Tuesday in Benaroya Hall in front of the venue’s massive organ pipes, was Harrell’s final State of the City before he faces voters again in the fall, and it served as an accounting of what he views as his administration’s successes, as well as its hopes.

Elected in 2021 on the promise of rebuilding the police force and moving the needle on public disorder and drug use, Harrell tried to walk the line between acknowledging citizens’ continued frustrations and highlighting where he sees progress. Homelessness remains high and police call times are still slow. Still, Harrell argued the ship has turned.

“I think there’s a different mood in this city — a renewed spark, belief, and optimism that we are on the right trajectory,” he said.

The annual address from Seattle’s mayor is generally an opportunity for the city’s top executive to celebrate their efforts and also forecast their year to come.

Harrell’s speech touched on transportation, public safety, housing and the environment. He promised to speed up construction of new homes and Sound Transit light rail lines by clearing permitting requirements. He also announced the coming groundbreaking of a new Memorial Stadium in Seattle Center and a proposed renewal of the city’s tax levy to provide free pre-K and community college.

The mayor spent the first part of his speech focusing on transportation, related in large part to the city’s work toward hosting the FIFA World Cup in 2026 and opening the city’s new waterfront.

Notably, the mayor waded into the seemingly endless fight over car traffic through Pike Place Market. Although Harrell didn’t make any specific promises, he pledged to work with partners to reduce the number of vehicles that nudge their way toward the original Starbucks. He framed the effort in both accessibility and public safety terms, pointing to the recent deadly incident in New Orleans when a driver killed several pedestrians on the popular Bourbon Street.

“I have a vision for our connected waterfront and Pike Place Market as one of the greatest pedestrian experiences in the country — where market patrons, visitors from out of town, and downtown residents do not have to worry about vehicle traffic,” he said.

He also pledged to shave a year off the construction of light rail from West Seattle to Ballard. Part of that effort includes a new office focused on the waterfront, “civic projects” and progress on Sound Transit.

On the tenets of his original run for office, Harrell touted improvements to public safety, an increase in applications to be police officers and reductions in homeless encampments. The administration has put particular emphasis on Third Avenue downtown and the intersection of 12^th Avenue South and South Jackson Street in Little Saigon. Concerted efforts in recent weeks have reduced the visible homelessness and drug use at those hot spots, though it’s unclear if the activity has disappeared or simply moved elsewhere.

Chief among City Hall’s priorities for the rest of the year is to pass an updated growth plan. Harrell pitched his proposal, which would comply with state law by allowing fourplexes and sixplexes across the city while also establishing new, dense “neighborhood centers” near commercial areas.

On Tuesday, he pledged to reduce permitting time by 50% for new housing, in part by submitting legislation to speed up the city’s design review. He also said the city would work toward reimagining Aurora Avenue.

“For too long, despite caring and involved neighbors, our dominant vision of Aurora has consisted of strip malls, car dealerships, and illicit activities,” he said. “The community deserves a neighborhood that inspires them, with a built environment and an energy to match.”

Hanging over Harrell’s optimism was the Trump administration’s new posture toward cities like Seattle that have “sanctuary” policies for immigrants and explicit equity initiatives. The city is suing the administration over its threats to city funding, and Harrell pledged a sturdy backbone before the federal administration.

“I am not being alarmist when I say we should have grave concerns for what the Trump Administration has in store for our city and its people,” he said.

Not mentioned in Harrell’s speech were some of the more contentious issues during his tenure — particularly the city’s ongoing budget struggles. Harrell opted last year to use tax dollars previously earmarked for affordable housing to fill most of a more than $250 million hole. The city had brought in more than it had forecast under the tax, but nevertheless courted scorn from those arguing the city needed every dollar it could find for housing. Meanwhile, the underlying problem of spending outpacing revenue still exists.