The historic-district traffic safety change now needs months of environmental review. Here's the 3-2 committee vote that added it

The third bill in Councilmember Rob Saka's SAFER Streets Act is likely to wait well past its earliest possible vote date. The historic-district provision added in committee needs additional State Environmental Policy Act review, which is expected to take several months, The Urbanist reported Wednesday.

The bill sets how Seattle decides on street safety fixes, and the dispute is over who gets the final say in neighborhoods like Pioneer Square and the Pike Place Market: the city's traffic engineer or the volunteer boards that review changes there.

This follows our Oct. 27 story, Council passes two of Saka's traffic safety bills unanimously, which said the third bill would wait until at least Nov. 10.

What's new

According to The Urbanist:

• Some councilmembers had wanted to vote sooner, paired with an amendment that would undo the historic-district change, but that has not happened.
• Saka cited legal concerns. "We're working through, there's some legal challenges, legal concerns," he said.
• The Pioneer Square Preservation Board voted Oct. 14 to send a letter formally opposing the change. The dispute grew out of the transportation department's plan for bike and scooter parking corrals there, which was cut from about 30 corrals to three on-street ones.
• The Pike Place Market Historical Commission was set to weigh in at a meeting this week.
• Saka mentioned a possible Nov. 10 vote, but Council President Joy Hollingsworth decides when it is scheduled.

What our records add

What Amendment 16 does. The amendment text, sponsored by Alexis Mercedes Rinck with Dionne Foster, says the City Traffic Engineer's authority covers all city right of way, including historic, special review and landmark districts. It says traffic control devices there, such as markers, signs and signals, are not subject to landmark designation and do not need a Certificate of Approval, the permit-like sign-off those boards issue. It lets the engineer coordinate with the Department of Neighborhoods or the boards to reduce design conflicts.

The committee vote. The Transportation, Waterfront, and Seattle Center Committee's amendment tally from Sept. 17 shows Amendment 16 passed 3-2:

• Yes: Rinck, Foster, Eddie Lin
• No: Saka, Robert Kettle

Foster's technical corrections, Amendment 13, passed by the same split. Most of the other amendments passed 5-0. The committee then recommended the amended bill, CB 121296, 5-0 at its Sept. 17 meeting. So the bill's sponsor voted against the change he now has to steer through the full Council.

The two bills that passed. City Clerk records now show the roll call from the Oct. 26 meeting: CB 121297, on the City Traffic Engineer's safety role, and CB 121298, on truck side guards for city contractors, each passed 9-0. Both go to Mayor Katie Wilson.

Status. CB 121296's Legistar status still reads "Full Council Agenda Ready," and it is not on any posted Council agenda.

Why environmental review matters here

Under the state environmental law, the city must assess a proposal's environmental effects before acting on it. The Urbanist reported the historic-district change needs that extra step. If the Council wanted to move faster, its options would include amending the change out or splitting it from the rest of the bill, which some members reportedly wanted. Neither has been formally proposed in the bill file.

What's next

• This week: the Pike Place Market Historical Commission's review, per The Urbanist.
• Nov. 10 at the earliest: a possible Council vote, though the environmental review points to later.
• Budget: Saka's $7 million-a-year district traffic safety fund is part of the budget debate. See Saka's 20-amendment budget package, item by item.