Mayor Bruce Harrell delivered his State of the City address on Feb 21 centered on his One Seattle vision and placing emphasis on public safety and revitalizing downtown Seattle through what he called a Downtown Activation Plan, though he said that plan was still in development. "I’m bullish on the future of downtown," he said, "As Mayor I have to be the chief enthusiast of this city. I have to be the Chief Architect of its plans."

 | Harrell's Building One Seattle Report  |

 | Watch the address here |

He said he wants to "get back to the basics of good governance."

Sprinkling his remarks with casual humor Mayor Harrell was serious about his accomplishments since taking office. He noted that SDOT has filled 23,000 potholes. He cited the forward thinking and vision of the planners of the 1962 Seattle Worlds Fair saying that the "design and development of the Space Needle was completed in one year," as an example of what Seattle can do. 

He said the city needs bold thinking again, what he called  "Space Needle thinking."

The Mayor said he that if the city does not create a safer downtown environment, "everything will fall flat."

To that end he said he would be issuing an Executive Order next month addressing the growing use of Fentanyl. "Last year 590 people died on our streets of a drug overdose, " and he noted he saw people using Fentanyl as he took a walk up Third Avenue last week.

He cited the "Seattle Restore It "program that has filled 30 vacant locations with small  businesses, but promised to do more filling other vacancies with "small businesses owned by people of color."

The Seattle One Day of Service last year was mentioned as a beta, and the Mayor reminded that the next one is coming up May 20. 

Other highlights of his speech included

• The Civilian Assisted Response and Engagement Department – a third public safety department to work alongside Police and Fire, expanding our public safety toolkit to better meet the needs of our residents, especially those with behavioral and mental health needs. 
• Launch of Neighborhood-Focused Unified Care Team – New UCT teams will launch next month, bringing a neighborhood-level focus to helping those experiencing homelessness connect with places to go and providing services to keep city public spaces clean. 
• Building More Housing – To increase needed housing the City will advance a bold housing levy, permitting reforms, the Comprehensive Plan Update, and more to build on improvements to design review; the foundation of a housing subcabinet; and a $250 million affordable housing investment in the budget – the largest of its kind. 
• Vision Zero Improvements – In the coming days, Mayor Harrell and SDOT Director Spotts will share early actions addressing Vision Zero goals, along with further details of a $25 million federal grant to implement safety improvements in underserved neighborhoods. 
• Taking Climate Action – Bold new policies to address climate change, build climate resilience, and deliver environmental justice, including new clean buildings, tree preservation and planting, and Seattle’s Green New Deal investments in Resilience Hubs and electric heat pump conversion. 
• Hiring 26 Park Rangers – a massive expansion of the program, with rangers helping improve safety in parks and serving as ambassadors and guides to residents in needs. Park Rangers will help keep parks welcoming and accessible to all, building on the work of the Unified Care Team in reducing the number of parks and green spaces significantly impacted by encampments by 70% since 2021. 
• Rainier Playfield Ballfields Restoration – in preparation for the All-Star Game, the Seattle Mariners are funding and partnering with the City to renovate and restore the Rainier Playfield ballfields. 

A summary year-end report detailing the Harrell administration’s work in 2022 is available here: Building One Seattle: Mayor Bruce Harrell, Year One – 2022.