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Whether you are a gardener, an Outlander fan, a West Seattle resident, or someone tuning in for the latest episode of Sound Transit and West Seattle Bridge drama, I hope you find something useful here.
Blog Posts
Could Amazon Save Westwood Village?
Let's think outside the box. Instead of a big retail anchor at Westwood Village, why not a big tech company? Amazon has all the resources ne
Marie McKinsey
Nov 26, 20235 min read
2,051 views
0 comments
West Seattle's Citizen Urban Planners
Did you know that Seattle's Comprehensive Plan is being updated? Do you even know what the Comprehensive Plan is? If you answered "no" to on
Marie McKinsey
Mar 11, 202310 min read
213 views
0 comments
Welcome to a New Season of West Seattle Bridge Drama
now that 700 people in West Seattle have received letters advising them that their properties are in the path of an oncoming train.
Marie McKinsey
Apr 2, 20228 min read
2,023 views
0 comments
When It Comes To Transit, Think Small
Think Small. This simple ad, which ran in the 1960s, was part of one of the most successful campaigns of all time. It was clever.
Marie McKinsey
Feb 5, 20225 min read
173 views
2 comments
Why You Should Have A Commuting Budget
A commuting budget looks at both the amount of time you allocate for going to and from work each week, and what that commute costs you.
Marie McKinsey
Dec 4, 20215 min read
188 views
0 comments
Find Out by Zip Code How Much CO2 Your Neighborhood Emits
We've heard for decades that increasing population density is good for the environment. The theory is that it discourages suburban sprawl,
Marie McKinsey
Sep 24, 20212 min read
224 views
0 comments
WTF Is a Woonerf? And Where Can We Put One in West Seattle?
Woonerf, a Dutch word, is translated as "a living yard." It is a street where car use is limited in favor of green space and room for pedest
Marie McKinsey
Sep 19, 20212 min read
433 views
1 comment
The World's Oldest Pearl Jam Fan
I've been called the world's oldest Pearl Jam fan.
But it isn't true.
Marie McKinsey
Jul 23, 20214 min read
190 views
0 comments
The Alki 11 Row House Project: Density Done Wrong
In 2013, a developer announced plans to replace these three beach houses with an 11-unit row house project in the Alki Beach neighborhood.
Marie McKinsey
Jun 5, 20212 min read
128 views
2 comments
SkyLink: Rising Above It All In West Seattle
Did you know that trains don't run uphill? It's true. On level ground, those smooth metal wheels glide along those smooth metal rails,...
Marie McKinsey
May 18, 20214 min read
372 views
0 comments
The Alaska Junction in West Seattle: A 15-minute City?
Can West Seattle's Alaska Junction become a 15-minute city?
Marie McKinsey
May 7, 20215 min read
3,058 views
6 comments
How to Calculate Storm Water Run-off from Your Property
The EPA estimates that over 770 cities in the US combine waste water and stormwater in the same pipe and send it to sewage treatment...
Marie McKinsey
Mar 6, 20212 min read
254 views
0 comments
Were Sewer Breaks on Wickstrom Place Caused by Development?
During the weeks of controversy over the permitting of the Alki 11 rowhouses that now face 55th Ave SW and Wickstrom Place SW at Alki Beach,
Marie McKinsey
Oct 2, 20152 min read
27 views
0 comments
The Sustainable Alternative to the Alki 11
I wrote this when I had become tired of pointing out the problems with this project. Our protests fell on deaf ears anyway. It was clear tha
Marie McKinsey
Jul 13, 20134 min read
94 views
0 comments
Will the Alki 11 Rowhouses Cause Flooding?
If you've been following these posts for a while, you are familiar with the math: for every inch of rainfall, nearly 5500 gallons of stormwa
Marie McKinsey
Jun 29, 20135 min read
28 views
0 comments
Over One MILLION Gallons of Waste Water - Where's It All Going to Go?
In my last post, I explained how the Alki 11 rowhouse project on 55th Ave SW will add more than one million gallons of combined waste and st
Marie McKinsey
Jun 27, 20132 min read
27 views
8 comments
How Much Sewage Will the Alki 11 Generate?
In an earlier post, I explained how to calculate the amount of stormwater runoff this project will produce. Now let's look at the amount of
Marie McKinsey
Jun 19, 20132 min read
27 views
0 comments
Here's Where Things Get Serious: The Environmental Impacts of the Alki 11 Row Houses
To really measure the environmental impact of a project, you have to look at what it replaces. When you compare the before and after, side b
Marie McKinsey
May 27, 20131 min read
15 views
0 comments
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