King county home inventory has biggest jump on record, waterfront shuttle buses extended through summer 2019, and more in this week’s Seattle in the Spotlight.

As Sales Plunge, King County Home Inventory has Biggest Jump on Record

Seattle Times | Mike Rosenberg | October 4
https://www.seattletimes.com/business/real-estate/as-sales-plunge-king-county-home-inventory-has-biggest-jump-on-record/

“The better news for homebuyers in King County keeps coming: Inventory is way up. Sales are way down. And prices have stopped skyrocketing…The slowdown in the market, now six months in the making, continued in September when the number of single-family homes on the market in King County jumped 68 percent from a year prior, the biggest increase on record dating back to 2000, according to new data.”

An All-Out Sprint to Demolish Alaskan Way Viaduct in 2019

Seattle Times | Mike Lindblom | October 4
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/transportation/an-all-out-sprint-to-demolish-alaskan-way-viaduct-in-2019/

“As many as five demolition crews will be munching and toppling sections of the old Alaskan Way Viaduct next spring, as workers attempt an all-out sprint to level the concrete leviathan within four months. Six days a week, they’ll break the decks and columns using machines with grasping tools shaped like lobster claws, which at volumes of up to 85 decibels will be louder than highway traffic. That work is allowed until 10 p.m. under a city noise permit meant to help the demolition be finished quickly. Quieter work such as trucking can continue overnight.”

Silicon Valley VC Aileen Lee Offers Advice to Seattle: Make Technology More Equitable

GeekWire | Taylor Soper | October 3
https://www.geekwire.com/2018/silicon-valley-vc-aileen-lee-offers-advice-seattle-make-technology-equitable/

“As both an entrepreneur and investor, Aileen Lee has lived and worked in the heart of SIlicon Valley for the past two decades. She’s seen how tech industry growth can impact a city — for better or worse. That’s why her advice for Seattle — which somewhat mimics a mini Silicon Valley, a region going through transformation caused by tech — is worth listening to…“We have to make tech and tech-driven companies more equitable for women and people of color and people who are different — people who didn’t go to Harvard and Stanford, people who didn’t grow up with privilege,” Lee said. Lee, known for coining the term “unicorn” to describe billion-dollar companies, said inclusion in the tech industry is even more important today given the political discourse.”

Waterfront Shuttle Buses Extended through Summer 2019

Seattle Times | Mike Lindblom | October 1
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/transportation/waterfront-shuttle-buses-extended-through-summer-2019/

“This summer’s free Waterfront Shuttle, which connects to most downtown destinations, was so popular it will be extended through Labor Day weekend of 2019, supporters announced Monday. The buses have averaged more than 1,000 passengers daily since they started in late July, said James Sido, spokesman for the Downtown Seattle Association. The service started as one 11-station line, but now has three loops to add capacity: Seattle Center, Pioneer Square and Pike Place Market, plus the state convention center…By running through winter, the shuttle service may come in handy when the Alaskan Way Viaduct closes permanently Jan. 11, causing widespread congestion and a switch by some commuters to water taxis at Colman Dock.”