Seattle Still Scores High in Advanced Industries

Seattle Times | Jon Talton | August 4

http://www.seattletimes.com/business/economy/seattle-still-scores-high-in-advanced-industries/
“The Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro area turned in strong numbers in advanced industries in 2015, according to a new report from the Brookings Institution. The region had 308,210 full-time workers in such R&R-intensive industries, accounting for nearly 16 percent of all jobs. That employment share ranked us No. 2 among the top 100 U.S. metros behind only Silicon Valley. Metro Seattle had the 10th largest number of advanced sector jobs nationally, with New York City in the lead.”

Coding Dojo and Bellevue College Team Up to Launch Joint Software Classes

GeekWIre | Clare McGrane | August 4

http://www.geekwire.com/2016/coding-dojo-bellevue-college-team-launch-joint-software-classes/
“As demand for trained software engineers increases, universities and colleges are straining to keep up. Last month, the University of Washington’s computer science department—already bursting at the seams— became the number one choice for incoming students, and the UW will soon start construction on a second building to house the growing CS department. But for institutes without resources like the UW’s, keeping up to date on quality computer science education can be a challenge. Bellevue College hopes to fill this need by teaming up with Bellevue-based Coding Dojo, launch their Coding for Higher Education program, the first partnership of its kind in the country.”

Seattle Voters Push $290M Housing Levy to Big Victory

Seattle Times | Bob Young | August 2

http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/2016-seattle-housing-levy-results/
“Seattle voters signed on to a $290 million property-tax levy for low-income housing Tuesday, twice the amount approved seven years ago at the tail end of the Great Recession. The new seven-year levy, on the ballot as Seattle Proposition No. 1, will cost the owner of a $480,000 home about $122 annually, $61 more than the current levy. Amid rising rents, homeless encampments, bidding wars and displacement, the measure was passing with 68 percent…Most of the new money is to be spent on building,renovating or preserving about 2,150 units of rent- and income-restricted housing.”

The Silicon Valley of Space Start-Ups? It could be Seattle

New York Times | Nick Wingfield | July 29

“There’s more activity than ever in the commercial space race, with a new wave of entrepreneurs attempting to do everything from lowering the cost of putting something into space, with reusable rockets, to mining asteroids. With their mix of universities, government space facilities, technology talent and financial risk takers, the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, Denver and other cities have become especially fertile grounds for space start-ups. No single spot can claim to be the Silicon Valley of such companies yet, but Seattle is on the short list of contenders, investors and entrepreneurs say. The area is home to two tech billionaires — Jeff Bezos of Amazon and Paul Allen, a co-founder of Microsoft — who are funding ambitious, varied efforts to make space more accessible.”

$2.6M Sound Transit Deal Keeps Small Part of Big Apartment Project on Track

Puget Sound Business Journal | Marc Stiles | July 29

http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/news/2016/07/29/2-6m-sound-transit-deal-keeps-small-part-of-big.html
“The Sound Transit Board on Thursday approved the $2.6 million sale of land next to the Capitol Hill light rail station where around 85 apartments for lower-wage earners will be built. Next up the agency has to finalize the deal for additional land with the developer, Portland-based Gerding Edlen. Ultimately, the overall project will have more than 400 apartments with retail space on top of and next to the new underground station. It’s the largest transit-oriented project in Seattle for Sound Transit.”