Updates

October 6, 2025. The upcoming election on Tuesday, November 4th, is of critical importance for Seattle and King County. Ballots start arriving in your mail beginning October 17th. The Magnolia Community Council is providing excellent opportunities to hear directly from several candidates in important races on issues that impact Magnolia and our fair city. The Council encourages all to register today before spots fill up! Ballots for the upcoming election will be mailed on October 17th.

First on the candidate forum docket is the race for Mayor and City Council Position 9 candidate event:

Date & Time: Tuesday, October 7th, from 5 to 7 pm.
Location: Zoom. Sign up here.
Agenda: 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm – Mayoral candidates, Bruce Harrell (incumbent) & Katie Wilson, and 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm City Council Position 9 candidates, Sara Nelson (incumbent) & Dionne Foster

Thanks to our hosts, the Queen Anne Community Council, Uptown Alliance, and our friends and neighbors from the Magnolia Community Council.

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Second, join the Blaine K-8 PTA on October 14th at Catherine Blaine K-8 (or via Zoom) for a student-focused forum with all candidates in the general election for Seattle School Board Districts 2, 4, 5, & 7. Students will co-lead the event alongside a moderator submitted by families and community members across Seattle. Don’t miss this unique chance to hear from the candidates shaping the future of Seattle Public Schools.

RSVP to attend or watch live here.

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Third on the docket is a City Council candidate event featuring the two candidates for the city-wide Seattle City Council Position 8.

Date & Time: Thursday, October 16th, from 6:00 pm to 7 pm
Location: Zoom, sign up here
Agenda: 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm. Hear from the candidates for City Council Position 8, Alexis Mercedes Rinck (incumbent) and Rachel Savage.

Thanks to our hosts, the Queen Anne Community Council, Uptown Alliance, and our friends and neighbors from the Magnolia Community Council.

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September 26, 2025. Progress and amendments to the One Seattle Comprehensive Plan were made by the Seattle City Council’s Select Committee on Friday, September 19^th. The Seattle Comprehensive Plan serves as a 20-year roadmap for growth and is a requirement of the state’s Growth Management Act, initially passed in 1990. The plan helps to shape where and how the city allows for building housing, designing transportation systems, protecting open space, and guiding investment in neighborhoods. This plan will significantly impact the livability, affordability, and sustainability of Seattle in the decades to come.

On a 9-0 vote, the select committee approved Phase I of the Seattle Comprehensive Plan and HB 1110 compliance legislation (as amended). All 106 amendments, including Council District 6 Councilman Dan Strauss’s Amendment 43, were accepted for consideration. Councilman Strauss’s proposal adjusts the borders of Magnolia Peninsula’s two small neighborhood centers into one longer, more linear center that spans the length of the 34th Avenue W and W Government Way corridors. These corridors are currently transit arteries for greater Magnolia and position the single neighborhood center directly around and adjacent to Magnolia Village, Blaine Middle School, and the adjoining playfield, with a narrower focus extending north to the Government Way corridor. 

The select committee also moved forward with additional topics, as well as over 100 amendments. All will need further discussion, debate, environmental review, and public comment period(s). Once those steps are complete, the full Council will vote on the final legislation—that vote’s timing is pending and not yet announced.

August 31, 2025. Seattle City Councilmember for the 6^th Council District, Dan Strauss, is seeking input on his proposed amendments to Phase One of the Seattle Comprehensive Plan proposal. He is providing a survey to seek residents’ input on proposed Neighborhood Centers in Magnolia (one affecting the proposed Magnolia Village Neighborhood Center, one involving a newly proposed center called the Magnolia North Neighborhood Center, and a brand-new proposed “Magnolia Valley Neighborhood Center”). The newly proposed Magnolia Valley Neighborhood Center is based on feedback and suggestions from concerned neighborhood residents and the Magnolia Community Council.

Based on this feedback, Councilmember Strauss seeks your input on one of three possible versions for the newly created Magnolia Valley Neighborhood Center or “Magnolia Combined” proposal. The new proposed neighborhood center narrows the focus of growth—or upzoning—to the area along 34th Avenue. W. corridor from north to south and links growth in the valley from the Village, along 34^th Ave. W., to the northern part of Magnolia near Discovery Park.  

As noted, he has presented three different options for consideration under the new Magnolia Combined proposal. The main difference among these options is the width of the proposed Magnolia Combined zoning, which as already noted, extends from the proposed Village boundaries and moves north along the valley gradient, generally reaching W. Government Way. Please submit your comments on his three options for the updated Magnolia valley growth area boundaries to Councilmember Strauss here. He needs to hear your voice!

As a reminder of the process, the second phase of the Comprehensive Plan is scheduled to launch next year. The city will specify new zoning designations (i.e., LR1, LR2, LR3, NC) within the new boundaries of the neighborhood centers. The Phase Two process will be limited to designating the total number of potential new units or housing types that can be built in the newly defined neighborhood centers. The public can weigh in on which specific blocks can be upzoned for different styles of housing, such as Mandatory Housing Affordability, Missing Middle Housing, and/or Neighborhood Residential zoning, as examples. 

UPDATED. July 27, 2025. Seattle voters will participate in elections for City Council Positions 2, 8, and 9 in the 2025 election cycle. The city elections occur on odd-numbered years, with the primary election taking place in just a few weeks on August 5th. Primary ballots should be arriving in your mail starting July 18th. The general election scheduled for November 4, 2025.

The Magnolia Chamber of Commerce is particularly interested in the two At-Large Positions: Positions 8 & 9. The two positions are at-large, meaning they are elected by and represent the entire city. primary election on August 5, 2025. The greater Magnolia area is split between Council Districts 6 & 7 and current council members will be up for re-election in 2027.

We sent a questionnaire to all candidates for the two At Large positions 8 & 9. As of Friday, July 25th, our deadline, three candidates have responded to the Magnolia Chamber’s questionnaire. One responded with a statement (see below):

Position 8 Candidates:
– Alexis Mercedes Rinck (incumbent) – info@alexisforseattle.com
– Ray A. Rogers – wevoterogers@gmail.com – answers to questionnaire
– Rachael Savage – director@savageforseattle.com
– Cooper Hall – – hallforseattlecityhall@gmail.com
– Jesse James – jesseajames4office@gmail.com Jesse’s reply to our questions.

Position 9 Candidates:
– Dionne Foster – info@dionnefoster.com – answers to questionnaire
– Mia Jacobson – miaj.mi@gmail.com. Mia’s response to our questions is as follows: “I am running an unconventional campaign which is outlined on my website voterabbit.com. I am running this all on my own so with my kids and work I am finding it difficult to answer all the questionnaires since all my responses are “one person is unable to represent 800,000 people”.
– Connor Nash – info@nashforseattle.com
– Sara Nelson (incumbent) – info@saraforcitycouncil.com – answers to questionnaire

We sincerely thank the three candidates who responded to our request. You can also access endorsements from the Seattle Times here. The Seattle Stranger here. There are a host of other periodicals and organizations’ endorsements that can be found via Google. Remember to mail in your ballot on or before August 5th.

July 8, 2025. Many in Magnolia and other Seattle neighborhoods have been closely following the proposed Seattle Comprehensive Plan, a planning process mandated by Washington’s 1990 Growth Management Act. Two different Seattle City Council members represent Magnolia: Dan Strauss (Council District 6) and Bob Kettle (Council District 7). Both are in favor of adding more affordable housing, increasing housing stock, and requiring more density in designated areas. The Council has recently adopted interim legislation to meet the state legislative requirements of HB 1110, which allows up to six housing units on every lot across the state.

Councilman Bob Kettle has shared a thoughtful newsletter explaining his support for increasing housing across the city. Also, he provides an updated timeline as the Council continues to work on the passage of a new Comprehensive Plan and related legislation. Click here to read Councilman Kettle’s recent update.

July 8, 2025. Carol Burton, who passed away in the Spring, will be honored and remembered for her many years as a community volunteer on Saturday, July 19th, 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm, at the Church of the Ascension, 2330 West Viewmont Way West, here in Magnolia. Hosted by the Magnolia Community Council, they invite you to share memories of long time Magnolia resident and activist. For many years, Carol volunteered in many capacities to improve the quality of life for people in Magnolia and greater Seattle. Learn more about Carol’s legacy HERE.

2025 is an important election year for our community! Join your host, the Fremont Chamber of Commerce, from 4:30 pm to 6 pm on Wednesday, June 18th, at the Pacific Fishermen’s Shipyard, to hear from candidates in the following races: 

• Seattle Mayor
• Seattle City Attorney
• King County Executive
• Seattle Council  (City-wide Positions 8 & 9)
• Port Commissioners (Positions 1, 4, & 3)

The special happy hour event offers a unique opportunity to connect with the business community and engage with candidates running for important elected offices impacting the quality of life and business climate in Seattle and King County. Each candidate will deliver a short speech and then attendees will get to network with over 125 business leaders and discuss key issues and priorities.

$35 flat rate ticket. Food and drinks will be provided, and the event will be held outdoors. To learn more and register, click here.

June 17, 2025. There are many informative updates, announcements, and other news from our colleagues and neighbors at the Magnolia Community Council. To learn more, click here.

May 7, 2025. The Magnolia Chamber of Commerce is thrilled to announce a new beautification project launching this week to create a more welcoming and visually appealing entrance to Magnolia Village at the junction of Clise Place Way and 32nd Avenue West. Thanks to generous private donors, a matching grant from the City of Seattle’s Department of Neighborhoods, and the inspiring vision and dedication of Magnolia resident Susan Reilly, this effort will transform the overgrown garden space into a vibrant and inviting community feature.

The redesigned garden will include:

• A colorful meadow of pollinator-friendly, drought-tolerant flowers
• A dry stream bed with decorative boulders
• A bronze statue titled “The Adventure” depicting children at play
• Welcoming signage and thoughtful landscaping to enhance the village experience

We expect the streetscape improvement project to be completed by July and we can’t wait to share the results with the community.

May 7, 2025. The next public hearing on the Seattle Comprehensive Plan Update has been set for Monday, May 19th. The city is currently adopting an interim zoning ordinance (CB 120969), which will legalize housing options like duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, and townhomes in all residential areas of Seattle. The zoning ordinance is intended to bring Seattle into compliance with the state’s new middle housing law, HB 1110, while adoption of the full Comprehensive Plan has been delayed.

This time, there will be separate remote and in-person public comment periods, with the remote public hearing scheduled to start at 9:30 a.m. (registration opens at 8:30 am) and the in-person public hearing set to begin at 4:00 p.m.. (It is recommended that those seeking to provide public comment show up at 2:00 p.m., based on the hearings held earlier this year),

There have been several lawsuits challenging the proposed Seattle Comprehensive Plan, the latest of which was filed in King County Superior Court on April 30th. To learn more, and thank you to neighborhood media, please click here.