Top King County Highlights of 2023

A look at our work around the county this past year

Published in

KingCounty

5 min readDec 27, 2023

1. Voters approved the Crisis Care Centers Levy, a generational investment to transform the county behavioral health system

The Crisis Care Centers Levy will create a countywide network of five crisis care centers, increase the number of residential treatment beds and grow the community behavioral health workforce. It’s the most significant local investment in behavioral health facilities in county history.

2. Launched the RapidRide H Line connecting Burien, White Center, Delridge & downtown Seattle, Metro’s seventh RapidRide line

RapidRide offers riders real-time information signs and 10-minute service running most of the day. Along the RapidRide H Line corridor, there are also new and upgraded transit stations, bus lanes and traffic signals.

Executive Constantine and community leaders cut a red ribbon in front of a Metro bus, celebrating the launch of the RapidRide H Line.

3. Funded eight affordable housing projects that will create nearly 1,000 new housing units throughout King County

These new projects will create affordable housing options for hundreds of people. All the units will house low-income individuals or families, with half providing housing to previously homeless households, veterans and people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Executive Constantine and community leaders hold shovels at a construction site for a groundbreaking of an affordable housing project.

4. Created a new gun violence prevention office to ensure coordination & collaboration on addressing gun violence

The new Office of Gun Violence Prevention will connect King County with federal resources, be a hub for the region and expand our local work. It will work closely with other national offices of violence prevention and the White House’s newly formed Office of Gun Violence Prevention.

5. Completed projects along the Cedar & Duwamish rivers that improve habitat, lower flood risks & create greenspace

King County transformed run-down buildings along the Duwamish River in Tukwila into healthy habitat for salmon and greenspace for communities. The new estuary provides the habitat young salmon need as they transition from freshwater to saltwater on their way to Puget Sound.

Meanwhile, a restoration project along a nearly mile-long stretch of the Cedar River east of Renton reduced flood risks, improved salmon habitat and increased the food supply for southern resident orcas.

The new Chinook Wind estuary, surrounded by greenery.

Flowers and trees around the Chinook Wind estuary.

6. Invested nearly $30 million in Parks Levy grants in community projects to grow & enhance local parks, trails & pools

The grants will support 53 projects to build and upgrade aquatic facilities, enhance parks and trails, protect and restore river corridors and increase equity in recreation. Here’s a few of those projects:

Aquatic facilities at the Highline, Lake Washington and Mercer Island school districts, and in Sammamish, Renton and Enumclaw
A skatepark in Seattle’s Rainier Beach neighborhood and a new paved trail connecting businesses, schools and the library in Fall City
Improvements at Tanner Landing Park in North Bend to make it safer and easier to kayak in the Middle Fork Snoqualmie River

7. Opened the new Customer Service Center, a one-stop shop for many of the most-requested King County services

Many services are now available at one location, from birth certificates and vehicle licensing to tax assistance, marriage licensing and more. The new center is located on the second floor of the King Street Center.

8. Awarded $25 million in grants to 123 nonprofits, community groups & small businesses advancing economic & racial justice

This funding will help address the public health crisis that racism presents in our communities, while building a more equitable and just future. King County partnered with the Gathering Collaborative, a group of diverse and trusted community members, to co-create the grant program.

9. Announced a proposal to use $21 million in legal settlement funds from opioid distributors to address the overdose crisis

Following successful litigation against opioid distributors by the Attorney General’s office, this proposal would invest King County’s settlement funds in community-based overdose prevention services. The funds would support local programs to reduce overdose deaths, expand treatment and bridge gaps in services for people with substance use disorders.

10. Launched Metro Flex, an on-demand neighborhood transit service where customers can use the app to book rides

Metro Flex is a new neighborhood transit service where customers anywhere in the service area can download the app to schedule flexible, reliable transportation for the same cost as a bus trip. Service has also recently been expanded across Issaquah and Sammamish.

A MetroFlex driver in a white van waves to a passenger.

11. Improved the health of streams throughout King County, even as the population grew by over a half-million people

Thanks to King County field scientists, we now have 20 years of data that sends an inspiring message: local streams are getting healthier, and even those most harmed by human activity can improve when we take the right actions. This progress shows that we can both accommodate our region’s growing population and restore the natural environment.

Environmental scientists collect samples in a stream.

An environmental scientist holds up two vials of bugs.

12. Launched the Re+ initiative to reinvent our region’s waste system by reducing what’s being sent to the landfill by 70%

We launched Re+ to reinvent the waste system to cut carbon emissions and transition to a sustainable economy. While King County has one of the highest recycling rates in the country, nearly 70% of materials brought to the regional landfill could be reused, recycled or composted, rather than buried as waste that generates greenhouse gas emissions.