Seattle council to vote on Downtown Seattle Association interactive kiosks after councilmember offers camera ban amendment

The Seattle City Council is scheduled to vote June 3 on resolution 32,170, which would give conceptual approval for the Downtown Seattle Association (DSA) to install, maintain and operate interactive media kiosks in public places, Council President Nelson said at the June 2 briefing.

The issue matters because the kiosks raise both privacy and financial questions: Councilmember Strauss said she will offer two amendments at full council, including one that would prohibit camera technology on the kiosks and another that would shorten the permit term. Council President Nelson said she opposes shortening the permit term, citing the project's large upfront capital costs.

Councilmember Strauss outlined her two amendments in the briefing, saying, "Amendment A would prohibit the deployment of camera technology on digital kiosks as a condition of the term permit and amendment B would establish a 10 year term for the digital kiosk permit with an additional 10 year re extension." Strauss said the original legislation contemplates long-term terms and that technology lifecycles argue for more regular review.

Council President Nelson, speaking later in the meeting, said she was "in strong opposition to amendment B" because shortening the permit term would undermine the project's financial viability. Nelson said the legislation sent by the mayor currently provides about 16.5 years of term certainty and that shorter terms could make it harder to recoup the large initial capital outlay required to install the kiosks.

The resolution and any accompanying ordinance would set permit terms and conditions and later return to council for additional votes that would govern deployment details, revenue-sharing and continued oversight. Nelson urged colleagues to review central staff and stakeholder briefs before tomorrow's vote and noted interested parties have begun submitting comment to council offices.

No final vote or formal outcome on the amendments was recorded in the June 2 briefing; Strauss announced the amendments would be offered at the full council meeting on June 3, and Nelson said she would oppose the shorter-term amendment. The underlying resolution (Resolution 32,170) remains on tomorrow's agenda for a full-council vote.

Background: The June 2 briefing listed the kiosk measure among several introduction-and-referral items. The DSA proposal has advanced through committee and is now at the full council stage for conceptual approval and subsequent ordinance work.

What's next: The council will consider the resolution and Strauss's amendments at the full council meeting on June 3, 2025. If approved conceptually, the council will later take up implementing ordinance(s) setting permit terms, operational restrictions and other conditions.