At Futurewise our work comes in cycles. That’s true in individual years. We kick off the year with the state legislative session. Then we prepare for the Livable Communities Spring Celebration, our big fundraiser for the year. Summer is a time for long-range planning, strategy development, and travel around the state. Of course, many individual projects are on different schedules, but this annual cycle has profoundly shaped life at Futurewise since I started in 2019.

Now there is another important cycle for Futurewise that is about to enter a new season, the comprehensive plan periodic update cycle. Cities and counties in Washington State must update their comprehensive plans every 10 years. These updates take place over 4 years, with deadlines for a different cohort of local governments each year. The first cohort, Central Puget Sound, must complete their updates by December 31, 2024. That work is already well underway. For the last several years, we have worked at the state level to shape the requirements for these updates. Now our state work will need to shift focus and our organizational focus will also need to shift, with more emphasis on the local planning process.

We are working hard to prepare for this new season. Today we are taking our first big step. I am thrilled to announce that we are hiring a Deputy Legal Director! This new position will dramatically increase our capacity to review scoping, draft plans, and environmental review, to provide constructive comments to local governments, and, when necessary, to appeal plans that violate state law. Washington State is on the national cutting edge of land use law. We are setting national standards of innovation for climate action, environmental protection, affordable housing, equitable development, sustainable transportation, and neighborhood health. This Deputy Legal Director will be at the heart of that work, with opportunities to grow in leadership. Please help us in getting the word out to great candidates for this once in a lifetime opportunity!