As the steward of Washington’s Growth Management Act (GMA), Futurewise advocates with people like you to pass state legislation that reflects our vision for the future and fight bad bills that would increase sprawl and pollution.
Our recent victories include closing the Sprawl Loophole (HB 5042), adding housing justice to the GMA (HB 1220), passing Middle Housing to allow more homes in all neighborhoods (HB 1110), and adding planning for the climate to the GMA (HB 1181).
Washington is stronger when we’re Growing Together! Going into 2025, the stakes are higher than they’ve ever been. Every corner of Washington is seeing housing costs go up. Climate change has made this year the hottest year on record — again. We’re still working to undo racist zoning practices. And on top of it, our state’s population grew by more than 84,000 in the last year. Washington is growing, and we have the option to grow together and tackle these problems.
That’s why this legislative session our Growing Together campaign is prioritizing these issues and continuing our work from last year. This year’s legislative priorities include:
Rent stabilization: setting price caps on how much rent can be increased each year. This will keep rents predictable and allow more people to afford to stay in their homes. Learn more about HB 1217.
Transit-oriented development (TOD): allowing more homes near transit so we are better connected to work, family, and more and make it easier to get around without a car in cities. Learn more about HB 1491.
Protect our farms and natural resources against sprawl: continuing our work to keep rural areas rural. Learn more about how we’re fighting sprawl in rural areas.
Sign up to volunteer and learn how you can make an impact this legislative session.
Research Futurewise conducted in 2024 is relevant to the 2025 Transit-Oriented Development bill in the Washington Legislature.
Exploring the Potential Impact of the Community and Transit-Oriented Housing Development Bill HB 2160 Across Washington State’s Central Puget Sound Region
Week of February 10 Legislative Update We’re more than a month into the legislative session! I love this time of year. I’m energized by our successful lobby day from last week and looking forward to the upcoming first round of … Continue reading
Week of February 3 Legislative Update Welcome to February! There are officially 81 days left in the Legislative session. Compared to last year’s short session, we’ve had plenty of time to catch our breath between actions (and join the campaign … Continue reading
Week of January 27 Legislative Update I’m going to pass it off to Ava to share the introduction for this week’s update! There aren’t many urgent actions this week, but we have some important updates for you. We’ll trade off … Continue reading
Celebrate over three decades of growth management in Washington with Futurewise at our 35th Anniversary Livable Communities Spring Celebration on May 17, 2025.
