News
Stay up to date with the latest dispatches from Futurewise
HB 1923 in action and what’s next
Last year, Futurewise was excited to support HB 1923, a bill out of the state legislature that encouraged more housing options across Washington state and provided planning dollars to municipalities who committed to changing development regulations or adopting housing action … Continue reading
January 15, 2020
2020 Legislative Agenda
The 2020 legislative session kicked off on Monday! We have a short session — just 60 days — to accomplish some big goals. Below we’re sharing our top priorities along with some bills to watch. Land Use/GMA Goal – State and … Continue reading
January 15, 2020
Wonkabout Washington: State Takings Law Remade
Wonkabout Washington is back after a brief hiatus and we’re wrapping up the year with an exceptionally wonky topic that has broad impacts for land use law and tenant rights regulations across Washington. That’s right, we’re talking this month about … Continue reading
December 19, 2019
Give now to end 2019 strong
Together we can be bold. We’re at a critical moment in our state’s history. Our aquatic ecosystems are at the breaking point, reflected in the dire straits of our local salmon runs and resident orcas. Greenhouse gas emissions have started rising … Continue reading
December 3, 2019
Wonkabout Washington: Advocating for Equity in Skyway Subarea Plan
Futurewise and Skyway Solutions Advocate for Equity in Skyway Subarea Plan As the King County Council considers a draft of the Skyway-West Hill Land Use Subarea plan, Futurewise and Skyway Solutions are asking the council to consider a set … Continue reading
September 27, 2019
Futurewise Welcomes Alex Brennan as New Executive Director
Futurewise is excited to announce that Alex Brennan will be joining the organization as our new Executive Director! For the past year and a half, Alex has served as a Board member for Futurewise, most recently as Vice President of … Continue reading
September 25, 2019
Wonkabout Washington: Equity in SEPA Reform, Improving Watersheds in Port Angeles
Keeping an Equity Focus for SEPA Reform in Seattle This year’s legislative session saw the passage of a major bill, House Bill 1923 that aims to transform zoning and density in communities across Washington state. HB 1923 encourages cities to … Continue reading
August 26, 2019
Futurewise Summary Analysis of the Road Map to Washington’s Future
For almost 30 years, Futurewise has worked to encourage sustainable natural and built environments by using the policy, advocacy and legal tools available through Washington State’s Growth Management Act (GMA). We have great appreciation for the GMA framework, however, we … Continue reading
July 25, 2019
A Letter to Our Supporters
Dear Supporters of Futurewise, I’m writing to inform you that our Executive Director, Chris Wierzbicki, has resigned from Futurewise effective July 30th. Chris was offered a position as the Public Works Director for the City of Bainbridge Island (where he … Continue reading
June 25, 2019
Wonkabout Washington: Pierce County Subarea Plan Draft EIS Is Inadequate
In this month’s Wonkabout Washington, we’re diving into amendments to four of Pierce County’s subarea plans. Specifically, we’re examining the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for amended Community Plans for South Hill, Mid-County, Frederickson and Parkland-Spanaway-Midland, which make up the central … Continue reading
June 20, 2019
Wonkabout Washington: Designing High-Speed Rail for Equity and Regulating King County Wineries
Futurewise is pushing the advisory group to use an equity lens in high-speed rail planning. As The Urbanist recently reported, Washington state is moving forward with funding studies for an interstate high-speed rail line corridor between Vancouver, British Columbia and Eugene, Oregon. … Continue reading
May 29, 2019
Legislative Update – April 24, 2019
We’re pleased to announce that HB 1923 passed both the House and Senate yesterday – the final version of the bill closely reflects the summary that we offered in our blog post of April 12th. Even though the bill has weaknesses – particularly … Continue reading
April 24, 2019