News
Stay up to date with the latest dispatches from Futurewise
Improvements to the Benton County Comprehensive Plan Protect Rural Residents
Benton County is the second fastest growing county in all of Washington state. As the County welcomes thousands of new residents each year, we as a community have a responsibility to plan wisely for growth. County residents want to protect … Continue reading
April 16, 2019
More Housing for People, Less for Cars
Futurewise and partners at the Seattle City Council hearing on parking legislation Imagine a policy that could help lower the cost of rent, relieve congestion, reduce our transportation emissions and air pollution, and also improve bicycle parking. By changing Seattle’s … Continue reading
April 15, 2019
Legislative Update – April 12, 2019
We have been working hard in Olympia over the last couple of weeks to shape HB 1923 into legislation that aligns our growth strategy goals and values: advancing equitable, affordable in-fill development in cities that offer access to opportunity and … Continue reading
April 12, 2019
Legislative Update – March 22, 2019
There’s only about five weeks remaining in the legislative session at this point, and we are continuing to track the twists and turns of our priority bills. As we mentioned last week, HB 1923 is presently deconstructed and awaiting a hearing next … Continue reading
March 22, 2019
Legislative Update – March 15, 2019
The update from Olympia today finds our priority bill, HB1923, in a precarious position. This past week the bill moved out of the House, and onto the Senate – but with a host of watered-down provisions, including the following: (for an … Continue reading
March 15, 2019
Celebrating our 2019 Livable Communities Awardees!
Next week, we’ll be celebrating community leaders from across Washington at our Spring Luncheon and Livable Communities Awards. Each year, Futurewise honors those who are working to make our state a more sustainable, equitable and vibrant place to live. This … Continue reading
March 12, 2019
Legislative Update March 8, 2019
Today we are throwing our support behind two very important bills, 2SHB 1923 and SB 5812, in the hopes they make progress this week. We’re going to focus in this post primarily on 2SHB 1923, which aims to increase urban residential density through a … Continue reading
March 8, 2019
Wonkabout Washington: Meet Housing Justice Expert Dr. Lisa Bates
On Tuesday, March 19th, Futurewise is welcoming activist scholar Dr. Lisa K. Bates, Ph.D. as our Keynote Speaker for the Spring Luncheon and Livable Communities Awards. Dr. Bates will be speaking on the topic “Housing Justice, not for ‘Just Us’”, … Continue reading
March 5, 2019
Expanding Accessory Dwelling Units in Seattle
Futurewise has worked with City of Seattle staff for several years, providing input on policy regarding Accessory Dwelling Units. We’re excited to see the regulatory barriers on building Accessory Dwelling Units in Seattle easing. The current requirements have restricted the … Continue reading
March 4, 2019
Legislative Update – March 1, 2019
Our work in Olympia slows just a bit this coming week, as cutoff for policy-focused bills just occurred. While at this point in time we can’t quite guarantee the status on each of the bills we’ve been tracking, here are … Continue reading
March 1, 2019
Legislative Update – February 15, 2019
Thanks for tuning in to this week for an update on Futurewise legislative actions. Next week will be the last week for committee hearings on policy-focused bills, meaning that all bills that aren’t moved out of committee by next Friday … Continue reading
February 15, 2019
Legislative Update – Feb 8, 2019
Thanks for following us as we engage on the bills this session that resonate with (or against) our organizational values. Here are the bills up for testimony this coming week: HB 1584 – Restricting the availability of state funds for regional … Continue reading
February 8, 2019