News

Stay up to date with the latest dispatches from Futurewise

September Staff Note: My first time volunteering

Marcella Buser, Futurewise State Organizer, getting interviewed for a student group’s campaign in 2018 I want to share the story of how I first got involved in advocacy. As Futurewise’s State Organizer, my job revolves around asking people to get … Continue reading

September 28, 2023

Washington Farmlands At Risk

A Washington farm on his tractor For decades, Washington has been a bright spot for farmland preservation. Nationally, Washington is in the top two states for our policy response to protect agriculture and our success in preventing farmland conversion. However, recent trends … Continue reading

August 30, 2023

July Executive Director’s Note: We’re Moving!

Futurewise is moving! After 15 years we are saying goodbye to our long-time Seattle office space at 816 2nd Ave. By September 1, we will be fully moved into a coworking space in the 1201 3rd Ave building. It’s a bit of a return … Continue reading

July 31, 2023

Seattle Passes Design Review Reform to Streamline Construction of Affordable Housing

Office Building in Seattle’s International District, with the street car and a Metro bus in the foreground On July 5 2023, the Seattle City Council passed Council Bill 120591 and Council Bill 120581, two pieces of legislation that will remove barriers to affordable … Continue reading

July 12, 2023

June 2023 Executive Director Note — We’re Hiring!

Green field on a farm, with cows and a white barn in the background 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 … Continue reading

June 29, 2023

Mid-Year Program Updates!

Streetscape in Redmond WA, featuring a red floral mural Wow, we’re already halfway through 2023. Now that we’ve officially reached the summer solstice, we wanted to give some short updates on what Futurewise staff are up to around the state. … Continue reading

June 27, 2023

Missing Middle Housing (HB 1110) Round Up!

  This past legislative session, Futurewise organized with thousands of you to pass HB 1110 to legalize middle housing types like duplexes and courtyard apartments in neighborhoods across Washington. This is transformational legislation that only passed because of the hard … Continue reading

June 16, 2023

Planning Responsibly and Equitably in Pierce County

Pierce County Transit Bus on a sunny fall day Futurewise has appealed a new zoning regulation in Pierce County that would allow shared housing developments and modify the density bonuses in the Residential Resource zones in the Parkland, Spanaway, and … Continue reading

May 10, 2023

April 2023 Executive Director Note

Futurewise staff, board and partners in front of solar panels holding signs that read “Washington Leads on Climate” We are winning!! It feels good to say that and savor the moment. Yesterday Governor Inslee signed HB 1181 into law, adding … Continue reading

May 4, 2023

2023 Legislative Wrap-Up!

Futurewise organizer Marcella Buser and supporters on the steps of the Capitol Wow wow folks, we made it! And unlike 2022’s nail biter, this session was relatively smooth sailing to the finish line. We’re so grateful to have had you … Continue reading

May 1, 2023

Week of April 23 Legislative Update

Well, we are finally here. Yesterday was Sine Die, which means it is the last day of the 2023 legislative session. A monumental moment indeed! We have some final things you can do to wrap this all up. Read on … Continue reading

April 24, 2023

Week of April 16 Legislative Update

After 13 weeks of emails, calls, late nights, early mornings, ups and downs, we are at the FINAL week of the 2023 legislative session! This past week had the last major cutoff before Sine Die (the last day of session) … Continue reading

April 17, 2023