News

Stay up to date with the latest dispatches from Futurewise

Notes from the Executive Director – August 2022

After 2+ years of pandemic and zoom meetings, this summer has been a great opportunity to travel around the state and visit local partners and supporters to experience the issues we are working on firsthand. From Port Angeles to Okanogan … Continue reading

August 31, 2022

Seattle’s Plan For The Next 20 Years, and What Futurewise Thinks Must Be Considered

Photo of Bus Line 7 stop in Colombia City. Photo Credit: Futurewise You may have heard about Seattle and its comprehensive plan wondering what it is and what it has to do with you. Futurewise is here to give a … Continue reading

August 17, 2022

Futurewise to Appeal Snohomish County Rural ADU Expansion

Updated June 2023: Victory before the Growth Management Hearings Board! The Growth Management Hearings Board concluded that Snohomish County’s new ADU regulations violated the Growth Management Act regulations for conserving agricultural lands and the requirement to comply with the countywide planning … Continue reading

May 3, 2022

WA Can’t Wait 2022 Legislative Session Wrap-Up

Image of city skyline surrounded by forests and mountain peaks reading WA Can’t Wait WA Can’t Wait 2022 Legislative Session Wrap-Up In the blink of an eye, the 2022 WA Legislative Session has come and gone. Despite the devastating, 11th hour death … Continue reading

Alex Brennan
March 17, 2022

Housing Power Hour with Jerusalem Demsas

Futurewise is excited to host Jerusalem Demsas and Heidi Groover for a Housing Power Hour in a few weeks! Join us on Tuesday, April 5th at 5 PM for a debrief on the 2022 legislative session and a preview of what’s next for housing and … Continue reading

March 14, 2022

Final 2022 Legislative Update

Image of livable, inclusive community titled Legislative Update Futurewise Final Legislative Update: HB 1099 Dies With Minutes to Go It is with profound disappointment that I write you with the news that HB 1099, our landmark bill to add climate … Continue reading

March 11, 2022

Week of March 7th: Legislative Update

Image of livable, inclusive community titled Legislative Update We’ve never been this close to victory… With just days left in the 2022 legislative session, I’m excited to share that we are on the verge of victory for all of our … Continue reading

March 7, 2022

Electeds, tribes, unions, organizations and individuals ask WA Leg to Fix HB1099

HB 1099 is built on consensus supported by housing advocates, environmental justice groups, unions, local governments, state agencies, tribes, and more. We have collaborated for a year and a half on this legislation for a shared vision of responsible, just, … Continue reading

March 7, 2022

Goodbye Farmland, Hello Mega-Mansions

The vesting loophole in Washington’s Growth Management Act (GMA) results in failure to prevent the development of suburban sprawl. (Credit: Robert Couse-Baker) This article was originally published in The Urbanist How a major loophole in the Growth Management Act has … Continue reading

February 28, 2022

Week of February 28th: Legislative Update

Image of livable, inclusive community titled Legislative Update Week 8 Legislative Update: Down to the wire We are in the final stretch. Within days, our priority legislation will be up for votes on the Senate and House floors. By Friday, … Continue reading

February 28, 2022

Week of February 22nd: Legislative Update

Week 7 Legislative Update: Halfway there We’re officially in the second half of this year’s legislative session and I’m very happy to share that all three of our priority bills (HB 1099, SB 5042 and HB 1769) are all still alive and kicking … Continue reading

February 22, 2022

Week of February 14th: Legislative Update

Image of livable, inclusive community titled Legislative Update Love is in the air – that is, love for our climate, our farms and our future! We’re quickly approaching the cut off date for bills to pass out of their house … Continue reading

February 14, 2022