Washington

Comprehensive Update to Washington State's Growth Management Act Expected in 2021
Effective planning processes offer immense financial savings, and there's never been a more pressing need for both. The state of Washington is setting out to prove the planning dividend.

Citywide Zoning Reform Approved in Everett
Few cities are accomplishing such a swift and sweeping overhaul of its land use regulations as Everett, Washington, which just wrapped up its second major planning initiative in as many years on its way to launching a third.

Sweeping Zoning Reforms Adopted in Olympia
The Olympia, Washington City Council adopted a new Housing Options Code Amendments ordinance, effectively eliminating single-family zoning in the city.

Columbia River Crossing Back From the Dead With a New Name and Potential Changes
2021 will be a big year for planning on the Interstate Bridge Replacement project, née Columbia River Crossing, that will connect Washington and Oregon across the Columbia River.

City Council Rejects Rezoning Approved by Planning Commission, Planning Staff
It's a tale as old as time: A plan to rezone ten acres of land in Spokane splits the public and the City Council from the opinions of the city's planning staff and Planning Commission.

Researchers Flaunt the Benefits of Reduced Minimum Parking Requirements
Seattle is one of the U.S. cities shrinking minimum parking requirements to allow for denser, more affordable development near transit.

Connecting Light Rail Plans to Affordable Housing Opportunities
To keep up with affordable housing demand, Snohomish County needs to add 200,000 units by 2050. Planned light rail stations could be the ticket.

Cascadia Expects Millions of New Residents. Should it Build New Cities or New Density?
A recent report calls for the region stretching from Oregon to British Columbia to think big about accommodating expected population growth. The report's recommendation to build four new, large cities isn't universally accepted, however.

Criticisms for Two Seattle Transportation Studies
Two studies begin the process of spending billions of dollars for infrastructure in Ballard and Interbay in Seattle. According to this critique, the effort is off on the wrong foot.

A Big Trail Win for Seattle
Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan and the Seattle City Council have given all the funding necessary to make the Georgetown-to-South Park Trail a reality.

Seattle Lacks Accessible Pedestrian Signals At Most Intersections
Processing a growing backlog of requests, Seattle Department of Transportation must prioritize which intersections will be made accessible.

Scrambling to Replace the Heavily Used West Seattle Bridge
The West Seattle High-Rise Bridge Safety Project is in high gear, more than six months after the city's most heavily trafficked bridge was closed suddenly for safety risks.

Widening, Other Improvements Planned for the 'Boeing Freeway'
The Washington State Department of Transportation is proposing a series of changes to State Route 526 that includes a new eastbound travel lane.

Digital Leaders in the Time of Coronavirus
The 2020 edition of the Digital Cities Survey by the Center for Digital Government recognized cities of all sizes for deploying digital technology to empower pandemic responses.

How Seattle Plans to Leverage Public Resources to Protect Arts and Culture
The Cultural Space Agency, proposed in Seattle, would be a new type of public development authority, a city agency with a mission to preserve and create arts and culture in the face of gentrification.

New Long-Term Regional Plan for Puget Sound Approved
The regional planning organization for the four-county area around Puget Sound has adopted a new long-term plan for the future.

Transit Spending on the Ballot in Seattle and Washington
Voters in the city of Seattle will consider a sales tax to fund bus transit service, while voters around the state of Washington will have a chance to send new leaders to Congress.

COVID's Extensive 'Excess Mortality'
The pandemic's cumulative death toll in the U.S. does not include over 100,000 fatalities that are directly or indirectly attributable to COVID-19, according to a CDC report released Oct. 20 on the subject of "excess deaths."

Seattle Extends Outdoor Dining for a Year, Eases Rules on Heaters for the Winter
Outdoor dining is going to hang out for a bit.

A Thorough, Mixed Review for a New Protected Bike Lane in Seattle
So many highly anticipated bike facilities finally deliver only to fall short of real game changing status. Seattle provides the latest example of the phenomenon in the wild.
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