Tacoma: 10-Year Strategic Plan
The City of Tacoma’s strategic planning process is a community-driven effort that establishes long-term priorities, provides clear direction, and guides decision-making for the city's future. The city develops a new 10-year strategic plan every decade, with major updates to three core documents—the 10-Year Strategic Plan, the Comprehensive Plan, and the Transportation and Mobility Plan—occurring at five-year intervals. The Tacoma 2025 plan, adopted in 2015, has served as a roadmap for the City of Tacoma from 2015 to 2025. This plan has been instrumental in operationalizing the community's vision over the past decade, and the upcoming Tacoma 2035 plan will serve as the city’s next strategic roadmap from 2025 to 2035.
Tukwila: Capital Improvement Program
The City of Tukwila's Capital Improvement Program (CIP) is a forward-looking, six-year plan that charts the course for the city’s physical development and infrastructure growth. This comprehensive plan is a roadmap for how Tukwila will evolve, balancing the needs of a changing population and economy with its financial capabilities. With a total investment of nearly $298 million over the next six years, the CIP is a statement of the city’s commitment to strategic future planning. It focuses not only on maintaining existing infrastructure but also on investing in new streets, parks, facilities, and utilities to support a growing community.
Spokane: H.O.M.E. Starts Here Plan
Mayor Lisa Brown has introduced a new legislative package aimed at jumpstarting affordable housing development in Spokane, with significant implications for the city's neighborhoods. This initiative, part of the broader H.O.M.E. Starts Here Plan, is designed to enhance housing stability by increasing the overall supply of homes, easing housing cost burdens on residents, and fostering more local homeownership. The proposed measures are set to directly influence the character and growth of Spokane's communities by removing obstacles to construction and providing new incentives for building.
Fife: 2024-2044 Comp Plan
The Fife City Council, at its June 24 meeting, gave its unanimous approval to the Fife Forward 2024-2044 Comprehensive Plan periodic update. This significant milestone marks the culmination of an extensive two-year period of community engagement, during which residents actively participated in numerous polls, open houses, and public hearings, providing invaluable input that shaped the plan's vision for a brighter future. The Council's decisive vote underscores a collective commitment to a well-defined strategy for managing Fife's growth and development over the next two decades, ensuring the city's unique advantages are preserved and enhanced. This plan now stands as the foundational policy document, guiding all future decisions regarding the city's shape, character, and form.
Island County: Shoreline Development
Envisioning and executing any new construction or significant alteration within Island County's shoreline jurisdiction demands a robust framework of strategic future planning, meticulously aligned with the foundational principles of the Washington State Shoreline Management Act (SMA) of 1971. This critical legislation serves as the bedrock for ensuring that all forthcoming development along the county's invaluable shorelines is not only coordinated and environmentally sound but also proactively designed to prevent long-term degradation. Island County's Shoreline Master Program (SMP) stands as the definitive blueprint for this future, comprehensively governing all marine waters surrounding Whidbey, Camano, and smaller islands, in addition to freshwater lakes 20 acres or larger, specifically Deer, Goss, Lone, and Cranberry Lakes. This regulatory reach extends strategically inland to "shorelands," encompassing upland areas up to 200 feet from the ordinary high water mark (OHWM), along with interconnected wetlands and floodplains—all designated as crucial zones for any prospective long-term projects.
Kent: 2026-2031 Transportation Improvement Program
The City of Kent, Washington, has officially adopted its 2026-2031 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), a crucial six-year plan outlining the capital projects designed to significantly enhance the city's public transportation network and foster comprehensive public development. This program serves as a near-term roadmap for anticipated improvements, with projects stemming directly from the city's comprehensive Transportation Master Plan (TMP), which was adopted in 2021. The TIP is a dynamic document, updated annually, that lists projects expected to commence preliminary engineering, right-of-way acquisition, or construction within the designated six-year timeframe. It also functions as a vital tool for the city in pursuing external grant funding, recognizing that a significant portion of public infrastructure improvements are financed through such avenues, thereby maximizing public investment.
Puyallup: Cornforth-Campbell Lot Redevelopment
The City is embarking on a transformative project to redevelop the long-undeveloped Cornforth-Campbell Lot, a 1.5-acre downtown parcel at 115 2nd ST SE. This significant undertaking aims to revitalize the area, introduce quality housing, maintain essential parking, and harmonize with other planned urban improvements, particularly the Meeker Festival Street Project. E Meeker Street, adjacent to the Cornforth-Campbell site, is already a hub for public gatherings, including the annual Meeker Days Festival, and has been designated as Downtown’s primary “festival street.” The synergy between the Festival Street concept, developed in 2024, and the Cornforth-Campbell redevelopment is central to the City Council’s vision for a vibrant and healthy downtown.
Sammamish: Tightline Project
The City of Sammamish is currently undertaking the significant "Tightline Project" on Louis Thompson Road, a vital connection route that exemplifies the city's commitment to strategic urban development and enhanced community infrastructure. This comprehensive upgrade represents a forward-looking investment, primarily aiming to address long-standing issues of uncontrolled stormwater runoff, which has historically posed significant challenges to the city's environmental integrity and public safety through erosion, flooding, and potential landslide risks. Beyond mitigating these critical environmental concerns, the project is a cornerstone in the city's broader vision to enhance urban connectivity and ensure the well-being of its residents through crucial non-motorized improvements.
Redmond: Ordinance 3218 and Affordable Housing
Exciting changes are underway in the City of Redmond as Ordinance No. 3218, a crucial piece of legislation aimed at boosting affordable housing, officially went into effect this week. At its heart, Ordinance No. 3218 refines and strengthens Chapter 3.38 of the Redmond Municipal Code, which governs our successful Multifamily Housing Property Tax Exemption (MFTE) program. For years, the MFTE program has proven to be an effective tool in fostering the creation of affordable housing units. Now, with these new updates, Redmond is doubling down on its commitment to ensuring a diverse and accessible housing market for all residents.
Everett: 2044 Comprehensive Plan
Everett, Washington, a city rich in history and poised for significant growth, is charting its course for the next two decades with the Everett 2044 Comprehensive Plan. This ambitious document isn't just a dusty binder of regulations; it's a living roadmap, a 20-year vision designed to guide the city's evolution, ensuring it remains a vibrant, livable, and prosperous place for all its residents.
At its core, the Plan is a direct response to the Washington State Growth Management Act (GMA), a legislative framework that demands cities proactively plan for their future. What's particularly exciting about this update is its embrace of recent GMA amendments. This means a sharper focus on crucial issues like affordable housing (HB 1220), actively addressing and rectifying racially disparate impacts (HB 1220), making it easier to build Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs - HB 1337), and expanding options for middle housing (HB 1110). Beyond state mandates, the Plan also aligns with regional growth strategies, including the Puget Sound Regional Council's Vision 2050 and Snohomish Countywide Planning Goals.
Kirkland: Juanita Neighborhood Development Changes
Kirkland's Planning Commission held a crucial hybrid meeting on Thursday, June 12, 2025, significantly impacting the future landscape of the Juanita neighborhood. On the agenda were proposed amendments to the Kirkland Zoning Code (KZC) and Kirkland Municipal Code (KMC), all designed to boost residential capacity in the JBD 4 and BC 1 zones. This move aligns perfectly with the Juanita Neighborhood Plan's vision for more intensified residential and vibrant mixed-use developments. The meeting involved discussions around key proposed amendments and the exciting, and sometimes complex, discussions surrounding them.
Shoreline: Parking Code Overhaul
Shoreline is on the cusp of a significant change to its urban landscape as the city actively moves to update its parking code. This isn't just a minor tweak; it's a fundamental shift in how the city approaches parking on private property for both vehicles and bicycles. The goal is to move beyond outdated requirements and embrace modern, flexible solutions that benefit residents, the environment, and future development.
SeaTac: Envision SeaTac 2044
Envision SeaTac 2044 represents a comprehensive, two-year undertaking designed to shape the city's growth and investment strategies over the next two decades. This ambitious project serves as SeaTac's mandated review of its Comprehensive Plan, ensuring alignment with King County Countywide Planning Policies and the Puget Sound Regional Council Vision 2050, a guiding framework for the four-county planning agency. At its core, the initiative is driven by a commitment to enhance equitable access to opportunity for all of SeaTac's diverse communities by recalibrating the city's long-term growth and development policies and regulations. This forward-looking plan will fundamentally inform all future projects and development, serving as the blueprint for achieving a stronger, more vibrant community.
Thurston County: Capital Improvement Program Concerns
The Thurston County Planning Commission, a body central to ensuring transparent government and resident oversight in county planning, recently delivered a striking "No Recommendation" for the adoption of the 2025-2030 Capital Improvement Program (CIP). This decisive 7-1 vote underscored deep concerns over how the program’s proposed projects and its very review process could significantly impact future development, land use planning, and public participation in shaping the county's growth.
The CIP is a cornerstone of the county's development strategy, mandated by the Growth Management Act as a vital six-year financing plan for capital facilities. It dictates where and how crucial infrastructure — essential for accommodating anticipated growth — will be funded. Updated annually, this program outlines projects that directly influence development patterns and the availability of public services to support a growing population. The proposed 2025-2030 CIP is a comprehensive overhaul, replacing its predecessor, and is currently undergoing environmental review as a non-project action.
Bothell: Eliminates Required Parking Minimums
Say goodbye to parking minimums! One of the most significant changes is the elimination of required parking minimums for new developments. Gone are the days of rigid rules dictating a specific number of parking stalls per property. This shift, a culmination of years of discussion at both the Planning Commission and City Council levels, was significantly propelled by recent state law changes (SB 5184). Why the change? Existing parking minimums have often been a roadblock, making many housing projects in Bothell financially unfeasible. By allowing developers the flexibility to determine the appropriate number of parking spaces for each project, instead of a one-size-fits-all approach, Bothell is opening doors for more diverse and challenging developments to take root. This doesn't mean less parking on our streets or a ban on building more; it simply means more flexibility for new projects.
Puyallup: Opposition to Comprehensive Plan Update
On June 10, Puyallup City Council faced protests from about 20 residents during a meeting concerning amendments to the city’s proposed comprehensive plan. This plan, set to guide the city until 2044, incorporates updated language on critical areas including equity, tribal history, climate change, and housing. Eleven residents spoke out, arguing the changes would make Puyallup less welcoming and potentially conflict with state law. Resident Heather Schiller urged the council to consider an inclusive future, acknowledging the long-term impact of their decisions. The two-hour meeting, marked by impassioned council speeches, public reactions, and an unplanned executive session for legal review, culminated in a 4-3 vote passing the plan’s first reading. Mayor Jim Kastama, Deputy Mayor Dennis King, and council members Dean Johnson and Renne Gilliam voted for it, while Ned Witting, Julie Door, and Lauren Adler voted against. A second reading and final vote are pending, after which the plan will undergo state and regional review.
Renton: Rainier/Grady Junction TOD Subarea Plan
The Rainier/Grady Junction Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Subarea Plan articulates a forward-looking vision and a comprehensive set of strategies designed to cultivate a vibrant, people-centric neighborhood. This initiative centers around the anticipated expansion of Sound Transit's bus rapid transit (BRT) line and a new transit center, strategically located at the intersection of Rainier Avenue South and South Grady Way. The City of Renton proactively engaged MAKERS Architecture and Urban Design to orchestrate a detailed planning process, laying the groundwork for the inevitable surge in new development around this forthcoming transit hub. The resulting subarea plan is intended to serve as a guiding framework for future growth and public investment in the area, emphasizing integrated mixed-use development, maximized multimodal transportation choices, enhanced pedestrian connectivity, and seamless integration with adjacent communities. The new transit center and BRT service are slated to commence operations in 2026, marking a significant milestone for regional transit.
Issaquah: Central Issaquah Plan
The City of Issaquah is actively pursuing a comprehensive vision for its urban core, centered around the Central Issaquah Plan, originally adopted in 2013. This plan aims to foster a dynamic urban environment while simultaneously safeguarding residential neighborhoods and the natural landscape. The City's ongoing commitment to this vision is evident through multiple interconnected initiatives, including the development of the Transit Oriented Development Opportunity Center (TOD-OC) and strategic public-private partnerships designed to enhance the vitality of the entire Central Issaquah area. These efforts are further bolstered by other key 2025 work plan items, such as continued light rail expansion planning, implementation of the housing strategy work plan, support for workforce housing development, improvements to the project permitting review process, execution of the economic development action plan, and a review of city property assets and surplus properties. As of Q1 2025, progress is on track with various projects under assessment, including the TOD-OC, permitting improvements, development bonus program investment criteria, utility fee waivers, and robust outreach to developers and property owners. Specifically, Q1 work on the TOD-OC involved reviewing cost estimates, initiating discussions on a condominium agreement, seeking reappropriation of prior funding, and commencing predesign work with health service providers.
Bainbridge Island: Winslow Subarea Plan Update
The City of Bainbridge Island's Planning Commission is currently engaged in a significant review and discussion of the Winslow Subarea Plan Update, focusing on its land use strategy, future growth, and zoning. This review, which began in January 2025 and is expected to conclude in May 2025, represents a crucial step in shaping the future of Winslow, the island's vibrant hub.
A Subarea Plan, much like a city's comprehensive plan, establishes land use and transportation policies, but specifically for a defined geographical area. In this instance, it encompasses the areas around Winslow Way, Island Village, public schools, and surrounding residential zones. The existing Winslow Subarea Plan, originally approved in 1998 and last updated in 2006, covered various aspects including housing, open space, public facilities, transportation, and utilities. This current update aims to integrate subsequent planning efforts such as the Sustainable Transportation Plan, Housing Action Plan, and Climate Action Plan, alongside new land use and transportation policy recommendations.
Mercer Island: HB 1293 Design Provisions
In 2023, Washington State enacted House Bill (HB) 1293, a pivotal piece of legislation that fundamentally reshapes how cities and counties can regulate building design under the Growth Management Act (GMA). This new law, codified as RCW 36.70A.630, introduces two critical requirements for local design review standards: they must be clear and objective, and they absolutely cannot reduce development intensity below the level generally permitted by a property's zoning. For the City of Mercer Island, this means a significant overhaul of its existing design standards, enshrined in Mercer Island City Code (MICC) Chapters 19.11, 19.12, and 19.15, which date back to 1972. The city has until June 30, 2025, to achieve full compliance.