Blog Archives

Advocacy Update – January 2025

Seattle's Comp Plan city skyline graphic

This Month in Advocacy: Welcome Nathan, AIA Seattle’s new Advocacy Manager; Seattle’s Comp Plan Pro-Housing voices urgently needed; eliminating parking mandates with SB 5184 boost housing production; and join COHO for their Social Housing Prop 1A + 1B event. Welcome

Posted in Advocacy

Advocacy Update – December 2024

Olympia, sound and mountains image

AIA Seattle brings together and advocates for a community of professionals across ten counties who are united not only in profession, but in purpose, through our vision for equitable, resilient, thriving communities. Now is a great time to focus on

Posted in Advocacy

A Year of Impactful Engagement

End of Year Impacts for the AIA Seattle Chapter

Dear members and friends,  2024 was a year of impactful engagement. Members embraced leadership opportunities to impact the future of the profession and bring together our AEC community. Members brought forward their individual and team work of the highest quality,

Posted in Advocacy, For the Profession, For the Public

Advocacy Update – November 2024

An exterior image of the Legislative Building during sunset

AIA Seattle brings together a community of professionals across ten counties who are united not only in profession, but in purpose, through our vision for equitable, resilient, thriving communities. Now is a great time to focus on our local community

Posted in Advocacy

Advocacy Update – October 2024

People with rally signs 'no on I-2117'

Your VOTE is your VOICE! Washington voters have received their ballots and will vote on four separate ballot initiatives funded by out-of-state deep pockets. Two of these initiatives will directly impact climate, and AIA Seattle prompts members to get active

Posted in Advocacy

Advocacy Update – September 2024

crowd mingling at 2024 Housing Forum happy hour

Join Advocacy Happy Hour – Tuesday, September 23rd AIA Seattle advocacy members are passionate about the role of AEC professionals to support thriving communities through advocacy. Whether you’ve been a long-time advocate or always wanted to get involved, this happy

Posted in Advocacy

Advocacy Update – July 2024

Let's Go Washington activists.

Photo: Let’s Go Washington Founder Brian Heywood talks about ballot initiatives during a press conference at Jackson’s Shell Station in Kent on Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2023. (Jason Redmond for Crosscut) Advocacy Happy Hour Save the date for Tuesday, September 24th!

Posted in Advocacy

Advocacy Update – June 2024

Attendees at this year's Housing Forum

Photo: Attendees at AIA Seattle’s 2024 Housing Forum – Housing: A Stage for Life Housing Forum Advocacy came to life in person at Monday’s Housing: A Stage for Life learning and networking forum at 415 Westlake. Highlights included innovative project case studies,

Posted in Advocacy

Advocacy Update – May 2024

Photo: AIA Seattle Staff and Board Members at the 2023 Housing Forum.  City of Seattle Comp Plan Engagement Period Extended The City of Seattle has extended the public engagement period for the Draft One Seattle Plan and Draft Environmental Impact

Posted in Advocacy

Advocacy Update – April 2024

Group of people discussing the Draft Comprehensive Plan together in a circle

Seattle News AIA Seattle Members – Get Active for a Livable City AIA Seattle members envisions the City of Seattle as a livable city with a variety of housing near many types of amenities, retail cores, and transit that appeals

Posted in Advocacy

Advocacy Update – March 2024

Seattle's Comp Plan city skyline graphic

Seattle News Draft Comprehensive Plan Released After months of anticipation, the draft One Seattle Comprehensive Plan has finally arrived! This Comprehensive Plan update for Seattle marks a critical milestone in shaping the city’s future growth over the next 20 years, addressing key questions

Posted in Advocacy

Committee on Homelessness letter to City of Seattle

AIA Seattle’s Committee on Homelessness (COHO) advocated for adding housing capacity, speeding up housing production and lessening code requirements in a letter addressing the City’s recent position put forward in the Amicus Curiae brief to the Supreme Court of the

Posted in Advocacy, Committee on Homelessness, Housing, Public Policy Board

Advocacy Update – January 2024

Photo: The 2024 Washington state legislative session gets underway in the House of Representatives on Jan. 8, 2024. (Laurel Demkovich/Washington State Standard) 2024 Legislative Session Begins The 2024 legislative session kicked off on January 8 with a flurry of activities,

Posted in Advocacy

Advocacy Update – December 2023

AIA Washington Register for Capitol Connections Registration is open for Capitol Connections on January 23, 2024, where AIA Washington will be discussing the rolling clock bill. This event will be a great opportunity to connect with your legislators and share

Posted in Advocacy

Advocacy Update – November 2023

Photo: Judkins Junction, an affordable housing project at Jackson Street and 23rd Avenue South in Seattle. (Ellen M. Banner / The Seattle Times, 2020) LOCAL NEWS Passage of the 2023 Seattle Housing Levy We are thrilled to announce a historic

Posted in Advocacy

Advocacy Update – October 2023

Photo: Doug Walker LOCAL NEWS Public Hearing on Proposed Transportation Impact Fees Last week, the Seattle City Council voted to expedite an amendment to the Comprehensive Plan concerning transportation impact fees. The proposal has been sent to the full Council

Posted in Advocacy

Advocacy Update – September 2023

Photo: Jared Wenzelburger, The Chronicle SBCC Advances Energy Code Amendments with Revised Effective Date In a recent meeting, the State Building Code Council (SBCC) made significant strides in advancing energy code amendments that promise to shape the future of construction

Posted in Advocacy

Advocacy Update – July 2023

Photo: MyNorthwest  AIA National Revised Federal Research & Development Tax Credit Update AIA National has shared an important update regarding the revised federal research and development (R&D) tax credit, which came into effect on January 1, 2023. Due to the

Posted in Advocacy

Advocacy Update – June 2023

Call for Feedback: Updates to Architects are Environmentally Responsible Policy We are excited to announce that AIA National is undertaking an important initiative to update the Architects are Environmentally Responsible section of the AIA Public Policy statements and accept feedback from

Posted in Advocacy

Advocacy Update – May 2023

Seattle City Council Passes Tree Ordinance Latest Housing Taskforce advocacy efforts: We are thrilled to announce that the Seattle City Council has passed the long-awaited tree ordinance, marking a significant milestone in our mission to strike a balance between housing

Posted in Advocacy

Advocacy Update – April 2023

STATE NEWS 2023 Legislative Session We have reached the final weeks of the 105-day state legislative session. Tuesday, April 4, was the opposite house fiscal committee cut-off, where all bills that passed the House needed to be out of their

Posted in Advocacy, Public Policy Board

Advocacy Update – February 2023

March 2023 Advocacy Update

STATE NEWS State Legislative Session Update Washington’s State Legislature is back in person and moving through the long 105 day session at an effective pace. This year there have been well over 1,500 bills introduced so far. While the legislation

Posted in Advocacy, Public Policy Board

Advocacy Update – March 2022

STATE NEWS State Legislative Session Update The state legislature adjourned for the year on March 10. Thank to you all of you who supported AIA’s efforts in Olympia. Here is a list of AIA’s highlights from the session (you can

Posted in Advocacy

Seattle Tree Ordinance

In February, the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections (SDCI) and the Office of Sustainability and Environment (OSE) released a draft SEPA ordinance on tree protections. The ordinance would expand the types and sizes of trees that are regulated, require

Posted in Advocacy

Advocacy Update – February 2022

NATIONAL NEWS National Building Performance Standard Effort At the United States Conference of Mayors winter meeting in January, President Biden announced a new partnership with state and local governments to reduce carbon emissions from the built environment. Known as the

Posted in Advocacy, Public Policy Board

Seattle Comprehensive Plan: AIA Work Group

AIA Seattle believes the vision for City of Seattle should be a livable city with a variety of housing near many types of amenities, retail cores, and transit that is accessible to everyone, where everything residents need can be reached

Posted in Advocacy Tagged with:

Advocacy Update – January 2022

STATE NEWS State Building Code Council Releases 2021 Commercial Energy Code The 2021 commercial energy code amendments have been released by the State Building Code Council; you can view the proposed rule here. Public comments can be emailed to sbcc@des.wa.gov

Posted in Advocacy, Public Policy Board

Advocacy Update – December 2021

STATE NEWS Washington’s Redistricting Process Ends Washington’s redistricting saga has ended, with the state Supreme Court declining to develop its own district maps and allowing the maps approved after the deadline by the state’s redistricting commission to take effect. You

Posted in Advocacy, Public Policy Board

Advocacy Update – November 2021

STATE NEWS Washington Redistricting Washington’s redistricting commission, charged with determining new state and Congressional legislative districts after the 2020 census, failed to meet its Nov. 15 deadline to agree on new district maps. The failure of the panel, made up

Posted in Advocacy, Public Policy Board

Advocacy Update – October 2021

STATE NEWS Washington’s Tax System Overhaul Committee Would Like Your Feedback Are you fed up with Washington’s tax system? This is your opportunity to let legislators know what you’d like to see instead. The state’s Tax Structure Work Group, led

Posted in Advocacy, Public Policy Board

Advocacy Update – September 2021

September advocacy update image

STATE NEWS Washington’s Tax System Overhaul Under Discussion Washington has a multi-year Tax Structure Work Group led by a bipartisan group of legislators and charged with researching, evaluating, and conducting public outreach around developing a new state taxation system that

Posted in Advocacy, Public Policy Board

Seattle’s City Council Takes a New Look at Policy for Affordable Housing on Property Owned by Religious Organizations

Background Earlier this year, in compliance with state legislation (HB 1377) passed in 2019, the Seattle City Council passed and Mayor Jenny Durkan signed legislation to allow religious institutions to access additional development capacity when they redevelop their property for

Posted in Advocacy

Housing Advocacy: Neighborhood Residential

Legislation to rename Seattle’s single family zoning category from “Single Family” to “Neighborhood Residential” will be voted on at a Sept. 24th Land Use & Neighborhoods City Council Committee meeting. This legislation does not make actual changes to the existing

Posted in Advocacy, Housing, Public Policy Board

Advocacy Update – August 2021

LOCAL NEWS 2020 MHA Report Released Seattle’s Office of Housing released its first annual report on the city’s Mandatory Housing Affordability and Incentive Zoning program, including long-anticipated data on housing projects’ use of payment versus performance under the program. While

Posted in Advocacy, Public Policy Board

Advocacy Update – July 2021

NATIONAL NEWS California Gas Ban Lawsuit Dismissed A federal court in San Francisco dismissed a preemption challenge to the ban on gas hookups in new construction in Berkeley, California. California has more than 40 cities that have implemented gas bans

Posted in Advocacy, Housing, Public Policy Board

Advocacy Update – May 2021

Pike Place Market

STATE NEWS State Legislative Session Adjourns Washington’s Legislature adjourned on April 25, ending a historic, nearly all-virtual session in which Democratic leadership focused on four key areas: COVID relief, economic recovery, racial equity, and climate change. Gov. Inslee is still

Posted in Advocacy