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…
Blog Archives
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
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 – 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
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
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
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…
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…
Join Us For 15-Minute Seattle: Creating Livable Places for All
Want to learn more about the 15-minute city concept? Visit the 15-Minute City Resources Page! UPCOMING PROGRAMS Housing Innovation in the 15-Minute City Kristian Skovbakke Villadsen’s 15-Minute Cities for People Monday, June 7 | 10:30 – 11:30am PT | Opening…
2020 Advocacy Actions
Local We endorsed the Seattle Planning Commission’s Growth Strategy White Paper, Evolving Seattle’s Growth Strategy. We provided feedback to SDCI on the Seattle Services Portal. We organized architect focus groups for Seattle Public Utilities’ update on solid waste planning and…
Posted in Advocacy, Public Policy Board
2020 Committee & Volunteer Awards
This year we recognize Matt Hutchins AIA; the Seattle Design Festival Core Team; and the Committee on the Environment, co-chairs: Shannon Bunsen and Gaurav Mehta. AIA Seattle Volunteer Award: Matt Hutchins AIA Matt Hutchins is a founder and principal of CAST…
Advocacy Update – August 2020
FEDERAL NEWS AIA National Policy Platform AIA National has released a federal policy platform in advance of this year’s presidential elections. General categories include: A future economy Climate action Healthy and equitable communities STATE NEWS Clean Energy Transformation Act The…
Posted in Advocacy, Public Policy Board
Advocacy Update – June 2020
BLACK LIVES MATTER AIA Seattle joins powerful community voices raised to condemn the murder of George Floyd and the broader system of racism, violence, injustice, and inequity that it represents. In the coming weeks, you will hear more about our…
Posted in Advocacy, Public Policy Board
Advocacy Update – May 2020
As we continue to navigate work in these unprecedented times, AIA Seattle and AIA Washington Council are striving to make sure you have the resources you need to take advantage of federal, state, and local programs designed to help firms…
Posted in Advocacy, Public Policy Board
Seattle Project Related Resources during Covid-19
SDCI Q&A On May 20, AIA Seattle held an online Q&A with SDCI about their project-related processes during COVID. You can watch that video here. Use password 8x+8M8uA Codes SDCI Delays 2018 Construction Code Implementation to November On March…
Posted in Code, Public Policy Board
Advocacy Update – March 2020
ARCHITECT ADVOCACY IN ACTION Seattle Firm Prompts New Rulemaking for Common Sense Bar Design This report is written by Joe Herrin AIA, Principal at Heliotrope in Seattle. Heliotrope is fortunate to have collaborated with many of Seattle’s most successful restauranteurs.…
Posted in Public Policy Board
Advocacy Update – February 2020
FEDERAL NEWS Support Federal Legislation to Phase Down HFCs Architects Advocate, an independent group of architects and firms formed to advocate for policies to mitigate climate change, is calling for architects to support two bipartisan bills in Congress that would…
Posted in Public Policy Board
Advocacy Update – January 2020
STATE NEWS Washington’s 2020 Legislative Session is Underway The state legislative session kicked off this week and will run through mid-March. AIA Washington Council will be providing weekly updates on the bills it is tracking and any new developments. Key…
Advocacy Update – November 2019
NATIONAL NEWS ICC Vote on AIA’s Zero Code Renewable Energy Appendix In coordination with Architecture 2030, AIA National submitted a Zero Code Renewable Energy Appendix to become part of the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC). The Appendix is optional…
Advocacy Update – October 2019
NATIONAL NEWS ICC vote on AIA’s Zero Code Renewable Energy Appendix AIA National submitted a Zero Code Renewable Energy Appendix to become part of the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC). If approved by the International Code Council (ICC) voting…
Posted in Public Policy Board
Advocacy Update – September 2019
NATIONAL NEWS AIA Makes Big Move on Climate This month AIA National launched an initiative to drive climate action within the architecture profession. As part of this effort, AIA called on architects around the world to support humanity’s collective call…
Posted in Climate, Housing, Public Policy Board, Transportation, Uncategorized Tagged with: Advocacy
Climate Partner: Shift Zero
Its aim is to form a collective voice to advocate on behalf of zero net carbon buildings; inform policy solutions; and educate policymakers at all levels of government. Shift Zero’s diverse membership of local, regional and statewide organizations unites a…
Posted in Climate, Public Policy Board
Seattle Proposes Speeding Up Oil to Electric Heating Conversions
Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan announced a plan to speed up the conversion of homes that burn oil for heat to cleaner electric heating as part of the city’s 2018 Seattle Climate Strategy. The City Council with consider legislation that would…
Posted in Climate, Public Policy Board
Seattle Passes Local Green New Deal Resolution
Seattle City Councilmember Mike O’Brien introduced a resolution laying out the agenda for a Green New Deal for Seattle and an ordinance creating a Green New Deal Oversight Board. The resolution endorses the Federal Green New Deal and identifies five…
Posted in Climate, Uncategorized
Mayor Durkan Approves Electronic Vehicle Readiness Legislation
On May 8, Mayor Durkan signed Electric Vehicle Readiness legislation into law. The new rules went into effect on June 7. The legislation will require all new buildings with off-street parking to include electric vehicle charging infrastructure. The goals are…
Posted in Climate, Transportation
Seattle’s Center City Streetcar Gets Green Light to Move Forward
After months in limbo, Seattle’s Central City Connector Streetcar line was approved by Mayor Durkan to move forward, albeit with higher cost estimates and a timeline five years later than initially planned. Some design and engineering for the project will…
Posted in Transportation, Uncategorized
Seattle Enacts Mandatory Housing Affordability
The ordinance will implement MHA in Seattle’s 27 urban villages and all other commercial and multifamily residential areas. All urban villages and multifamily residential and commercial zones will see zoning changes, allowing slightly larger or taller buildings. Additional development capacity…
Posted in Housing, Uncategorized
Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda Speaks to AIA on Housing
Seattle City Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda spoke as part of AIA Seattle’s City Leaders Breakfast Series on June 12. She spoke about her housing priorities on the Council, including ADUs, allowing more duplexes and triplexes and more upzoning. She also talked…
Posted in Housing, Uncategorized
Fort Lawton Redevelopment Plan Approved
On June 10, the Seattle City Council voted to approve the city’s plan to turn the former military site at Fort Lawton into 237 affordable homes for low-income seniors and formerly homeless individuals alongside supportive services, workforce housing and affordable…
Posted in Housing, Uncategorized
Seattle Enacts ADU Legislation
Two ADUs will now be allowed on each lot, either two attached ADUs or one attached ADU and one detached ADU. The maximum DADU size will increase from 800 to 1,000 square feet and the minimum lot size for DADUs…
Advocacy Update – August 2019
STATE NEWS Residential Energy Code Update Washington’s State Building Code Council (SBCC) is in the process of reviewing proposed amendments to the 2018 residential energy codes as approved by the SBCC’s Energy Code Technical Advisory Group. The proposed residential energy…
Posted in Public Policy Board, Uncategorized
Mayor Durkan Announces Housing Seattle Now
Mayor Durkan announced her Housing Seattle Now initiative outlining various strategies and policies to address housing and homelessness. This initiative rebrands the Housing Affordability and Livability Agenda, which AIA Seattle previously endorsed. Durkan outlined four priorities for Housing Seattle Now:…