Plans and Policy

Mayor Durkan with Ferris wheel and Seattle waterfront in background

Mayor’s Budget Proposes Adding 35 Cops, Skimps Elsewhere

Mayor Jenny Durkan released her budget today and sent Deputy Mayor Shefali Ranganathan to deliver brief remarks on the proposal to the Seattle City...
Downtown Seattle wall with City Hall sign on it and buildings in the background.

2022 Seattle Solidarity Budget Launches Today

With its official launch, the Seattle Solidarity Budget coalition seeks to influence decision making over the 2022 City of Seattle Budget. This weekend marks...
A photo showing an aerial view of Seattle looking north from the Space needle, housing, roads, and Greenlake are all visible.

The Benefits of Auctioning Off Development Rights

In an era of tight city budgets, legal limits on taxing authority, and expensive problems, it is time for Seattle to get creative. We...
A graphic of blue and green mountains with the skyline of a city in front of them with the words WA Can't Wait in a white box on the left corner.

What It Will Take to Close the Illegal Growth Loophole in 2022

Note: This article was revised on 10/29/21 to reflect Futurewise's decision to rename the "vesting loophole" as the "illegal growth loophole" to more clearly...
A photo shows an empty lot with tall grass on a suburban street.

How the GMA’s Illegal Growth Loophole Works in Practice

Note: This article was revised on 10/29/21 to reflect Futurewise's decision to rename the "vesting loophole" as the "illegal growth loophole" to more clearly...
The photograph shows a curved street of a large two story houses with garages under construction

Goodbye Farmland, Hello Mega-Mansions

How a major loophole in the Growth Management Act has allowed unnecessary sprawl and non-compliant development to gobble up our rural lands for decades. Note:...
A rendering shows a green space next to a plaza with a fountain where people are gathering. The top portion of the rendering show six story mixed use building and another five story mixed use building. There is a small building with a green roof on the right side.

Growing a Neighborhood Around 130th Street Station

Light rail is coming to North Seattle at 130th Street in 2025. Thanks to advocacy by the many grassroots organizers involved in the Move...
A photograph showing the skyline Downtown Seattle's tall buildings at sunset as viewed from Kerry Park in Queen Anne.

Dramatic Changes Demand New Priorities, Says Seattle Planning Commission

According to the advisory board, stakes are high for what may be the "most consequential" update to Seattle's comprehensive plan to date. Back in...