Leading the Change in Olympia and Washington’s Communities

 By Joe Tovar, FAICP 

More than 500 planners attended the APA Washington Annual Conference in Spokane October 11-13. “Leading the Change” was the conference theme shared in forty breakout sessions, including stories of community and organizational success in leading change across the state. Speakers shared insights about how planners and APA Washington can continue providing needed technical skills, policy guidance, and leadership through the GMA update cycle and beyond.

One key theme was the leadership provided by state elected officials in updating and funding Washington’s Growth Planning Framework. Among session speakers were Rep. Andrew Barkis, ranking member of the House Transportation Committee; Rep. Davina Duerr, Chair of the House Local Government Committee and prime-sponsor of HB 1181 regarding Climate Change and Resilience; and Rep. Jessica Bateman, prime sponsor of HB 1110 regarding Middle Housing.  

Our keynote speaker was the Honorable Governor Jay Inslee, whose executive request legislation set the stage for important climate and housing reforms in the 2023 session. The Governor thanked the three legislators present for their work in passing these bills and thanked the planners in the room for their hard and important work in advocating for and implementing these reforms.

After the Governor’s remarks, APA Washington Legislative Chair Robin Proebsting presented the Chapter’s Legislator of the Year award to Representatives Jessica Bateman and Andrew Barkis for their bi-partisan work in advocating for adoption of HB 1110. The Legislator of the Year award honors lawmakers for their support of planning, GMA, and/or Chapter-sponsored legislation. Robin said that this year's honorees are champions of good planning and thanked them for their leadership in advancing legislation that would increase housing supply and help tackle Washington's housing crisis. HB 1110 directly advanced one of the Chapter's top legislative priorities of eliminating homelessness and increasing affordable housing choices.

At its October meeting, the APA WA board also unanimously voted to approve the Legislative Committee's 2024 legislative priorities. The priorities are based on a survey of APA WA members, with policy positions informed by APA Policy Guides. Robin invited all Chapter members who have an interest in reviewing draft legislation and helping to advance the Chapter’s legislative priorities to consider joining the APA WA Legislative Committee. She said that an easy way to meet the current members of the Committee and get a sense of its work would be to informally drop in on an upcoming Zoom meeting. These Legislative Committee meetings take place on alternate Fridays at noon. If you are interested in learning more, email Robin and Committee Vice-Chair Chris Collier at [email protected].