• President’s Corner | Chad Eiken, AICP

• Join Our Board – Make an Impact!

• Training Opportunities Await This Month

• Embracing Stretch Assignments: Lessons from the Waterfront to Paid Parking, Part 1 | By: Heather Wright, AICP

• News from NPC25 in Denver

• Chapter’s 2025 Student Scholarship Application Process Opening Soon! | By Steve Butler, FAICP, Student Scholarship Committee Chair

• Spring Into Planning: Southwest WA Planners' Forum | Save the Date! 

• Save the Date | APA WA Inland Empire Section Priest Lake Conference 

Annual Report Published
Every year we are required to publish an Annual Report which summarizes key events and accomplishments from the previous year, and our 2024 Annual Report is now available via our Chapter website. I encourage you to take a look at the highlights here: 2024 Annual Report I’m proud of the great work by our Board, Committees, Sections and office staff to advance planning and support our members throughout the state!  

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The Nominating Committee of the Washington Chapter of the American Planning Association is seeking nominations to fill several leadership positions at the Chapter and Section levels. This is your opportunity to advocate excellence in our planning community and shape the future of our planning profession in Washington state. 

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No April Fools here - There are many great and free opportunities to get ahead on CM credits this month! The WA State Dept. of Commerce’s Short Course on Local Planning has two in-person offerings this month across the State. The Short Course provides basic information on planning in Washington through in-person trainings and webinars hosted by Commerce.

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I’ve always loved stretch assignments—the kind of challenges that push you beyond your comfort zone and expand your expertise. I’ll never forget my first. The island city I worked for had received an unexpected windfall from Washington State Ferries, and the city council decided to reinvest those funds into revitalizing their underutilized and outdated waterfront park. The planning director needed someone to lead the public outreach effort, and I eagerly stepped up. 

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The National APA Conference provides the perfect opportunity for Chapter Professional Development Officers (PDOs) from all over to share ideas and approaches to professional development and all things AICP.   

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This year, the APA Washington chapter (APA WA) will be providing scholarship funds to students from each of the three accredited planning educational programs in Washington state ($2,650 per program). The funding for these student scholarships is due to the generosity of numerous Washington planners who donated to APA WA’s Student Scholarship Fund and the support of the Chapter’s Board of Directors.    

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• Updates and Introduction to Commerce Draft Rural Lands and UGA Guidance
• Agritourism Considerations and Planning
• Source Water Protection, Critical Aquifer Recharge Areas – Protecting Your Drinking Water

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What innovative legislative action did Washington State undertake in 1988 that set a precedent in the U.S. for integrating landscape-level ecological considerations into urban planning and development practices?

A) The Washington Wilderness Act
B) The Critical Areas Ordinance under the Growth Management Act 
C) The Shoreline Management Act Amendment 
D) The State Environmental Policy Act Revision

The answer to last issue's trivia question:

Which freeway project in Washington State was notably halted in the early 1970s due to strong community opposition, becoming a pivotal moment in the state's history of freeway revolts and shaping future urban development policies?  

A) The R.H. Thomson Expressway project in Seattle was famously halted in the early 1970s after significant community opposition. This proposed freeway was intended to cut through several neighborhoods and parklands, including the Central District and the Washington Park Arboretum. The public backlash against the Thomson Expressway was part of a broader freeway revolt during the era, reflecting growing concerns about environmental impacts and community disruption due to freeway construction. The cancellation of this project marked a significant shift in urban planning in Seattle and influenced the city's approach to transportation, emphasizing more sustainable and community-friendly alternatives. This event is often cited as a key moment in the history of urban development in Washington State. 

Interested in submitting an article for the next newsletter? 

Contact the APA WA Communications Committee! Email Riya Debnath and Ben Braudrick at [email protected].