Planners' Update Newsletter Governor's budget contains historic funding
for Growth Management Act planning The governor's December 2021 budget includes $19.3 million for growth management planning. This proposed investment represents the highest funding level since the initial funding to implement the Growth Management Act (GMA). The $19.3 million investment includes: - $10 million to fund periodic update work, including implementation of new housing element requirements adopted last year (HB 1220).
- $9.3 million to implement new initiatives in the governor's climate, housing and salmon recovery agendas.
- A research and data component to illuminate critical aspects of GMA implementation and to identify needs and emerging trends in planning.
- Funding for buildable lands reports due in the later part of this decade.
Later this month, the House and the Senate will release their capital and operating budget proposals. One thing to keep an eye on is whether these proposals include the governor's proposal for funds dedicated to growth management planning. This historic level of commitment recognizes the value the governor places in full implementation of the GMA. Multi-Family Property Tax Exemption 2022-2023 Work Plan  In 2021, the Legislature provided new resources and changed laws regarding the Multi-Family Property Tax Exemption (MFTE) program. Commerce contracted with BERK Consulting to develop an MFTE Workbook for program administrators and to conduct a legislative study of MFTE implementation throughout the state. The MFTE webpage has several resources, including a summary of the 2021 program changes and links to jurisdiction codes, websites, and example forms. The first step is engaging the housing community to answer the question, "What resources do you need to start, maintain, update, or end a local MFTE program?" Please complete this short survey to let us know what's needed. The MFTE reporting deadline is April 1. The 2021 MFTE annual reporting forms are available on the MFTE webpage. All jurisdictions with MFTE programs should report their program statuses, and all jurisdictions that issued final certificates or extensions of existing certificates will be asked to provide both program- and unit-specific details. Please note, all cities that meet the requirements in RCW 84.14.020(1)(a)(iii) or RCW 84.14.021(1)(b) are eligible to offer MFTE programs. For questions about reporting or the ongoing 2022-2023 work plan, contact MFTE Program Manager Mary Reinbold. | Climate planning updates The Legislature instructed Commerce to initiate a multi-year project (July 2021-June 2023) to develop model elements to assist counties and cities with addressing climate change issues in their comprehensive plans. Our Climate Program Team will convene multiple stakeholder groups to collaborate on the development of these model elements. Beginning this winter, Commerce will form small groups of city and county government stakeholders, called Chapter Review Committees, to provide input on draft model elements for both climate change and resiliency. The goal is reducing local greenhouse gas emissions and enhancing communities' response to and recovery from climate impacts. The local government stakeholders will meet several times through the end of summer to provide input on draft planning guidance and climate mitigation and adaptation policies that cities and counties could integrate into their comprehensive plans. The Legislature is considering legislation (HB 1099) that complements this and adds climate change as a new GMA goal requiring local climate planning work. Commerce issued separate requests for proposals to support this project: For more information, visit the Climate Program webpage. CHIP grants are open through March 11 The Connecting Housing to Infrastructure Program (CHIP) grant will fund sewer, water or stormwater improvements and/or waived system development charges for new affordable housing projects. Applications are accepted until March 11, and award decisions are expected by April 15. This is the second funding round. In the first round, Commerce awarded $19 million in requests to 16 awardees, from a total of 40 applications requesting $41 million. Applicants that did not receive funding in the first round do not need to reapply and will be reevaluated in the next round. Applicants must be a city, county or public utility district in partnership with an affordable housing project. The CHIP application includes a two-step process through ZoomGrants, so applicants are encouraged to complete step 1 early to ensure their project meets the screening criteria. Step 2 is the full application, and screening questions are available in the grant guidelines (PDF). More information, including a Q&A, is on the GMS grants webpage. Growth Management Services team news  Valerie Smith appointed deputy managing director Valerie Smith was appointed deputy managing director for the Growth Management Program. Valerie served as a senior planner prior to this appointment. She covered northwest Washington, capital facilities planning, and the buildable lands review and evaluation program. Before coming to Commerce, Valerie worked for the City of Yakima and Benton County. Valerie will lead a team of eight planners serving communities in Western Washington. She will continue her work managing the Governor's Smart Community Awards program. | Catherine McCoy joins as senior planner in Western Washington  GMS welcomes Catherine McCoy as our newest senior planner in Western Washington. She will work with Clark, Lewis and Kitsap counties, as well as cities in King County. She will provide assistance to local governments on their comprehensive plan and development regulations amendments and updates. She will also assist with the Southwest Planners Forum and strengthen urban design options and opportunities within the agency. She has 13 years of experience in land use and development review planning with cities, including Seattle and Olympia. In her free time, she enjoys exploring cities, swimming, walking/hiking, reading and cooking. | Local spotlight: Creating new housing options
in single-family zones Communities across Washington are revising their traditional single-family zoning categories to allow more housing types, encouraging a variety of housing to meet Washington's growing needs. Although often overlooked, Walla Walla was an early leader in 2018, when it consolidated single-family zoning into a single low-density zoning type, allowing a wider variety of uses in the lower density zone and adding more flexibility in accessory dwelling unit regulations. In 2020, Olympia revised many of its single-family residential zones to allow more housing types, such as duplexes and triplexes, to help meet its future housing need — projected as 13,000 units over the next 20 years. In 2021, Seattle changed its single-family zoning category to "neighborhood residential" to be more inclusive and more accurate. Tacoma also removed its single-family zoning designation in 2021, reclassifying many of its lowest density neighborhoods as "low-scale residential." WSDOT Regional Mobility Grant Program The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) launched the 2023-2025 Regional Mobility Grant Program (RMG). The RMG supports local efforts to improve connectivity between counties and regional population centers, as well as reducing transportation delays. WSDOT seeks to fund projects that deliver public benefits as quickly as possible. The RMG concept deadline is 3 p.m. March 3. For concept application questions, email Allyson Ruppenthal or call 360-791-5613. You can also contact your local WSDOT community liaison. WSDOT will not accept late concepts. Applicants must complete registration and basic training for the WSDOT Public Transportation Grant Management System (GMS) before accessing the RMG concept. Applicants can find more information at the GMS webpage. For additional assistance regarding registration and training, email GMS Support or call 360-705-7711. State seeks input on vehicle miles traveled reduction strategy  In 2021, the Washington Legislature directed Commerce and WSDOT to: - Develop guidelines to help cities and counties integrate mitigation and resiliency goals into local comprehensive plans.
- Develop a process for establishing local vehicle miles traveled (VMT) reduction targets.
- Recommend a suite of options for local jurisdictions to achieve the targets.
- Identify funding requirements for state and local jurisdictions to achieve the targets.
WSDOT and Commerce developed a survey to collect local information to inform and shape the process to develop VMT targets and supportive actions to achieve those targets. WSDOT and Commerce are seeking input from cities, counties, regional transportation planning organizations, metropolitan planning organizations, and others. More information about the approach and timeline is on MRSC's website, including a link to the survey. Survey responses are encouraged in February. | Short course on local planning The Short Course on local planning offers an overview of land use planning laws in Washington state, an introduction to comprehensive planning and plan implementation under the Growth Management Act (GMA), and a review of roles in planning and mandatory training on the Open Public Meetings Act for local government officials. All courses are online, free of charge and open to the public. | Month | Date | Time | Registration | | February | Thursday, 2/24 | 1 - 4 p.m. | | | March | Thursday, 3/31 | 6 - 9 p.m. | | | April | Thursday, 4/21 | 1 - 4 p.m. | | | May | Tuesday, 5/31 | 6 - 9 p.m. | | | June | Monday, 6/20 | 1 - 4 p.m. | | Ask about local presentations Commerce also offers e-visits to local planning commissions or other meetings. Contact your regional planner to request a presentation. Topics include, but are not limited to, comprehensive plan basics and roles in the planning process. REMINDERS: Department of Ecology grants Puget Sound Solid Nutrient Reduction Grant Program The Puget Sound Nutrient Reduction Grant Program is open for applications through March 1, 2022. Eligible applicants are the 43 municipalities that operate the 58 wastewater treatment plants that discharge to the Washington Waters of the Salish Sea that will be applying for coverage under the Puget Sound Nutrient Reduction General Permit. Please see Table 1 in the Puget Sound Nutrient Reduction Grant Program Funding Guidelines for a list of eligible applicants and grant amounts. Apply for grants through the Ecology Administration of Grants and Loans (EAGL) system. Water Banking Pilot Grant Ecology's Water Banking Grants program is accepting applications until all funds are awarded or until funding expires on June 30, 2023. Ecology plans to award up to $14 million. Learn more about the grant program and how to develop and submit your applications in the Water Banking Grants Funding Guidelines. Recently published: a new focus sheet and blog post highlighting this pilot program. Ecology staff are offering consultation meetings for potential applicants. To request a meeting or ask questions, email WaterBankingGrants@ecy.wa.gov. If requesting a meeting, please include "meeting request" in the subject line of your email. Subscribe to our Planners' Update Newsletter Do you have new staff or know of someone who would like to learn more about planning news in Washington? Please share these easy steps to subscribe to Commerce's Growth Management mailing list and receive our monthly Planners' Update newsletter: - Visit www.commerce.wa.gov.
- Scroll all the way down to the "Subscribe" section in the page footer.
- Enter your email and click "submit" to choose subscriptions you would like to receive. (You can unsubscribe from any list at any time.)
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