Smart Housing Strategies Award: For creative plans, policies, programs and/or actions The Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe Housing Solutions Study determined housing requirements for tribal elders, families, transitional households, and a casino and resort workforce. The study exceeded planning principles for public participation and provided four strategic actions to be taken by the Tribe in the creation of a tribal housing plan which was created using grant funding awarded by the Administration…
OLYMPIA, WA —Eight Washington cities have been named Smart Communities Award winners for 2022. Launched in 2006, the Governor’s Smart Communities Awards program annually recognizes local governments and their partners for exceptional work in implementing the state’s Growth Management Act (GMA) to shape future growth, economic vitality and quality of life in communities across Washington. Award winners can serve as models for other communities on solutions to issues of statewide…
Tourism relief grants go to 284 organizations to support small local events, festivals and civic celebrations in 36 counties OLYMPIA, WA – The Washington State Department of Commerce, in collaboration with the Washington Festivals and Events Association (WFEA) and ArtsWA, today announced 284 successful applicants in 36 of the state’s 39 counties to receive more than $3.3 million in pandemic relief and recovery grants. The funds will provide much-needed support to…
Another round of state pandemic relief grants on the way, with focus on the arts, heritage and science sectors and businesses relying on in-person conventions hosted in Washington OLYMPIA, WA – Applications for the Working Washington Grants: Round 5 and new Convention Center Grants programs open Aug. 17. Together, these programs will distribute $75 million in pandemic relief grants to eligible small businesses and nonprofits across Washington. The Department of…
PULLMAN, WA — Community specialists with WSU Extension are partnering with the Washington State Broadband Office (WSBO) to enhance capacity by Washington communities, especially those in rural and remote areas, to provide better and more equitable access to reliable, high-speed internet. Funded by the Washington State Department of Commerce, the one-year, $8 million statewide Broadband Action Team (BAT) Implementation and Support project aids county and community efforts with training, planning…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEJV5mq82Y4 Smart Housing Strategies Award: For creative plans, policies, programs and/or actions Small homes and accessory dwelling units (ADUs) are part of the future for Lacey, which has experienced a population explosion in the last 10 years. The city, which is the largest in Thurston County, is taking a strategic approach to building ADUs by providing pre-approved plans. The addition of ADUs on existing properties alongside older-style homes throughout neighborhoods…
Grants from $34.5-mllion Small Business Innovation Fund will support special programs to spur small business recovery, startup and growth OLYMPIA, WA – Non-profit organizations with a history of assisting Washington state small businesses are invited to apply for grants up to $5 million each from the new Small Business Innovation Fund. The Washington State Department of Commerce is seeking to fund proposals that will offer community-based programs and services tailored…
UTC and Commerce collaborate to adopt new rules for electric utilities related to energy storage systems, standards and more LACEY, Wash. – The Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC) and Washington State Department of Commerce recently adopted new rules for electric utilities, reaching a major milestone in Washington’s transition to clean energy. The rules provide guidance on several key requirements in the Clean Energy Transformation Act (CETA) of 2019, which requires…
Projects will develop vulnerability assessments and identify measures for reducing vehicle miles traveled and greenhouse gas emissions OLYMPIA, WA — The Washington State Department of Commerce has awarded $2.1 million in growth management planning grants to help King, Kitsap, Pierce and Snohomish counties, and multiple cities within each county, plan for local impacts of climate change. Proposals from the 27 communities awarded funding, reveal a wide range of creative approaches…
Smart Climate Change Strategies Award: For plans, policies, programs and/or actions addressing community climate impacts. People have discovered Olympia, in a big way. Washington’s capital city is growing quickly, with about 1,000 new residents moving in every year. They come for work, life and to play outside, leaning into the city’s values and quirky culture. The shifts in where people work since the pandemic also means that small cities like…