Grants fund utility connection fees and improvements needed to connect affordable housing to municipal water and sewer. OLYMPIA, WA – The Washington State Department of Commerce today announced $17.5 million in funding for 26 projects that will support the development of nearly 2,100 affordable housing units throughout the state. Funds will lower the effective cost of development by about $8,000 for each housing unit. “The communities receiving grant funds have…
Tag Archives: Growth management
Annual awards recognize outstanding work in community planning and development Olympia, WA — The Washington State Department of Commerce today called for nominations for the 16th annual Governor’s Smart Communities Awards, a program that recognizes outstanding work by local governments and their partners on long-term community planning and development. Nominees offer a view into the values and long-term priorities of their communities through their plans and actions shaping how they…
Funding for housing action plans and transit-oriented development helps communities address years of underbuilding that left middle and lower-income residents priced out of housing as state’s population boomed. A 2020 report tagged Washington state with one of the 10 worst housing shortages in the nation, underbuilding by over a quarter of a million homes over the prior 15 years. Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies documented the nationwide housing shortage and…
State produces a technical assistance resource to promote civilian-military coordination in land-use planning OLYMPIA, Wash. – The Washington State Department of Commerce today released the Washington State Guidebook on Military and Community Compatibility, a technical guide to land use planning surrounding military installations. Primary users of the guidebook will be professional planners and municipalities. It also promotes general public awareness and information exchange about the importance of coordinated civilian-military planning…
MAKERS Architecture and Urban Design to develop Washington State Guidebook for Military and Community Compatibility Olympia, Wash. – The Washington State Department of Commerce announced today that independent consulting firm MAKERS Architecture and Urban Design, LLP will develop a Washington State Guidebook for Military and Community Compatibility. MAKERS, which has offices in Seattle and San Diego, Calif., will help Commerce develop written guidance and technical assistance tools for communities across…