Take a fresh look at land use planning
Use these resources and consider these questions when updating your local land use policies.
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Most of the of the growth in Washington is happening in cities. Population growth impacts city services and infrastructure. Find tools and resources that will help you think about and plan for growth.
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Effective transportation keeps pace with growth, avoids congestion, and keeps commutes short. Cities need a reliable and dedicated funding source to build and maintain transportation infrastructure.
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Affordable housing enables communities to house everyone, allows workers to live close to their jobs, and reduces homelessness. Cities need a partnership with the state that brings new funding sources and incentive programs for affordable housing.
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It’s important that cities attract and retain business and redevelop key commercial areas. Cities are Washington’s economic engine.
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Funds and planning assistance should reflect the differences among cities including fast-growing, slow-growing, big, and small. Learn what’s available.
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Use this high-level quick read to learn how cities in Washington function. You'll discover how cities budget, how city funds are used, what city governments do, and what city employees do.
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Tools and resources to accommodate growth
The state population is expected to increase by two million people by the year 2040. Most of that growth will go to cities. Cities must provide police, fire, sewer, parks, and other services to these new residents.
- Are there adequate sources of funding for improving and maintaining these services?
- Can your city accommodate the forecast growth within your existing city and urban growth area?
- Are there changes to land use laws, such as annexation, that could help facilitate accommodating this growth?
Watch this video that answers why your GMA comp plan matters
Cities population growth 2010-2017
AWC Open Data Portal – Always open
Want more information from our Open Data Portal? It's always open. Anytime you'd like, take a minute to browse the portal to find the stockpile of research and analytics collected about Washington's cities. Through charts, graphs, and maps, the data visualizations are easy to read, use, and share.
Cities 101 – Population growth
Washington’s population is booming, and much of that growth is happening in cities. Watch this video to learn how many people are expected to move to Washington, and what it means for cities as they budget, plan, and prepare for the growth.
Transportation funding
Building and maintaining urban transportation systems, from streets to bike lanes to transit, is expensive. Yet there is no reliable and dedicated funding source for city transportation systems.
- How is your city’s transportation system functioning with your existing population?
- How will growth impact your transportation infrastructure needs?
- Are you struggling with deferred maintenance?
- Is more regional transportation planning needed?
Cities 101 – Streets and the city transportation system
Nearly every trip in Washington begins or ends on a city street. Watch the video to learn about city streets and the many important features of the transportation system. As cities grapple to fund priorities, it's critical these important assets are well designed, constructed and maintained for today, and into the future.
Infrastructure report
AWC partnered with the business, county, and port associations to create a comprehensive report about Washington's infrastructure needs. We shared the report with Washington's congressional delegation to position our state for anticipated federal infrastructure funding, and to outline our needs and benefits to our economy. Check out our federal infrastructure report and two-pager that summarizes the report.
Support for affordable housing
Home prices are rising faster in Washington than in any other state. Cities need a partnership with the state that brings new funding sources and incentive programs for affordable housing.
- Are there new tools or programs that could help keep housing costs down in your community?
- Has your city had success with existing programs?
Economic development tools
Cities are the economic engine of Washington.
- Is your vision for economic development in your city being helped or hindered by state planning requirements?
- Do you feel well-positioned to attract new business to your city?
- Do you know where to look for help with economic development?
Funding and technical assistance for planning
Cities are doing amazing things, from redeveloping downtown cores, to designing great streets, to providing more infill housing. Yet many cities struggle to fund long-range planning.
- Are you a small or slow-growing city struggling to keep up with planning requirements?
- What kinds of support would help you meet state requirements (funding, centralized data, best practices)?
- How might state planning and environmental review requirements or approval processes be streamlined to accommodate your local needs?
Grants for planning and infrastructure
IACC funding source list
For infrastructure projects, check out the current list of funding sources maintained by the Infrastructure Assistance Coordinating Council.
MRSC fact sheets
From annexation to SEPA, complex planning topics abound for your city. MRSC has a series of helpful fact sheets that lay out the basics on these topics, and may inspire you to think about changes you might want for your city.
State guidance
The Department of Commerce is your state agency providing technical assistance and pass-through funding for local planning. Commerce also provides planning “short courses” to keep you up to speed on all things GMA. Check out their growth management resources.
Commerce also maintains a list of funding sources for a variety of city planning-related projects. There is currently no dedicated state funding for local long-range planning.