The Washington State Legislature has completed its second week of the 2022 session. The first of several self-imposed deadlines is February 3; any bill that hasn’t passed out of policy committee and advanced to the Rules or Fiscal Committee by then will be considered dead for the session.

The 2022 Washington State Legislature convened on January 11 for a 60-day legislative session. In the first week, over 800 new legislative proposals have been introduced, several of interest to NAIOPWA members. Governor Inslee, in his state address, outlined a variety of issues related to increasing housing options and addressing homelessness, as well as a broad suite of programs aimed at reducing the state’s carbon emissions. Some of the most notable bills for NAIOPWA are summarized below. As happens each year, all bills and issues noted will evolve through the course of the session via both public hearings and other negotiations. 

2021 NAIOPWA Night of the Stars Winners Announced
Winners highlight creative approaches to land use, community support and more

Ballots for the 2021 General Election will be mailed on Wednesday, Oct. 13, to registered voters in Washington state. Ballots must be completed and returned via U.S. Mail, a local dropbox or election center by 8pm on Tuesday, Nov. 2.

2021 NAIOPWA Night of the Stars Finalists & First Winners Announced
Annual People’s Choice Award with Daily Voting Runs Sep. 22 – Oct. 6

SEATTLE – Announced at NAIOP Washington State’s September Breakfast, the slate of competitors for the association’s annual Night of the Stars Awards once again showcases the best commercial real estate development projects across the state completed in the past year.

Alongside our efforts at the state level to ensure the continuity of MFTE, the NAIOPWA government affairs/advocacy team continues to work in Seattle and on the Eastside on MFTE program implementation. Over the past year, our East Side Task Force in particular has worked with Bellevue city staff and council members on program amendments that would ensure the program operates more successfully going forward.

NAIOPWA has been involved with the state legislative process for more than four decades. It’s with this depth of experience that we report both that the 2021 session was one of the more challenging for our industry in recent years, and how we managed to come out with three significant wins this year.

The past year’s COVID shutdown and restrictions were especially hard on the restaurant and entertainment industries. Despite the tough times, there have been some positives that have come from the pandemic. There have been many new restaurants, bars and businesses that have opened up over the past year in Washington’s South Sound. To celebrate the innovation that has resulted from challenging circumstances, we are going to share a few uplifting success stories. Many of these places have creatively adapted their business models to government orders or designed a space that allows for optimal ventilation and spread-out seating to keep the public safe and remain compliant with COVID opening regulations.

The University of British Columbia bested both Portland State University and the University of Washington to emerge as the victor of the 18^th Annual NAIOP Washington State Real Estate Challenge!

Did you notice that we skipped a week of reporting? Greg Hanon was busily attending sessions, advocating for legislation that supports the CRE industry. One example: this week, an amendment was added to the proposed capital gains tax that exempts real estate. The session is scheduled to end on Sunday, April 26. Click here to continue reading this post (login required). 

In 2020, NAIOP Washington State was honored as NAIOP Chapter of the Year. This year, despite COVID-19, we have continued that success by becoming NAIOP’s third-largest chapter in North America.

As of Saturday, April 3, there were 22 days left in the 2021 Legislative Session as scheduled. We anticipate our legislators will be working long hours every day until the clock runs out - will they finish in time? Greg doesn't have a crystal ball (yet), but he can tell us the highlights for NAIOPWA and the CRE community. Click here to continue reading this post (login required). 

Violent hate crimes perpetrated in Atlanta this month have brought national attention to racism against the Asian American & Pacific Islander (AAPI) community. The AAPI community has faced racist attacks for far longer, and has struggled to have their voices heard by those outside their community. 

There have been nearly 3,800 recorded instances of hate crimes against the AAPI community in the past year.

Last June, NAIOPWA publicly committed to doing the work to address racism head-on by bringing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) topics and education to the forefront for the professional CRE community throughout our region. It is incumbent upon every single one of us to bring attention to these injustices now and always.

NAIOPWA stands in support of the AAPI community and all those who fall victim to racist attacks and hate crimes.  We encourage all our members, friends and colleagues to join us in a stand against racism, terrorism and violence.

Friday, March 26, was the 75th day of the Washington State Legislative Session, leaving 30 days to go with a number of major issues to try and resolve in that time.Click here to continue reading this post (login required).

We need housing near jobs, transit, and opportunity. The Housing Supply and Affordability Act (HSAA) creates a new Local Housing Policy Grant (LHPG) program administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The proposed program would provide grants to states, localities, tribes, and regional municipal and county coalitions to support local efforts to expand housing supply.

The state legislative session heads into the home stretch this week, with just 33 days left in session, a Friday deadline for bill reporting and a draft budget expected from the senate this week. Click here to continue reading this post (login required).

Bryce Taylor has been a fixture of the NAIOP community for over 30 years. He got involved in the early ‘90s to jumpstart his career, at the behest of Ted Sive with Lease Crutcher Lewis. Bryce says he “joined NAIOP and immediately got involved with the Community Enhancement Committee – and never regretted it.” Throughout decades of uncertainty and change, Bryce has remained connected to his colleagues through our association. “I have developed hundreds of great relationships through NAIOP.”