Latest Press Releases

  • Fully 50 Housing Bills Moving Through Washington Legislature in 2023 Session

    An unprecedented number of transformative measures speaks to the urgency of the state’s housing shortage, which voters feel acutely.

    February 16, 2023 MEDIA CONTACT: Dan Bertolet, Director, Housing and Urbanism Program, Sightline Institute, dan@sightline.org   FULL ARTICLE: 50 housing bills to watch in Olympia right now  OLYMPIA, WA – An absolute deluge of bills to support more housing options across [...] Read more »

  • Washington State Could Double Voter Turnout with Bill to Let Cities Choose Even-Year Elections

    Senate Bill 5723 would lift Washington’s ban on its cities’ option to align their elections with higher-profile, even-year elections. Doing so can save money, boost voter participation, and ensure the voting public—and their electeds—look more like the general population.

    February 10, 2023  MEDIA CONTACT: Serena Larkin, Sightline Institute, serena@sightline.org   FULL ARTICLE: Hey, Olympia! If you let them, cities could double turnout in local elections  OLYMPIA, WA – Leaders in Olympia are currently considering a bill that would allow [...] Read more »

  • New Poll: Majorities in WA Support State Policies for More Housing Types

    As numerous housing bills advance through state legislative committees, a new poll finds that fully 71 percent of likely Washington state voters support a statewide policy proposal that would change zoning laws to eliminate single-family zoning in cities and towns with populations over 6,000 and allow more homes like duplexes, triplexes, and small apartment buildings.

    February 9, 2023  MEDIA CONTACT: Anna Fahey, anna@sightline.org  POLL RESULTS: sightline.org/WApoll2023   WASHINGTON STATE – Majorities in Washington state favor a wide range of policy changes to make it easier to build multi-family housing to address the state’s housing affordability crisis. [...] Read more »

  • Oregon Has Built Gov. Kotek’s Target Number of Homes Before

    In the 1970s, with more apartments and fewer construction workers, the state managed to build almost 330,000 new homes—not far off from the 348,000 Governor Kotek wants to see in the next decade.

    MEDIA CONTACT: Michael Andersen, Sightline Institute, michael@sightline.org   FULL ARTICLE: Yes, Oregon, there is a way to build enough homes SALEM, OREGON – Oregon’s House Housing Committee On Housing and Homelessness meets today to hear HB 2889, a measure to ramp [...] Read more »

  • WA Legislators Take Up Housing Shortage as 2023 Session Priority

    Sightline Institute explains several key bills addressing middle housing, transit-oriented development, and parking mandates.

    For Release: January 19, 2023 MEDIA CONTACT: Dan Bertolet, Director, Housing and Urbanism Program, Sightline Institute, dan@sightline.org   OLYMPIA, WA – Washington’s housing shortage and soaring housing costs have leaders throughout the state eager to develop and deploy solutions. The state’s [...] Read more »

  • OR, WA, and BC Must Invest Beyond Gas

    New analyses by Sightline Institute describe the region’s potential for neighborhood-wide networks of ground source heat pumps (“GeoNetworks”) and the need to stop subsidizing new gas pipe infrastructure.

    For Release: January 18, 2023 MEDIA CONTACT: Emily Moore, Director, Climate and Energy Program, Sightline Institute, emily@sightline.org   SEATTLE, WA – As public concern grows over the health dangers of gas appliances in homes and the impacts of climate-warming fuels on [...] Read more »

  • Report: Unplanned Oil Refinery Closures Cost Communities Big

    Thousands of jobs, millions of tax dollars, delayed or avoided site cleanups: lessons from seven US communities should urge WA leaders to plan ahead.

    MEDIA CONTACT: Emily Moore, emily@sightline.org   Since 2019 seven oil refineries have closed across the United States, almost all without warning, leading to the loss of more than 3,400 high-paying jobs and $21 million in forgone tax revenue annually in the [...] Read more »

  • Analysis: Alaska’s Early Midterm Election Results Show a Possible Way Out of Political Extremism

    With voters feeling free to cross party lines, moderation will likely win the day  

    For Release: November 22, 2022 Media Contact: Jeannette Lee, Senior Researcher and Alaska Lead jeannette@sightline.org, @JLee907  ANCHORAGE, AK—The results from Alaska’s first ranked choice election are set to be announced at 4:00 PM AST, on Wednesday, November 23 (8:00 PM [...] Read more »

  • Analysis: Alaska Voters Had More Choice in 2022 Statewide Elections

    Open primaries and ranked choice voting likely helped spur a larger, more diverse candidate pool and competition for all statewide primary races.

    For Immediate Release: November 4, 2022 Media Contacts: Jeannette Lee, Senior Researcher and Alaska Lead jeannette@sightline.org, @JLee907 ANCHORAGE, AK – Alaskans this year had a larger, more diverse, and competitive statewide candidate pool to vote on, coinciding with the introduction [...] Read more »

  • Troutdale Says Tax-Funded Housing Project Is Designed with Too Many Homes

    The city’s planning commission ruled last month that 103 parking spaces was not enough for 94 planned affordable housing units

    For Immediate Release: October 21, 2022 Media Contact: Michael Andersen, Senior Researcher, Housing Program michael@sightline.org, @andersem TROUTDALE, OR – The City of Troutdale, a city that has far more residents living on low incomes than low-priced homes, has rejected Home [...] Read more »