Washington changed its zoning to allow more middle-income housing.

Permitting hasn't caught up.

New laws promised consistency and predictability in permitting. In practice, unresolved challenges remain.

This half-day symposium brings together engineers, architects, attorneys, planners, developers, and public officials to examine where permit review breaks down, and what it takes to fix it. Through real cases and decades of hands-on experience, speakers trace the gap between what code actually requires and what review staff often demand, and explore the practical, legal, and legislative paths to closing it.

If you design, build, permit, finance, or shape policy for housing in Washington State, you'll leave with a clearer understanding of why middle-income projects stall and sharper tools and strategies to move them forward.

Featured speakers include:

• Saul Spady, Quality of Life Coalition — Opening the day with the human stakes behind the region's housing debate.
• Donna L. Breske, P.E., Donna Breske & Associates — A civil engineer with 30 years in land-use permitting, examining where stormwater, drainage, and water main policies are outpacing what code actually requires, and mapping the cost to the housing those projects were meant to deliver.
• Ian Faulds, Senior Project Planner, Sanbell — An urban planner with 12+ years of experience in complex land-use permitting, bringing a practical look at permit intake hurdles, road and alley standards, critical-area reviews, and the challenges that arise when complex projects are reviewed one issue at a time.
• Sam Rodabough, Land Use Attorney — The legal challenge to Seattle's water-main financing policy, and what it means for the cost of infill housing.

Morning coffee service and a buffet lunch included. Space is limited. Reserve your spot today!