The East King Chambers Coalition heard from US Chamber's Chris Seiler on tariff escalation and HR1 tax provisions, and from the Washington Tax Policy Center on Washington's structural budget gap and new 9.9% income tax. Continue Reading
Inside April's East King Chambers Coalition briefing: the U.S. Chamber on HR1 tax permanency, tariffs, and federal permitting reform; and the Washington Tax Policy Center on Washington's spending-driven tax cycle, SB 6346, and a projected $7B shortfall. Continue Reading
The Bellevue Mobility Coalition sent City Council a framework for a potential Transportation Benefit District: five funding categories anchored to the growth centers, with property tax and vehicle fee tools reserved for neighborhoods. Signed by Chamber CEO Joe Fain. Continue Reading
The Bellevue Chamber's Permitting, Land Use, and Sustainable Housing (PLUSH) Committee submitted formal comments to the Bellevue Planning Commission ahead of the Commission's April 23 work session on the Bel-Red Subarea Code Update. Continue Reading
Bellevue City Council's transportation workshop confirmed a $1.7 billion six-year transportation need, a $10M annual gap, a TBD proposal of a $20 vehicle fee plus 0.1% sales tax with 60/40 Grand Connection split, and a council preference for voter approval over councilmanic adoption. Continue Reading
Washington's March collections missed forecast by $71.2M, the two-month shortfall is now $113.8M, and lawmakers left just a $231M ending balance. CEO Joe Fain on why this isn't austerity, why even healthy revenue growth won't save a budget built on aggressive assumptions, and what comes next. Continue Reading
The April Policy Council meeting covered three pressing topics: Sound Transit’s $35 to $40 billion ST3 funding gap and the East King sub area equity debate Continue Reading
The Bellevue Chamber's Transportation Committee met April 2 to hear from WSDOT's Director of Innovative Partnerships Anthony Buckley on the state's emerging public-private partnership program, with brief updates on the King County Transportation Benefit District vote and Sound Transit realignment. Continue Reading
The 2026 Eastside Real Estate Symposium opened with Amazon Public Policy Director Guy Palumbo and CBRE Senior Vice President Bryan Oliver on the forces reshaping the region's housing and office markets. Continue Reading
Washington needs 1.1 million homes over 20 years and currently falls short by tens of thousands annually. The ERES policy panel brought together Senator Jessica Bateman on systemic housing reform, Bellevue Director Nick Whipple on development services improvements and GovStream AI, and Saf Rabah Continue Reading
Since the Wilburton rezone passed in June 2025, developers have submitted applications for over 2,300 housing units in the 300-acre neighborhood. The ERES panel examined the code buildability strategies, MFTE Supercharger, and East Rail infrastructure that made Wilburton a model Continue Reading
Dartmouth economist Andrew Samwick closed ERES 2026 with a keynote on federal fiscal headwinds, AI's real employment impact, and the structural advantages positioning the Eastside for continued growth. Continue Reading
