### Meeting Overview The Bellingham Committee of the Whole met on December 9, 2024, with Council President Pro Tem Hollie Huthman chairing in place of an excused Council President Daniel Hammill. The committee's main focus was Mayor Kim Lund's Executive Order 2024-02, which directs immediate administrative actions to expand housing options citywide. ### Key Terms and Concepts **Executive Order 2024-02:** Mayor Lund's directive issued November 21, 2024, requiring city departments to take immediate administrative actions to increase housing opportunities across all income levels. **Interim Ordinance:** A temporary ordinance that allows the city to implement policy changes quickly while studying longer-term solutions, lasting up to one year with renewal options. **Parking Minimums:** Current city requirements mandating specific numbers of parking spaces per dwelling unit or commercial use that the mayor wants eliminated citywide. **Infill Toolkit:** A set of zoning tools allowing more housing types in existing neighborhoods, currently limited to specific areas but proposed for citywide expansion. **Middle Housing:** Housing types between single-family homes and large apartments, including duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, townhomes, and cottage housing. **House Bill 1110:** State legislation requiring cities to allow up to four units per lot in residential areas, with potential for six units if affordable housing is included. **Design Review Streamlining:** Simplifying the city's design approval process to reduce delays and costs in housing development. **ADA Parking Requirements:** Federal accessibility standards that must be maintained regardless of parking minimum elimination. ### Key People at This Meeting | Name | Role / Affiliation | |---|---| | Kim Lund | Mayor | | Hollie Huthman | Council President Pro Tem, Second Ward | | Hannah Stone | Council Member, First Ward | | Lisa Anderson | Council Member, Fifth Ward | | Michael Lilliquist | Council Member, Sixth Ward | | Jace Cotton | Council Member, At-Large | | Edwin "Skip" Williams | Council Member, Fourth Ward | | Blake Lyons | Planning and Community Development Director | | Daniel Hammill | Council President, Third Ward (excused) | ### Background Context Bellingham is experiencing a severe housing shortage with dramatic cost increases—median rent up 37% and home prices up 56% in just five years. The city has issued permits for only 413 housing units in 2024 through November, roughly half their annual target. State law now requires cities to allow middle housing and streamline design review, with compliance deadlines in 2026. If cities don't act proactively, state model ordinances will supersede local regulations. The executive order represents an acceleration strategy, implementing required changes ahead of state mandates while addressing urgent community needs. During comprehensive plan engagement, residents clearly expressed wanting more housing choices in all neighborhoods, not just concentrated development. ### What Happened — The Short Version Mayor Lund presented her executive order directing immediate administrative changes to expand housing options. The order includes 16 administrative actions (like streamlining permitting and prioritizing affordable housing projects) and requests three interim ordinances from council: eliminating parking minimums citywide, expanding the infill toolkit citywide, and streamlining design review. Council members debated the parking minimum elimination extensively. Council Member Anderson advocated tying parking reductions to affordability requirements, while Council Member Lilliquist argued that housing supply increases and affordability are separate issues requiring different tools. Council Member Cotton expressed strong support for the urgency, emphasizing that supply shortages fundamentally drive the housing crisis. Staff will bring the first interim ordinance (parking minimums) to council's December 16 meeting for initial consideration, with final action in January 2025. ### What to Watch Next - December 16: First interim ordinance on parking minimums comes to council - January 2025: Potential final adoption of parking minimum elimination - First quarter 2025: Middle housing/infill toolkit interim ordinance - Mid-2025: Design review streamlining ordinance - End of 2025: Comprehensive plan adoption (which triggers six-month deadline for middle housing compliance) ---

**Q:** Who issued Executive Order 2024-02 and when? **A:** Mayor Kim Lund issued Executive Order 2024-02 on November 21, 2024, directing immediate actions to expand housing options. **Q:** How many housing permits has Bellingham issued in 2024? **A:** 413 units through November 15, 2024, which is about half the city's annual target. **Q:** What are the three interim ordinances requested in the executive order? **A:** Remove parking minimums citywide, allow the infill toolkit citywide, and streamline design review. **Q:** What percentage has median rent increased in Bellingham over the last five years? **A:** 37 percent, while median home prices increased 56 percent over the same period. **Q:** Who chaired the December 9 committee meeting? **A:** Council President Pro Tem Hollie Huthman, due to Council President Daniel Hammill's excused absence. **Q:** What is House Bill 1110? **A:** State legislation requiring cities to allow up to four units per lot in residential areas, with up to six units if affordable housing is included. **Q:** When must cities comply with middle housing requirements? **A:** Within six months of adopting their comprehensive plan, which for Bellingham means mid-2026. **Q:** What happens if cities don't adopt middle housing regulations on time? **A:** State model ordinances will supersede and invalidate conflicting local regulations. **Q:** What did Council Member Anderson advocate regarding parking minimums? **A:** Tying parking reductions to affordability requirements rather than eliminating minimums outright without conditions. **Q:** How much time did the Old Town development agreement save? **A:** The streamlined process took about 2.5 months instead of the typical 4-6 months for similar projects. **Q:** What percentage of Bellingham's residential land is currently zoned for single-family housing? **A:** 75 percent of land zoned as residential is currently developed with single-family housing. **Q:** When will the parking minimum interim ordinance first come to council? **A:** December 16, 2024, for first and second reading, with final action in January 2025. **Q:** What federal requirements must be maintained even if parking minimums are eliminated? **A:** ADA accessibility parking requirements, which are mandated by federal law regardless of local parking policies. **Q:** How many administrative actions are included in the executive order? **A:** 16 administrative actions, ranging from streamlining permitting to identifying new tiny home village sites. **Q:** What did Council Member Cotton emphasize about the housing crisis? **A:** That lack of supply is fundamentally constitutive of the housing crisis and the order addresses the urgency seriously. **Q:** What was Blake Lyons' role in the presentation? **A:** Planning and Community Development Director who presented technical details about the three legislative actions. **Q:** When would design review streamlining ordinance be considered? **A:** Shortly after the middle housing piece, likely in the second quarter of 2025. **Q:** What example did staff provide of successful streamlined review? **A:** The Old Town development agreement that reduced review time from 4-6 months to about 2.5 months. **Q:** What areas would be excluded from the infill toolkit expansion? **A:** Lake Whatcom watershed and critical areas would be excluded from additional development capacity. **Q:** How long can interim ordinances last? **A:** Up to one year initially with detailed work plan, renewable for additional six-month periods with public hearings. ---