## Meeting Overview On a crisp February evening, Bellingham's Planning Commission convened for what would prove to be a pivotal moment in the city's growth trajectory. Chair Mike Estes called the February 6th, 2025 meeting to order at 6:00 PM, with six commissioners present and only Russell Whidbee excused. The chamber buzzed with anticipation as staff prepared to unveil the next phase of what they've branded "The Bellingham Plan" — the city's most significant comprehensive planning update in nearly a decade. This wasn't just another routine planning meeting. After a year and a half of community engagement, surveys reaching nearly 9,000 residents, and extensive policy development, the city was ready to transition into what staff called "Phase 4" — the formal legislative process that would shape Bellingham's growth through 2045. The agenda was streamlined but weighty: a single presentation that would outline how the next six months of intensive deliberation would unfold, setting the stage for decisions affecting everything from housing affordability to climate resilience. The room held an air of significance as staff prepared to present a comprehensive planning framework that would guide the accommodation of 30,000 new residents, nearly 19,000 new jobs, and over 18,000 housing units over the next two decades. This meeting would serve as the launching pad for what promises to be one of the most consequential planning processes in Bellingham's recent history. ## Public Comment: Visions for Northwest Bellingham Before diving into staff presentations, two residents stepped forward during the public comment period, each offering distinct perspectives on Bellingham's development future. Their comments would prove prescient, touching on themes that would echo throughout the comprehensive plan discussions to come. Dan Bloemker, a Birchwood neighborhood resident, made an impassioned case for creating a new urban village centered at the intersection of Birchwood Avenue and Northwest Avenue. Armed with specific data and recently drafted policy language, Bloemker painted a picture of untapped potential: "Currently, the area is surrounded by mostly strip malls, with the largest being Park Manor, which currently has less than 50% retail occupancy and six acres of parking that has at most been 15% occupied in the time I've lived there." His argument was methodical and data-driven. The location sits at the convergence of three major bus routes — the 4, 50, and Go Route 232 — representing "one of the most utilized bus stops in the system" and specifically highlighted by the Whatcom Transportation Authority for transit-oriented development potential. With characteristic preparation, Bloemker then read directly from draft comprehensive plan policies, noting goals to "incentivize residential development in proximity to and mixed with commercial development" and "identify opportunities to redevelop auto-oriented commercial areas into more compact, pedestrian-oriented mixed use nodes of activity, especially along transit routes." "I don't know about you, but of places to upzone and get easy wins in the city, this seems a very obvious one," Bloemker concluded. "Right now the only thing standing in the way is the current zoning designation of the area commercial only." Brian Gass, a real estate broker living on Guide Meridian, followed with a more pointed critique of development processes and fees. Drawing from decades of experience in Bellingham's housing market, Gass painted a sobering picture of affordability decline: "My first house here in Bellingham, $150,000 in 1998. I think the median income was under 40 at the time. That same development, about 350 now. Bellingham is, the median income is like 68,000 household income right now, where the median home price is $650,000, most it's ever been. It's ten times the affordability." Gass's frustration centered on what he sees as government acting as "the bottleneck" rather than "the spigot" for development, particularly criticizing the disconnect between promoting smaller lots and maintaining high impact fees. "They talk about the 2,000 square foot minimum that they want to jam everybody into these smaller lots, which is fine, except for I don't hear them reducing the fees for the permits or the impacts for schools. And that fee still stays at $4,000 a door, or $5,000 for the schools or the parks." His practical concerns extended to accessory dwelling units (ADUs), citing a specific example where parking restrictions created real-world problems: "When it came time to parking for that ADU, you have a two car garage for the house, and Bellingham will not let them park in front of the ADU." This led to his broader critique: "So then I see this thing where you're reducing parking everywhere to encourage this infill, but it ends up where nobody can park anywhere." ## The Bellingham Plan: A Comprehensive Framework Unveiled Chris Behee, the city's Long Range Division Manager, took the podium to introduce what would be an extensive presentation covering the scope, process, and timeline for Bellingham's comprehensive plan update. Joined by project manager Elizabeth Erickson and planner Anya Gedrath, the team represented the culmination of work that began in earnest in June 2023. "This is our first check-in of the year, and we have transitioned into what we're calling phase four of the Bellingham Plan," Behee explained, setting the context for the evening's presentation. The previous phases had encompassed broad community engagement, detailed topical discussions, and initial policy development. Now, they were entering the formal legislative phase that would lead to adoption by year's end. Behee provided essential context about comprehensive planning under Washington's Growth Management Act, noting that Bellingham operates on a 10-year update cycle and looks forward 20 years with each iteration. "For the plan that we're working on right now, the planning period is from 2025 through 2045, so we started a couple years early because it's a big process, a lot of work to do, and this is the year that we will actually adopt the plan." The current plan, adopted in 2016, includes eight chapters covering land use, community design, housing, multimodal transportation, economic development, environment, parks and recreation, and capital facilities. The 2025 update proposes three significant additions: chapters on Climate, Community Wellbeing, and Civic Practices. ### State Legislative Drivers and Growth Projections The presentation detailed how recent state legislation is driving significant changes to local planning requirements. House Bill 1110, the "middle housing" bill, requires cities to allow up to four housing units on every residential lot and mandate a variety of housing types across residential zones. House Bill 1220 changed how housing chapters are developed, requiring planning for housing at all income levels. Additional bills address co-living housing, design review streamlining, and climate planning requirements. The growth projections presented were substantial. The State Office of Financial Management forecasts 57,000 to 86,000 new county residents by 2045, with corresponding housing and job growth. Bellingham's preliminary proposal calls for accommodating 30,000 new people, just over 18,000 housing units, and about 19,000 jobs. Behee emphasized that this represents roughly 1,378 people per year, "pretty close to what we've been averaging over the last ten years, which is about 1,334." This growth would bring Bellingham's total population to nearly 136,000 people by 2045, with approximately 67,000 housing units and 90,000 jobs. The scale represents a significant planning challenge, requiring coordination across infrastructure, transportation, housing policy, and environmental protection. ### Urban Growth Boundary Considerations The presentation included detailed discussion of potential urban growth boundary adjustments. Blue areas on staff maps showed regions being considered for removal from the urban growth area, primarily in the Lake Whatcom watershed and some areas between Bellingham and Ferndale. These areas, either developed with little additional capacity or environmentally constrained, don't align with future growth accommodation needs. More intriguingly, two red areas represented "reserve areas" — the North Bellingham UGA Reserve and South Yew Street UGA Reserve — being evaluated for potential inclusion in the urban growth area. Behee noted that internal staff conversations over recent months had highlighted different challenges associated with each area. "The area on the north has emerged with kind of a, has fewer challenges associated with it," Behee explained. "The area at the south, specifically looking at the environmental features in that area, there's more forest cover, there's much steeper terrain. And so because of that, there's less overall housing capacity and also some significant, more significant infrastructure needs than the area to the north." While no final decisions would be made until the Environmental Impact Statement is released, staff indicated they're "leaning towards" potentially bringing in the northern area sooner than the southern reserve area. ## Four Themes Organizing the Plan's Future Elizabeth Erickson took over the presentation to detail how the 11 planned chapters would be organized into four thematic packages for Planning Commission review. This organizational approach represents one of the most significant structural changes to how Bellingham approaches comprehensive planning. "These 11 chapters really align very well with the four themes that we highlighted," Erickson explained, referring to an attachment that outlined the largest changes being proposed. The four themes — More Housing Choice, Sustainable Growth, Climate Resilience, and Bellingham for All — would each encompass multiple chapters and be discussed in sequence over the coming months. ### More Housing Choice The first package, scheduled for February 20 through March 26, encompasses Land Use, Housing, and Community Design chapters. This theme addresses middle-scale housing requirements, transit corridor development, predictable design standards, and mixed-income housing developments. "A lot of information that we're updating in these chapters relates to middle housing or middle-scale housing and really encouraging and supporting that type of development across the city," Erickson noted. This package had already been released to the public the week prior to the meeting, generating initial online comments that commissioners could review in real-time on the Engage Bellingham website. ### Climate Resilience The second package, scheduled for April 3, pairs the new Climate chapter with the existing Environment chapter. This represents one of the more substantial additions to the comprehensive plan, driven by state requirements under House Bill 1181. "Climate is a new chapter and it is related to a lot of new state requirements," Erickson explained. "So when we get to those, we'll be highlighting a lot of those linkages and really focusing on climate being integrated throughout the plan, even though it does also live in its own chapter." ### Bellingham for All The third package, scheduled for April 17 through May 1, introduces two entirely new chapters — Civic Practices and Community Wellbeing — alongside the existing Economic Development chapter. This theme represents perhaps the most innovative aspect of the plan update, attempting to address equity, community connection, and inclusive planning in a comprehensive way. "Really looking at how we can build a strong community and connections between folks in our community, planning really inclusively and equitably across the city is really important to consider," Erickson explained. ### Sustainable Growth The final package, scheduled for May 15-29, covers Capital Facilities, Transportation, and Parks chapters. Originally planned for earlier in the sequence, this package was moved to accommodate the Parks Department's decision to coordinate their Parks, Recreation and Open Space (PROS) plan update with the comprehensive plan process. "The parks chapter is actually getting updated alongside this plan, whereas originally they were going to update it in 2026, alongside the state requirements for updating their PROS plan. But they've decided to get on the Bellingham plan train," Erickson noted with evident satisfaction. ## Executive Order Impact and Interim Measures A significant development affecting the comprehensive plan process is Mayor Kim Lund's November 2024 housing executive order, which Erickson described as "going to be driving a lot of work related to these chapters." The order emphasizes immediate action on housing while the longer comprehensive plan process unfolds. The executive order has already produced tangible results. In January, the City Council approved an interim ordinance removing parking minimum requirements citywide. Two additional interim ordinances are in development: one increasing middle housing opportunities across the city and adapting existing infill housing standards citywide, and another streamlining design review processes. "These are really interim steps to help with housing in the meantime," Erickson explained. "But all the work you will do on discussing the plan itself will be what our permanent regulations and decisions are moving forward." ## Document Hierarchy and Neighborhood Plan Elimination Anya Gedrath concluded the formal presentation by addressing structural and procedural elements of the plan. One of the most significant changes involves the document hierarchy and the relationship between various planning documents. The proposed structure distinguishes between documents requiring legislative processes (Type 6) and those that can be updated administratively. The comprehensive plan and key implementation documents like the Pedestrian Master Plan would require formal legislative review, while data resources and frequently updated reports would be maintained separately as a "data hub" or companion to the main plan. ### The End of Neighborhood Plans Perhaps the most controversial structural change involves eliminating the 25 existing neighborhood plans from the comprehensive plan framework. Gedrath outlined multiple rationales for this decision, beginning with policy incompatibility: "The neighborhood plans include housing policies that prioritize detached, single family housing forms over middle scale and multifamily housing. These policies are therefore exclusionary and inequitable to the majority of households in the community that can't afford single family detached housing." The administrative burden also plays a role. "We also envision simplifying and consolidating our regulations," Gedrath explained. "So a departure from the neighborhood plans would allow us the opportunity to do this and do some consolidation of the 25 zoning tables and the more than 450 subareas that we have in our municipal code." The goal involves moving toward perhaps four residential zoning types that would apply equally across the city. "We want to arrive at, you know, four or so different types of residential zoning as an example, and have those apply equally in all areas of Bellingham," Gedrath said. "The same standards would apply if you're building a home in the South neighborhood or building a home in Cordata." ## Implementation Documents and Future Planning The presentation concluded with an overview of implementation plans that would be adopted by reference with the comprehensive plan. These fall into three categories: existing documents not previously adopted by reference (like the Consolidated Plan or Assessment of Fair Housing), new documents being developed specifically for this update (like separate Capital Facilities and Transportation plans), and future documents anticipated in the pipeline (like an Urban Forest Plan or Annexation Plan). This approach represents a significant shift toward more flexible, updateable planning documents that can respond to changing conditions without requiring full legislative processes. ## Commissioner Questions: Process, Equity, and Practical Concerns The question period revealed commissioners grappling with both procedural elements and substantive policy concerns. Chair Mike Estes focused on the public engagement integration, asking how commissioners should prepare to incorporate ongoing public feedback into their deliberations. Elizabeth Erickson demonstrated the live comment functionality on the Engage Bellingham website, showing how community members can provide real-time feedback on draft chapters. "We will summarize it for you when we get to you, because we expect we'll have many more by the time we get to certain chapters," she explained. Commissioner Rose Lathrop raised practical scheduling concerns, noting the intensive meeting schedule ahead and asking about other agenda items that might compete for commission attention. Staff confirmed that the comprehensive plan would dominate the commission's work for the next six months, though some items like the Barkley Urban Village Plan and various interim ordinances would also require attention. Commissioner Scott Jones delved into the development community's potential response to pending changes, expressing concern about projects being delayed while developers wait for more favorable regulations. Chris Behee acknowledged this risk, citing it as one reason for the mayor's executive order approach: "I think that really is one of the reasons why the mayor issued that executive order in November, I think, is really to really move us forward sooner." ### Shoreline Committee Appointments The meeting concluded with administrative business, including the need to appoint three Planning Commission members to the Shorelines Committee for a project expected to come before the commission in the coming months. This followed the practice of annual reappointment, though commissioners Jones and Lathrop noted they had been previously appointed but never received the promised training. ## Data Corrections and Technical Clarifications Before adjournment, Commissioner Barbara Plaskett identified errors in the meeting packet that required clarification. The numbers on page 11 related to housing units had been corrected after the packet was distributed, with Chris Behee explaining that the original figures represented countywide totals rather than Bellingham-specific numbers. Plaskett also requested clarification of "group quarters units," a housing category that had appeared without explanation in the capacity analysis. Behee explained that this primarily refers to Western Washington University's on-campus dormitories, Whatcom Community College residential facilities, and memory care facilities, with the potential for expansion under new co-living housing legislation. ## Equity and Outreach Assessment In one of the evening's most pointed exchanges, Commissioner Plaskett pressed staff on their claims about reaching underrepresented communities, specifically asking for quantitative data on improvements in engaging low-income residents, renters, and BIPOC community members. Elizabeth Erickson acknowledged the ongoing challenges: "I think it would be overoptimistic to say that we have solved that. I think it's something we will continue striving to improve in all of our projects." She described specific strategies employed, including survey weighting to better represent renters and targeted Spanish-language events for the Hispanic community, while admitting these approaches weren't perfect solutions. Plaskett requested specific demographic improvement data, which staff agreed to provide in future meetings. This exchange highlighted ongoing tensions around meaningful community engagement and the difficulty of reaching residents who are often most affected by planning decisions but least likely to participate in traditional public processes. ## Looking Ahead: A Transformative Planning Process As the meeting concluded just before 8 PM, the scope and complexity of the task ahead had become clear. The Planning Commission faces six months of intensive review covering 11 chapters, four major themes, and decisions that will shape Bellingham's growth for the next two decades. The process will unfold against the backdrop of state legislation requiring significant changes to local housing policy, a mayor's executive order demanding immediate action on housing affordability, and a community engaged but sometimes divided on questions of growth, density, and neighborhood character. Commissioner questions and public comments suggested that debates ahead will center not just on technical planning issues, but on fundamental questions about what kind of city Bellingham wants to become. The elimination of neighborhood plans, the embrace of middle housing, the focus on transit-oriented development, and the integration of climate planning represent a comprehensive reimagining of how the city approaches growth and development. The February 6th meeting served as both conclusion and beginning — the end of nearly two years of community engagement and policy development, and the start of a legislative process that will determine whether Bellingham's growth strategy can successfully balance housing affordability, environmental protection, economic development, and community character. With 30,000 new residents expected by 2045, the stakes couldn't be higher.