City of Bellingham Transportation Commission

The Transportation Commission received comprehensive briefings on two major planning initiatives that will shape Bellingham's infrastructure development over the next decade. Sydney Kruzak from the Planning Department provided an overview of the Bellingham Plan (formerly the Comprehensive Plan), emphasizing the transportation chapter's role within the city's 20-year vision. The plan, required by the Growth Management Act, must accommodate projected growth to 130,000 people by 2045—representing significant population increase that will require coordinated transportation, housing, and land use strategies. Dylan from Public Works presented a detailed analysis of catalyst projects from the Bicycle Master Plan and Pedestrian Master Plan, explaining how these project packages are designed to maximize grant competitiveness and coordinate geographically connected improvements. The presentation focused on four catalyst project packages that overlap with the city's current Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP), including Harris Street multimodal improvements and Holly Street bike lanes. A significant theme emerged around the need for better integration of transit considerations into transportation projects. Commissioner Tim Wilder raised concerns that while bicycle and pedestrian improvements are well-coordinated, transit enhancements are often treated as an afterthought rather than being integrated from project conception. Staff acknowledged this gap and committed to incorporating transit language into future TIP project descriptions and exploring better coordination with Whatcom Transportation Authority (WTA). The meeting highlighted the complexity of implementing master plan projects through the TIP process, with staff explaining that catalyst project packages serve as a menu for grant opportunities and bundled improvements. However, funding constraints mean that only a portion of planned projects will be implemented, with staff prioritizing "quality over quantity" by focusing on complete street projects like the Harris Street corridor rather than simpler interventions.

- **Approved January meeting minutes** - Unanimous approval with virtual commissioners participating - **Received Bellingham Plan overview** - No formal action required; informational presentation on comprehensive plan update process and transportation chapter development - **Reviewed catalyst project packages** - No formal action taken; discussion of four TIP-related catalyst projects from bicycle and pedestrian master plans - **Discussed transit integration concerns** - Staff committed to incorporating transit improvements language in future TIP project descriptions and exploring better coordination with WTA - **Updated work plan review** - Staff presented updated work plan with added speed limit study and automated speed camera topics for June 2025

**Sydney Kruzak, on the comprehensive plan approach:** "The comprehensive plan, the Bellingham plan. This is the big 20 year visioning document. So kind of the umbrella plan for all the other plans in the city." **Commissioner Tim Wilder, on transit integration:** "Every single one of these projects is on a transit route, every single one. We've got the 14th, the Harris Street. We've got Fairhaven Parkway. We've got downtown Holly Street. Each of these has transit service, and I think this is a perfect opportunity to to make that integration work." **Joel, on implementation philosophy:** "We did make a policy choice that we are kind of taking quality over quantity. This go around. So we're not probably gonna be doing the 50%, you know, like last time, because we're, you know, the intent is to build more Harris streets." **Commissioner Keith Moore, on process improvement:** "Try try and get these to us the week before, so that we can actually think through these things. It really helps it. It really makes a difference to the quality of the work." **Dylan, on project coordination:** "If we're gonna if we're gonna build this sidewalk, if there's a sewer line right underneath it that's gonna need replaced in a year, we can manage that correctly and not have to tear out something we just built." **Sydney Kruzak, on community engagement:** "We had 3 different surveys. 2 of them were mailed to every household in the city, a lot of feedback from that, and then one of the surveys we hired a consultant to conduct a statistically valid survey."

## Meeting Overview The Bellingham Transportation Commission met on February 11, 2025, in what appeared to be a hybrid format with some commissioners attending virtually. Chair Cindy Dennis presided over the meeting, with commissioners including Don Casper, Mike Wilson, Tim Wilder, Betty Sanchez (virtual), and Keith Moore (virtual). The meeting focused heavily on two major presentations: an introduction to the updated Bellingham Comprehensive Plan and a deep dive into catalyst projects from the city's bicycle and pedestrian master plans. The evening's discussions revealed the complex intersection of planning processes, funding mechanisms, and the practical challenges of implementing transportation improvements across multiple modes. What emerged was both excitement about new planning approaches and frustration about gaps in integration, particularly around transit considerations. ## The Bellingham Plan: Comprehensive Planning for 2045 Sydney Kruzak, a long-range planner with the city's planning department, delivered an extensive overview of what was previously called the Bellingham Comprehensive Plan but will now be known simply as "the Bellingham plan." The rebranding reflects an intentional effort to make the document more approachable to residents. "The Bellingham plan sounds more approachable," Kruzak explained, noting that cities and counties of certain sizes in Washington are required to have comprehensive plans through the Growth Management Act, with updates required every 10 years. The numbers driving this planning cycle are substantial. Whatcom County is projected to grow to 293,000 people by 2045 — about 57,000 more than current levels. Bellingham, as the county's largest city, is planning to accommodate around 130,000 people by that same year. This growth projection shapes every aspect of the planning process, from housing supply to transportation networks. The plan's structure represents a significant departure from the text-heavy, portrait-oriented 2016 version. Taking inspiration from cities like Denver, the new plan will be landscape-oriented with less narrative text and more visual elements. "We have a city website, we're going to have that data hub," Kruzak said. "If people really want to learn about everything that goes on in planning or transportation planning, there's ways to find it. We just want to make sure that this is a living, breathing document that people can interact with, and it's not overwhelming." The plan introduces three entirely new chapters: climate (now a state requirement that wasn't mandated in 2016), civic practices, and community well-being. These additions reflect changing conditions since the last update. "A lot's happened since 2016. I'll just say that," Kruzak noted. "And pandemic happened. Things are different, remote work. People want to gather in different ways and engage in government in different ways." The engagement process has been extensive, spanning from July 2023 to the present. The planning team conducted 14 open houses, distributed surveys to every household in the city, and formed a community working group that met 11 times. The results were impressive: almost 9,000 total survey responses, nearly 1,000 participants across the open houses, and over 10,000 website visits. Commissioner Tim Wilder praised the engagement effort: "I've never seen anything quite like it. Honestly, you and Chris and the rest of the team just the deep level of engagement. A lot of opportunities... there were plenty of opportunities to engage." The comprehensive plan serves as an umbrella document for more specific implementation plans, including the bicycle and pedestrian master plans. As Kruzak explained, the comprehensive plan provides broad, high-level goals and policies, while implementation documents contain the specific actions. For example, a comprehensive plan goal might be "provide a transportation system that prioritizes safety, comfort, and reliability for all ages and abilities," with a supporting policy to "reduce and enforce vehicle speeds through traffic calming measures, especially in school zones." The implementation documents would then specify conducting a citywide speed study or installing specific traffic calming measures. Commissioner Keith Moore raised practical questions about the Transportation Commission's role in the process. "We, as a transportation Commission are going to make some sort of recommendations or recommendation. What do you see that as, and who do we make it to?" he asked. Kruzak clarified that while the Planning Commission serves as the formal recommending body to City Council, the Transportation Commission serves as an advisory body to the Planning Commission. "Any feedback that goes through me and Dylan will incorporate that into the policies," she said, adding that commissioners could also attend Planning Commission meetings or write letters representing their views. The timeline is ambitious: the transportation chapter will return to the Commission in April with goals and policies, then again in May with technical requirements. The plan aims for Planning Commission approval by summer and City Council adoption before fall budget conversations begin. ## Catalyst Projects: From Planning to Implementation Dylan Jermain from Public Works delivered a detailed presentation on catalyst projects from the bicycle and pedestrian master plans, though technical difficulties with virtual participants' screens provided ongoing comic relief throughout the presentation. "Catalyst projects are large scale or single large scale projects of low to moderate complexity that are good for grant funding candidates, and they can anchor a package of multiple, geographically connected individual improvements," Jermain explained. The numbers are telling: in the bicycle master plan, catalyst project packages make up 31% of total projects but only 6% of total cost. In the pedestrian master plan, they represent 18% of projects and 19% of cost. This reflects a strategic emphasis on projects that can leverage grant funding and create geographic connectivity. The projects went through a comprehensive scoring matrix considering safety (using crash data and traffic stress levels), equity (focusing on low-income households and vulnerable populations), connectivity (proximity to parks, schools, urban villages, and transit), trip potential, project complexity, cost, and grant competitiveness. The presentation focused on four projects that overlap with the city's current Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP): Harris Street multimodal corridor improvements, Holly Street bike lanes, and two others that weren't covered in detail. ## Harris Street: A Case Study in Complexity The Harris Street project between 14th and 21st avenues emerged as a complex example of how catalyst project packages work in practice. The TIP includes constructing sidewalks and bike lanes on both sides of Harris Street, but the catalyst project package includes additional elements like sidewalks on 16th and 18th streets. This distinction prompted important questions about implementation. Commissioner Moore asked directly: "So if we do the tip project, those additional projects will not be built?" Jermain confirmed this was correct unless they were funded separately or added to a different TIP project. The catalyst project packages are designed to provide flexibility for grant writing and coordination. As Public Works Director Joel Martinez explained, "The catalyst projects were set up to be kind of a menu that we could choose from. That would give us a very clear direction on, like what our to do list is, but also enough flexibility, so that we could be real opportunistic in chunking out those those pieces." The Harris Street project also represents the city's first major attempt at a complete streets approach with separated bicycle facilities. Martinez noted it's "a really solid transit corridor" as well, which led to one of the evening's most significant discussions. ## The Transit Integration Gap Commissioner Wilder raised a critical concern that dominated much of the remaining discussion: the absence of transit considerations in catalyst project planning. "It's a little frustrating to come back and see now the implementation and it missing that component right that there's every single one of these projects is on a transit route, every single one," he said. Wilder pointed out that projects on Harris Street, Fairhaven Parkway, and downtown Holly Street all have transit service, making them perfect opportunities for integrated improvements. "But there's not a single mention of transit right or stops, or how we can make those improvements." This criticism struck home with city staff. Martinez acknowledged, "I think you raise a really good point that that is not reflected in the sentence that says, construct sidewalks and protected bike lanes on both sides of street upgrade, curb ramps and improve street lighting... that should also say cause it's frankly like what we intended to do anyway." Jermain agreed that transit stops and improvements should be integrated into the project language from the beginning rather than added as an afterthought. "Right now it's after the fact," Wilder observed. "It's when the projects being designed. And you know, there may be some things we're missing as far as that integration." The discussion revealed a broader systems thinking challenge. Commissioner Moore suggested that all relevant information — including transit routes, school zones, and other infrastructure — should be integrated into the city's ArcViewer mapping system. "It seems these should be part of this arc view program, so that when you do look at a place you've got all that information in front of you at one time." Staff committed to incorporating transit language into future TIP project descriptions and exploring how to better integrate transit data into their planning tools. ## Looking Ahead: Implementation Challenges and Opportunities The meeting revealed both optimism and realism about implementation prospects. Based on the 2014 bicycle and pedestrian plans, about half of planned projects were completed over the 10-year period. But current financial constraints may make that difficult to replicate. Martinez explained that general fund pressures have reduced the percentage allocated to the street fund, though real estate excise tax revenues are helping backfill that gap. The city is also making a strategic choice for "quality over quantity," focusing on more complete projects like the planned Harris Street improvements rather than simpler interventions. "We're not probably gonna be doing the 50%, you know, like last time, because we're, you know, the intent is to build more Harris streets... and fewer Eldridge avenues," Martinez said, referring to previous road diet projects that were less comprehensive. The city's strong track record in securing federal and state grants for walking and biking projects provides some optimism, though staff don't bank on that funding in outer years of the TIP. ## Work Plan Updates and Staffing Changes The meeting concluded with updates on the commission's evolving work plan and staffing changes. The work plan now includes the speed limit study and automated speed camera discussions scheduled for June, while the joint meeting with Planning Commission remains open-ended due to scheduling constraints. The Community Streets program will launch with a communications plan presentation in March, starting with the city's "A" quadrant in a north-to-south progression. However, the recent departure of communications staff may slow the initial rollout. The commission also learned that Sarah Birch, a new commissioner, had to step away from her position due to personal circumstances. A replacement candidate who had previously been interviewed is expected to be confirmed by City Council on February 24, bringing the commission back to its full complement of nine members by the March meeting. ## Closing: Integration as the Path Forward The February 11 meeting highlighted both the promise and complexity of modern transportation planning. The new Bellingham plan represents a more accessible, visually appealing approach to comprehensive planning, while the catalyst project concept offers a strategic framework for implementing bicycle and pedestrian improvements. Yet the evening's most important insight may have come from Commissioner Wilder's observation about transit integration. His call for proactive rather than reactive coordination between transportation modes reflects a broader challenge facing cities nationwide: how to move beyond modal silos toward truly integrated transportation systems. As the commission prepares to review specific goals and policies in April, the groundwork laid in this meeting — from comprehensive planning context to implementation realities to integration challenges — will inform their recommendations on Bellingham's transportation future through 2045. The meeting adjourned with 12 minutes returned to commissioners' evenings, but the work of connecting plans to reality, and modes to each other, continues.