### Meeting Overview The Bellingham City Council held its regular meeting on May 5, 2025, addressing long-range planning changes, housing policy, and budget adjustments. The meeting featured extensive committee discussions about shifting from neighborhood-specific to citywide planning processes and implementing new state housing requirements. ### Key Terms and Concepts **Neighborhood Plans:** Local planning documents that guide development in specific areas of Bellingham, which the city is considering consolidating into citywide approaches for more consistent regulation. **House Bill 1110:** State legislation requiring cities to allow multiple "middle housing" units (duplexes, triplexes, etc.) on all residential lots, necessitating changes to local zoning codes. **Greenways Levy:** A 10-year property tax approved by voters that funds parks, trails, and open space acquisition and development, generating $9.28 million in 2024. **HUD Consolidated Action Plan:** Federal requirement outlining how Bellingham will use Community Development Block Grant and HOME funds for housing and community development programs. **Tiny Home Villages:** Temporary housing communities for people experiencing homelessness, with North Haven being the newest village opening in the Birchwood neighborhood. **Park Impact Fees:** Fees paid by developers to fund new parks and recreation facilities needed due to population growth from new development. **Committee of the Whole:** A meeting format where all council members participate in detailed discussions before formal votes at the evening meeting. **Consent Agenda:** Routine and non-controversial items that can be approved together in a single vote to streamline meetings. ### Key People at This Meeting | Name | Role / Affiliation | |---|---| | Kim Lund | Mayor | | Hollie Huthman | Council President, Second Ward | | Hannah Stone | Council Member, First Ward | | Daniel Hammill | Council Member, Third Ward | | Skip Williams | Council Member, Fourth Ward | | Lisa Anderson | Council Member, Fifth Ward | | Michael Lilliquist | Council Member, Sixth Ward | | Jace Cotton | Council Member, At-Large | | Chris Behee | Long Range Planning Manager | | Nicole Oliver | Parks & Recreation Director | ### Background Context Bellingham faces pressure to increase housing supply while maintaining neighborhood character. State law now requires cities to allow more diverse housing types on residential lots, forcing Bellingham to overhaul its complex zoning system. Currently, the city has over 400 different zoning designations across neighborhoods, creating inconsistencies and barriers to housing development. The city's planning approach has historically been neighborhood-specific, but staff argues this creates unequal treatment and complicates compliance with state housing mandates. The proposed shift to citywide planning aims to simplify regulations while still preserving local input through other mechanisms. Bellingham also continues expanding its response to homelessness through tiny home villages, with North Haven representing a $2 million investment to relocate existing villages from city property to a permanent location. ### What Happened — The Short Version The council spent most of the day in work sessions discussing major planning reforms. In the planning committee, they reviewed proposals to eliminate neighborhood-specific plans in favor of citywide approaches and discussed how to implement state requirements for middle housing. The committee of the whole received updates on domestic violence services, refined two ordinances limiting landlord fees, and heard about the new North Haven tiny home village. In the evening formal meeting, the council appointed Kathy Furtado to the Greenways Advisory Committee, passed a resolution adopting the 2025 HUD Consolidated Action Plan for housing programs, approved three budget amendment ordinances, and processed routine consent agenda items. ### What to Watch Next - May 19 public hearing on Multi-Family Tax Exemption program amendments - Continued discussions on neighborhood plans vs. citywide planning approaches - Final action on landlord-tenant fee ordinances after further amendments - North Haven tiny home village opening by end of May 2025 ---