### 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) ---