### Meeting Overview Bellingham's Committee of the Whole met jointly with Whatcom County and other municipal elected officials on January 23, 2025, to coordinate 2025 Comprehensive Plan updates under the Growth Management Act. The discussion focused on population allocations, urban growth area management, and long-range regional planning strategies. ### Key Terms and Concepts **Growth Management Act (GMA):** Washington state law requiring cities and counties to plan for growth within designated urban areas while protecting rural lands and natural resources. **Urban Growth Area (UGA):** Land designated around cities where urban development is expected to occur over the next 20 years, requiring urban-level infrastructure and services. **Urban Growth Reserve:** Areas identified for potential future urban growth beyond the 20-year planning horizon, typically 40-50 years out. **Population Allocation:** The distribution of projected population growth among different jurisdictions within a county for comprehensive planning purposes. **Annexation:** The process by which a city expands its boundaries to include adjacent unincorporated areas, typically from urban growth areas. **Environmental Impact Statement (EIS):** A document required under state law that analyzes the potential environmental impacts of proposed comprehensive plan changes. **Land Swap:** The process of removing some areas from urban growth areas while adding others, typically requiring state legislative approval or meeting specific criteria. **Agricultural Lands:** Areas designated for farming that receive special protection under the Growth Management Act from urban development pressures. ### Key People at This Meeting | Name | Role / Affiliation | |---|---| | Mayor Kim Lund | Bellingham Mayor | | Council Members | Hannah Stone, Michael Lilliquist, Gene Knutson, Lisa Anderson, Dan Hammill, Jace Cotton | | Mark Personius | Whatcom County Planning Director | | Scott Koons | Ferndale City Manager | | Mayor Hanson | Ferndale Mayor | | Council Member Donovan | Ferndale City Council | | Mayor Stuart | Blaine Mayor | ### Background Context The Growth Management Act requires Washington counties and cities to update their comprehensive plans every eight years. This 2025 update cycle comes at a time when Whatcom County faces unprecedented housing shortages and affordability challenges. State projections show Bellingham needing to accommodate over 30,000 new residents by 2044, requiring careful coordination between jurisdictions on where and how this growth will occur. The meeting addresses fundamental tensions in growth management: cities need adequate land for development but face infrastructure costs for expansion, while the county must balance urban growth with protection of agricultural lands and rural character. Recent flooding and environmental constraints have also made some previously designated growth areas unsuitable for development. ### What Happened — The Short Version Officials agreed to move forward with preliminary population growth numbers to allow planning work to continue, with Bellingham planning for approximately 30,310 new residents. The county indicated it would reduce rural residential allocations from 10,000 to 9,000 units but wouldn't make major shifts away from single-family development in unincorporated areas. Extensive discussion centered on managing urban growth areas more strategically, with cities requesting better coordination with the county on zoning in UGAs to ensure future development meets urban density goals rather than suburban sprawl. Several jurisdictions want to swap unsuitable UGA lands (flood-prone, watershed areas) for more developable locations. The group expressed interest in long-range planning beyond the 20-year horizon and discussed the need for legislative changes to make UGA modifications easier. They scheduled a follow-up meeting for February 20th to continue these discussions. ### What to Watch Next - County Council meetings in early February where city growth scenarios will be presented - Release of the Environmental Impact Statement analyzing various growth options - Legislative advocacy efforts to ease UGA land swap requirements - Development of a 40-year growth strategy by county planning staff - February 20th follow-up meeting between city and county officials ---