### Meeting Overview The Public Health, Safety, Justice, and Equity Committee met to consider an ordinance allowing temporary alley closures for public health and safety. The proposal would give the Public Works Director authority to close problematic downtown alleys at the request of the Police Chief to disrupt entrenched drug dealing and criminal activity. ### Key Terms and Concepts **CPTED:** Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design — strategies like improved lighting, cameras, and physical design changes to reduce criminal activity through better environmental conditions. **See, Click, Fix:** The city's public reporting system where residents can report issues like graffiti, trash, or maintenance problems that need attention. **Way Station:** A downtown facility providing hygiene services, restrooms, laundry, and showers for people experiencing homelessness or other challenges. **Mobile Opioid Treatment Center:** A mobile unit operated by Dequal Care (Unity Care) providing methadone and suboxone treatment for opioid addiction, currently serving 20 active clients and 40 periodic clients downtown. **Heat Map:** A visual representation showing concentrated areas of police calls and criminal activity, clearly highlighting problem spots in downtown alleys. **SSC:** Solid waste collection company that empties dumpsters in downtown alleys and has expressed safety concerns about people hiding in dumpsters. **Predatory Drug Dealing:** Criminal drug sales that specifically target and exploit vulnerable people, as distinguished from substance use disorder itself. **Bike Patrol:** Specialized police unit that monitors downtown areas, particularly effective in alleys and narrow spaces where patrol cars cannot easily access. ### Key People at This Meeting | Name | Role / Affiliation | |---|---| | Dan Hammill | Committee Chair, City Council Member | | Holly Huffman | Committee Member, City Council Member | | Skip Williams | Committee Member, City Council Member | | Forrest Longman | Deputy City Administrator | | Jay Hart | Deputy Chief of Operations, Bellingham Police Department | | Kim Lund | Mayor | | Hannah Stone | Council President | ### Background Context Downtown Bellingham has been struggling with entrenched drug activity in specific alleyways between Railroad and Cornwall streets, and Holly and Magnolia streets. In 2025, these alleys saw 108 incidents of violence, 342 drug-related calls, and 89 overdoses in just a three-block section. The city spent $185,000 of its $234,000 downtown cleaning budget on just two alleyway sections. Police Deputy Chief Hart, with 26 years of experience, described current conditions as the worst he's seen. Business owners and employees report dangerous working conditions, with some considering closing their businesses due to safety concerns. The proposal represents one tool in a broader strategy that includes outreach services, treatment programs, and other support systems already in place downtown. ### What Happened — The Short Version Deputy Administrator Longman presented an experimental ordinance allowing temporary alley closures when recommended by the Police Chief to the Public Works Director. The closures would use gates and signage while maintaining access for businesses, utilities, and emergency services. The goal is to disrupt entrenched criminal activity and provide respite for downtown businesses and workers. Committee members asked about communication with service providers, displacement concerns, and what other enforcement options had been tried. Council Member Williams made a motion to recommend the ordinance, emphasizing it as behavioral disruption rather than criminalization. Council Member Huffman supported the motion, detailing how this fits within broader long-term solutions including public restrooms, treatment facilities, and housing services. The committee unanimously approved 3-0, advancing the ordinance to full Council consideration. ### What to Watch Next - Full City Council consideration of the ordinance at their evening meeting - Implementation timeline if the ordinance passes - Bi-weekly staff assessments of the program's impacts - Potential CPTED improvements to closed alleys during the closure period ---