### Meeting Overview The City of Bellingham Planning Commission met on February 6, 2025, to begin Phase 4 of the Bellingham Plan comprehensive plan update. This meeting provided an overview of how the next several months will proceed as the commission reviews 11 chapters organized into four thematic packages before making a recommendation to City Council. ### Key Terms and Concepts **Comprehensive Plan:** A 20-year planning document required by state law that sets high-level goals and policies for how a community wants to grow, covering topics like land use, housing, transportation, and infrastructure. **Growth Management Act (GMA):** State law that requires cities like Bellingham to plan for anticipated growth and update their comprehensive plans every 10 years. **Middle Housing:** Housing types between single-family homes and large apartment buildings, including duplexes, triplexes, townhomes, and small apartment buildings. **Urban Growth Area (UGA):** Areas designated for urban development where cities can accommodate new growth with urban services like water, sewer, and transit. **Type VI Process:** A legislative process requiring formal public hearings and recommendations from the Planning Commission to City Council for major planning decisions. **Transit-Oriented Development (TOD):** Development patterns that concentrate housing, jobs, and services near high-frequency transit routes to reduce car dependence. **House Bill 1110:** State legislation requiring cities to allow up to four housing units on every residential lot and permit middle housing types in all residential zones. ### Key People at This Meeting | Name | Role / Affiliation | |---|---| | Mike Estes | Planning Commission Chair | | Chris Behee | Long Range Division Manager, City Planning Staff | | Elizabeth Erickson | Senior Planner, Project Manager for Bellingham Plan | | Anya Gedrath | Planner II, City Planning Staff | | Dan Bloemker | Birchwood neighborhood resident, public commenter | | Brian Gass | Real estate broker, public commenter | ### Background Context The Bellingham Plan represents the most significant update to the city's comprehensive plan since 2016, driven by substantial changes in state housing legislation and urgent local housing needs. The plan must accommodate an estimated 30,310 new residents and 18,390 new housing units by 2045. This growth projection aligns closely with Bellingham's average growth over the past decade but requires significant changes to zoning and development patterns. State legislation, particularly House Bill 1110, mandates that cities allow middle housing types throughout residential areas and permit up to four units per lot. These requirements, combined with Bellingham's housing affordability crisis, are forcing a fundamental rethinking of how the city will grow. The comprehensive plan must be adopted by the end of 2025, with related code changes due by June 2026. ### What Happened — The Short Version Staff presented the overall framework for reviewing the Bellingham Plan over the next several months. The 11 plan chapters will be organized into four thematic packages: More Housing Choice, Climate Resilience, Bellingham for All, and Sustainable Growth. Each package will be released for public comment before coming to the Planning Commission for review. Two public commenters advocated for more housing-friendly policies, including creating a new urban village at Birchwood and Northwest and reducing development fees. Staff explained that neighborhood plans will not be adopted as part of the new comprehensive plan due to their focus on single-family housing and incompatibility with new state requirements. The commission asked detailed questions about the review process, public engagement, and how neighborhoods will be addressed without individual neighborhood plans. ### What to Watch Next - February 20: First detailed chapter discussion on Land Use and Housing - Release of draft Environmental Impact Statement in coming months - Interim ordinances on middle housing and design review streamlining - Planning Commission public hearing and recommendation in July-August timeframe - City Council adoption process in fall 2025 ---