### Meeting Overview Bellingham's Planning Commission met on June 5, 2025 to conduct a public hearing on the Barkley Urban Village plan - a comprehensive proposal to transform a 250-acre mixed-use area owned primarily by Talbot Group into an official urban village with new development regulations, environmental protections, and long-term growth planning. ### Key Terms and Concepts **Urban Village:** Compact, mixed-use neighborhoods designed to accommodate growth while providing walkable access to housing, shopping, employment, and services - Bellingham's primary strategy for managing future development. **Subarea Plan:** A policy document that becomes part of the Comprehensive Plan, providing the vision and guiding principles for how an area should develop over time. **Planned Action Ordinance (PAO):** A SEPA (State Environmental Policy Act) tool that allows area-wide environmental review upfront, streamlining future project approvals by pre-identifying impacts and mitigation measures. **Development Agreement:** A 20-year contract between the city and Talbot Group specifying special conditions for development, including vesting rights, impact fees, and public benefit requirements. **Vesting:** Legal protection that allows developers to build under the regulations in place when they start a project, providing certainty for long-term development planning. **Transportation Impact Fees (TIF):** Fees developers pay to fund transportation improvements needed to serve new development; Talbot has existing credits from previous improvements they built. **Green Area Factor:** A landscaping requirement that awards points for different types of vegetation and green infrastructure to ensure developments include adequate greenery. **Floor Area Ratio (FAR):** A zoning tool that limits building size relative to lot size; notably absent from this plan because staff found it created redundancies with height and parking limits. ### Key People at This Meeting | Name | Role / Affiliation | |---|---| | Mike Estes | Planning Commission Chair | | Darby Galligan | City Senior Planner, lead staff on project | | Ben Besley | Talbot Group representative, Alabama Hill resident | | John Sitkin | Land use attorney for Talbot Group | | Amalia Layton Cody | Transportation consultant (via video) | | Jeter Brock | Property owner within urban village boundary | | Elizabeth Paley | Community member concerned about parking | ### Background Context Barkley began developing in the 1980s under outdated "planned commercial" zoning with individual development contracts that created a regulatory mess. Despite this, it has organically evolved into something resembling an urban village with housing, commercial spaces, and amenities. The current proposal seeks to align the regulations with what's actually happening on the ground while providing a clear framework for future development. The city identified Barkley as an urban village in its 2016 Comprehensive Plan as part of its strategy to accommodate growth in compact, walkable areas rather than suburban sprawl. However, without proper urban village regulations, development has been slowed by complex, overlapping requirements. This plan could enable up to 3,000 housing units compared to about 1,000 under current regulations. ### What Happened — The Short Version Staff presented three main components: a subarea plan (the vision), development regulations (the rules), and a planned action ordinance (environmental framework). The plan divides the area into four zones with height limits ranging from 35 feet near residential areas to 250 feet in the core. Notably, it eliminates parking requirements, allowing market forces to determine how much parking is built. Public comment was limited but revealed key concerns about how urban development affects existing residents and where people will park without requirements. Commissioners asked detailed questions about height limits, transportation infrastructure, and parking policies. Two motions passed unanimously: first to correct an error in the findings document, then to approve the plan and forward it to City Council. ### What to Watch Next - City Council will hold its own public hearing and make the final adoption decision - Mayor will announce decision on filling the Planning Commission vacancy on June 9 - Planning Commission returns June 26 for comprehensive plan updates and shelter code changes - If adopted, this framework will guide Barkley's development over the next 20 years ---