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Real Briefings

Planning Commission

BEL-PLN-2024-09-05 September 05, 2024 Planning Commission Meeting City of Bellingham
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The Bellingham Planning Commission held a comprehensive work session on September 5, 2024, focused on growth strategies for The Bellingham Plan, the city's comprehensive plan update. Staff presented detailed projections showing Bellingham could need to accommodate 15,750 new housing units over 20 years, continuing its historic pattern of hosting 49% of Whatcom County's housing growth. The session revealed that the city's baseline capacity under current zoning falls just 300 units short of this 49% target, but faces a deficit of nearly 2,000 units if the city chooses to accommodate 55% of county growth. The presentation outlined a complete restructuring of residential zoning from over 100 different zone types to just four or five categories (R1-R4 plus Residential Watershed), driven primarily by state mandates under House Bill 1110 requiring middle housing in all single-family zones. Staff proposed potential Urban Growth Area expansions in two areas—the North Bellingham reserve area near the golf course and the South U Street corridor—which could add over 2,000 units during the planning period. Significant discussion centered on transit-oriented development corridors within a quarter-mile of WTA's "GO" lines, which would receive new R4 zoning allowing higher density mixed-use development. The landmark tree protection ordinance emerged as a complicating factor, potentially reducing buildable capacity by 12% citywide as staff applied placeholder deductions for trees over 100 feet tall. Planning Commissioner Barbara Plaskett raised pointed concerns about the reliance on Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) in housing projections, questioning whether the projected 90 ADUs per year would actually address housing needs versus simply accommodating family members. The discussion highlighted broader questions about housing affordability, with staff acknowledging that 75% of housing need is for residents below 100% Area Median Income.

This was a work session with no formal votes taken. Key feedback requested included: **Minimum Density Requirements:** Staff sought Planning Commission input on whether to establish minimum density requirements in the proposed R1 zones, potentially requiring 6 units per acre (7,200 sq ft lots) rather than allowing very low-density 20,000 sq ft development in urban areas. **Growth Allocation Percentage:** Commissioners discussed whether Bellingham should accommodate more than its histo…

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The centerpiece discussion focused on implementing House Bill 1110's middle housing requirements while simplifying Bellingham's complex zoning structure. Staff proposed consolidating over 100 residential zone variations into four main categories (R1-R4) plus a special Residential Watershed zone for Lake Whatcom areas that would remain exempt from state mandates. Commissioners expressed concern about applying uniform standards across diverse neighborhoods. As one commissioner noted, "the differences between the parts of that zoning are so varied across you know where you are that to me it seems like that there would be varying density requirements based on the location." Staff acknowledged the challenge but emphasized the need for equity and administrative simplicity. The transit-oriented development strategy generated substantial discussion about balancing density with destinations. Staf…
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**Planning Commission concerns emerged around:** - **Barbara Plaskett** strongly questioned ADU projections and their effectiveness in addressing housing needs, stating "I really hate that this is like a thing that we promote as being like one of the answers to this problem when it's clearly, you know, it's not housing anybody that couldn't be housed before." - **Scott Jones** raised equity concerns about transit destinations, noting WTA routes serve pickup points well but often miss destinations needed by lower-income residents: "Can I get to a piano lesson? Can I get to the grocery store and then also get home?" - **Multiple commissioners** expressed concern about …
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**Chris Behee, on zoning simplification:** "from over 100 different types of residential zoning to, you know, 4 or 5 flavors of residential zoning is a big change, it's something that we feel is, you know, whether we can get there in one plan or if we get at least part way there with this exercise, we feel like it's the direction we need to go in to make it as easy as possible to get the housing that our community needs." **Barbara Plaskett, on ADU concerns:** "I really hate that this is like …
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**September 19, 2024:** Planning Commission will review document design and format for The Bellingham Plan, with potential discussion of transit-related land use implications. Staff will circulate amended bylaws for potential meeting time change to 6:00 PM. **Late September/Early October:** Staff will present multifamily tax exemption report to City Council, followed by Planning Commission briefing on housing affordability strategies. **20…

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Following this work session, staff received Planning Commission feedback on key growth strategy elements that will inform final recommendations. The session established commissioner concerns about uniform zoning application and ADU projections that will require staff response. The presentation clarified that Bellingham's baseline capacity falls just short of accommodating 49% of county growth under current zoning, necessitating either modest zoning changes or pursuit of growth allocation scenarios r…
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# City Planning Commission Wrestles with Growth Strategy for Bellingham's Future In a sprawling three-hour work session that felt more like a comprehensive planning seminar than a typical commission meeting, Bellingham's Planning Commission dove deep into the complex mathematics and policy questions that will shape the city's growth strategy over the next 20 years. With only four commissioners present on September 5, 2024 — Mike Estes chairing, along with Barbara Plaskett, Jed Ballew, and Scott Jones — the group worked through dense technical presentations about land capacity, zoning reform, and the fundamental question of how much growth Bellingham should accommodate. Chris Behee, Long Range Division Manager, led the commissioners through what he called "continuing to add detail to these conversations" as the city progresses through its comprehensive plan update, now called the Bellingham Plan. The evening was structured around four key areas: countywide growth projections and Bellingham's share, land capacity methodology, preliminary capacity estimates, and growth strategy options. ## The Numbers Game: Population Growth and Housing Demand The foundation of the discussion rested on projections from the Leland Report commissioned by Whatcom County. Under the state's Office of Financial Management medium projection — historically the most accurate predictor for Whatcom County — the region expects to add 56,914 people by 2045. Using the state Department of Commerce's Housing for All Planning Tool, that population growth translates to a need for 31,334 new housing units countywide. The critical question facing Bellingham is what percentage of that growth the city should accommodate. Historically, from 2013 to 2023, Bellingham has absorbed about 49% of all new housing built in Whatcom County. At that pace, the city would need to plan for 15,750 new housing units over the next 20 years — roughly 707 units per year. But Behee presented commissioners with a menu of more ambitious scenarios. What if Bellingham took on 55% of countywide growth? That would mean 17,234 housing units, or 783 per year. At 60%, the city would need to accommodate 18,800 units, or 854 annually. "There might be some good policy reasons why we decide to maybe push higher than that," Behee explained, citing growth management principles that encourage urban concentration over rural sprawl. "Growth management encou…
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### Meeting Overview The Bellingham City Planning Commission held a work session on September 5, 2024, focusing on the growth strategy component of the Bellingham Plan (the city's comprehensive plan update). Planning Department staff presented projections for countywide growth through 2045, land capacity analysis methodology, and draft zoning changes to accommodate future housing needs. ### Key Terms and Concepts **Land Capacity Analysis:** A methodology to determine if the city has enough appropriately zoned land to accommodate expected growth over the next 20 years. **Critical Areas:** Environmentally constrained lands including wetlands, steep slopes, floodplains, and stream/shoreline buffers that are protected from development. **Buildable Land:** Property classified as vacant, partially developed, or underutilized that has potential for new development after subtracting critical areas and infrastructure constraints. **House Bill 1110:** State legislation requiring cities to allow "middle housing" (duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes) in residential single-family zones. **Transit-Oriented Development (TOD):** Higher-density mixed-use development concentrated within walking distance of frequent transit lines. **Urban Growth Area (UGA):** Land designated for future urban development and potential annexation, located outside current city limits but within the county's growth management boundary. **Market Factor:** A percentage deduction applied to developable land to account for properties unlikely to develop during the planning period due to owner preferences or market conditions. **Infill Toolkit:** Existing city regulations allowing middle housing forms like townhomes and small apartment buildings in certain residential zones. ### Key People at This Meeting | Name | Role / Affiliation | |---|---| | Chris Behee | Long Range Division Manager, Planning Department | | Elizabeth Erickson | Senior Planner | | Mike Estes | Planning Commission Chair | | Barbara Plaskett | P…
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Land Use & Planning Housing Transportation & Infrastructure Government Operations HB 1110 HB 1220 HB 1337 Department Of Commerce Ofm Planning Commission Whatcom County Whatcom Transit Authority Barbara Plaskett Chris Behee Elizabeth Erickson Jed Ballew Mike Estes Scott Jones Accessory Dwelling Units Affordable Housing Bellingham Plan Comprehensive Plan Growth Management Act Housing Policy Infrastructure Investment Land Use Policy Middle Housing Transit Oriented Development Tree Ordinance Urban Growth Area Zoning