Public Works and Natural Resources Committee

The mitigation bank represents a significant shift from traditional "permittee-responsible" mitigation, where individual developers complete their own small mitigation projects to compensate for wetland impacts. As Habitat and Restoration Manager Analiese Burns explained, "Traditional mitigation results in high rates of site failure, low ecological value for the watersheds in our community, inefficient land use, and it results in delays of development projects." The bank consolidates mitigation into larger, more meaningful restoration projects while addressing what's called "temporal loss" – the gap between when environmental damage occurs and when mitigation is completed. As Burns noted, "For a bank, you have to build the improvements on the ground and prove that they're working before you can get a credit for sale. So the impact happens after you've already had that ecological lift." Council members explored the rela…

No public testimony was provided as this was a committee meeting without a public comment period. Staff presented a unified position supporting the mitigation bank as an improvement over current pract…

**Analiese Burns, on traditional mitigation failures:** "Traditional mitigation results in high rates of site failure, low ecological value for the watersheds in our community, inefficient land use, and it results in delays of development projects." **Analiese Burns, on temporal loss benefits:** "For a bank, you have to build the improvements on the ground and prove that they're working before you can get a credit for sale. So the impact happens after you've already had that ecological lift, …

After eight years of technical document preparation, the City has moved from the submittal phase to the final approval phase of creating the wetland mitigation bank. The project received Whatcom County major project permits and an EDI grant in 2024, advancing toward construction capability. Council gained detailed understanding of the bank's operational structure and their upcoming role in establishing the enabling ordinance, which will determi…

### Meeting Overview The Public Works and Natural Resources Committee met on September 16, 2024, to receive an update on the Bellingham Wetland Mitigation Bank. The meeting focused on the city's eight-year effort to create an alternative mitigation option for developers while improving ecological outcomes and addressing regulatory requirements. ### Key Terms and Concepts **Mitigation Bank:** A physical site where wetlands and streams are restored, enhanced, or preserved, generating credits that can offset permitted impacts from development projects. **Mitigation Banking Instrument (MBI):** The formal interagency agreement between the city, state Department of Ecology, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that governs how the bank operates and releases credits. **Permittee-Responsible Mitigation:** Traditional approach where individual developers complete their own small mitigation projects, which has high failure rates and project delays. **Interagency Review Team (IRT):** Federal and state agencies led by Washington Department of Ecology and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that oversee the bank approval process. **Mitigation Sequencing:** Required regulatory process where developers must first avoid and minimize impacts before mitigating for unavoidable wetland and stream impacts. **Service Area:** Geographic boundary within which developers can purchase credits from the mitigation bank to offset their project impacts. **Temporal Loss:** The ecological function gap that occurs between when an impact happens and when mitigation is established and functioning. ### Key People at This Meeting | Name | Role / Affiliation | |---|---| | Hannah Stone | Committee Chair | | Lisa Anderson | Committee Member | | Michael Lilliquist | Committee Member | | Joel Pfundt | Interim Public Works Director | | Analiese Burns | Habitat and Restoration Manager | | Rene Lacroix | Assistant Director of Natural Resources | ### Background Con…