To the Bellingham Community:
Bellingham is at a cross-road in regards to planning for growth. As we
grapple with the pros and cons of infill versus sprawl, our urban fringe is
getting developed at a rapid rate, and the small cities in the county are
seeing considerable new residential construction. Seven annexations are
currently proposed to the city for consideration, due in part to the current
city policy to not extend utilities until annexation. The priority work
items for the City’s Planning & Community Development department are big and
complex, and will have ramifications for years to come.
Planning in the Urban Growth Areas
Working with the county to finalize planning in Bellingham’s Urban Growth
Area (UGA) will be a critical work item this year. The city forwarded their
recommendation to the county in May of 2006, and the County Council has
evaluated Bellingham’s proposal. At this point, the County and the City must
work together to come to mutual agreement on the UGA boundary and zoning.
This will be a significant undertaking, especially given the complexity and
diversity of interests.
Neighborhood Plans and Urban Villages
In addition to UGA planning, neighborhood planning is also a key work item
this year. Many of our neighborhoods are diligently evaluating their
neighborhood plans and identifying priority issues they feel need to be
updated in their plans. There are five neighborhood plan amendments that are
underway as part of the 2007 Annual Review, and the city is expecting
several new proposals to be submitted by the December 1 deadline for
consideration in 2008.
These neighborhood-led planning efforts are a new approach to empower and
educate neighbors to work together and submit proposals to the city staff
for consideration. Usually neighborhood plan amendments are either proposed
by the city staff, or are proposed by property owners who want to change the
zoning of their property to allow a different use.
The Old Town Sub-area Plan is scheduled to come to the Planning Commission
in November. This comprehensive urban village plan resulted from several
years of public involvement and consultant expertise. It is anticipated to
provide a good model for other urban village master plans.
Waterfront Master Planning
The Waterfront Master Planning effort is another staff-led project happening
in conjunction with the Port of Bellingham. The Environmental Impact Study
is now underway, and the draft EIS is expected to be released late this
fall.
This is a busy and critical year for planning in Bellingham. Choices and
decisions that we make today will have huge impacts for our community’s
future. I encourage you to participate in the many public meetings on these
and other topics and be part of the process. Feel free to contact the
department if you have any questions or comments at planning@cob.org.
Sincerely,
Tim Stewart
Planning & Community Development Director
August 2007
