The City Council will consider new Design Standards for urban villages on October 5, 2009. Except for Fairhaven and Downtown, the City does not currently have a design review process or design standards in place for urban villages. Rather than creating different design standards for each urban village, staff proposes adoption of one set of design guidelines and standards, which will apply to Samish Way and future urban villages such as Fountain District. The proposal focuses on creating high quality pedestrian environments that area safe, inviting, comfortable and attractive and therefore, is adaptable to a variety of places within the community. If a special standard is warranted for a particular urban village, a standard will be incorporated into the development regulations for that particular village and reviewed concurrently under this proposed design review process.
The City of Bellingham is fulfilling the Comprehensive Plan goal of master-planning urban villages. Master planning for an urban village provides an opportunity for residential and commercial property owners, business owners, residents, and other community organizations and stakeholders to:
