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Bellingham City Council

BEL-CON-2024-12-16 December 16, 2024 City Council Regular Meeting City of Bellingham 12 min
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The December 16th City Council meeting was the final meeting of 2024 and featured Mayor Lund's year-end reflections alongside several significant policy decisions. The most consequential action was the first and second reading passage of an interim ordinance eliminating parking minimums citywide, which passed 6-1 after a failed amendment attempt. This emergency measure responds to Mayor Lund's Executive Order 202402 and will take effect immediately to provide relief to housing projects while staff prepares permanent regulations. Council also approved Parks and Recreation fee increases, renewed the GRACE program agreement with Whatcom County, and authorized a $325,000 settlement for a bicycle accident case. The meeting concluded with two budget ordinances and property acquisition approval. Throughout the session, Council members engaged in substantive debate about housing policy, affordability mechanisms, and the balance between emergency action and thorough planning.

**Parking Minimums Elimination (AB 24375)**: Passed 6-1 (Anderson opposed) for first and second reading. The interim ordinance eliminates all minimum parking requirements citywide. An amendment by Council Member Lilliquist to limit application to affordable housing and transit corridors failed 2-5. Public hearing scheduled for January 13, 2025. **Mayoral Appointments**: Approved 7-0 reappointments of Maggie Bates (Design Review Board) and Jacob Stewart (Greenways Advisory Committee). Brian Bresler reappointed to Parks & Recreation Advisory Board for information only. **Contract Award - 12th & Finnegan Safety (AB 24373)**: Approved 7-0 awarding $1,306,658 contract to Strider Construction for multimodal safety improvements inc…

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**Parking Minimums Debate**: The interim ordinance sparked extensive discussion about housing affordability, inclusionary zoning opportunities, and development incentives. Council Member Anderson opposed, arguing the city missed an opportunity to capture land value for affordable housing through inclusionary zoning mechanisms. She noted that with parking reduction generating 30 additional units in one Old Town project, the city could have required some units be affordable rather than all market-rate. Council Member Lilliquist proposed an amendment limiting parking elimination to affordable housing developments and areas within quarter-mile of transit stops, arguing this would target benefits where most needed. The amendment failed as other members supported the citywide approach for maximum flexibility. Council Member Cotton defended the broader approach, citing letters from housing advocates,…
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**Mayor Lund**: Reflected on "One City" governance philosophy emphasizing collaboration between community partners, city departments, and tribal relationships. Highlighted Indigenous Peoples Day ceremony witness role and commitment to continued tribal partnership development. **Council Member Anderson**: Strongly opposed parking ordinance, arguing missed opportunity for inclusionary zoning. Has advocated for inclusionary zoning mechanisms for three years. Expressed concern about lost affordability tools and five-year timeline before sufficient data collection. **Council Member Lilliquist**: Sup…
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**Mayor Lund, on first year reflections:** "I'd like to report that together we've done excellent forward thinking this year. It is work that makes me proud and that makes Bellingham a better place for all." **Mayor Lund, on city employees:** "These local heroes go to work every day in every city department and their work is often unseen...they do their work to make a better Bellingham for all of us." **Council Member Anderson, on parking ordinance:** "I feel like we're missing an opportunit…
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**January 13, 2025**: Public hearing on parking minimums interim ordinance for potential third and final vote. **January 2025**: Revised landlord-tenant "junk fees" ordinance with staff amendments to be considered. **2025**: Multiple touchpoints on nitrogen reduction evaluation at Post Point plant, with final decisions needed by end of year. **January 6, 2025**: Lake Whatcom watershed property acquisi…

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**Immediate Policy Change**: Parking minimums eliminated citywide upon ordinance effective date, allowing immediate relief for development projects while permanent regulations are developed. **Process Innovation**: Public hearing moved to third and final vote rather than first/second reading, creating new deliberative sequence for community input. **Fee Structure Update**: Parks and Recreation fees increased to address pandemic deferrals and operational costs, with language clarification for broader community …
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# A Meeting of Reflections and Deliberations: Bellingham Council's December Gathering The December 16th, 2024 regular meeting of the Bellingham City Council carried the weight of the year's end, marked by Mayor Lund's reflections on her first year in office and the council's detailed deliberations over significant policy matters. Council President Pro Tempore Hollie Huthman presided over the proceedings in City Hall's council chambers, filling in for President Dan Hammill who attended remotely due to technical constraints with hand recognition in the digital format. ## Mayor Lund's First-Year Reflection Mayor Lund used her report to offer a contemplative look back at her inaugural year as Bellingham's chief executive. With evident pride, she spoke of creating "the culture, the system and the tools to do this work where the standard of performance is excellence." The mayor's vision of a "one city approach" had taken shape throughout 2024, she reported, emphasizing how this philosophy "values public service as noble work that belongs to all of us." "There is no greater endeavor we can undertake than work together to do lasting good for both our people and the planet," Lund reflected, her words capturing both the ambition and the collaborative spirit she has tried to foster within city government. The mayor highlighted two particularly meaningful experiences from her first year. She spoke with genuine appreciation about discovering "how many local heroes there are throughout the entire city organization" — employees whose daily work often goes unnoticed but who "go to work and they go home, but they do their work to make a better Bellingham for all of us." Perhaps more personally significant was her invitation to serve as a witness at the Indigenous Peoples Day ceremony at the Lummi Nation. "Part of being a witness is coming back and reporting on what I learned," Lund explained, describing it as "just a tremendous honor." She committed to making the continued development of relationships with tribal partners "a top priority for me in the coming years ahead." ## Infrastructure and Safety Investments The Public Works and Natural Resources Committee, chaired by Council Member Hannah Stone, brought forward a significant infrastructure project that demonstrated the city's commitment to multimodal transportation safety. The 12th and Finnegan Multimodal Safety Improvements project, funded through a Washington State Transp…
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### Meeting Overview The Bellingham City Council met on December 16, 2024, with Council President Pro Tempore Holly Huthman presiding as President Hammill attended remotely. The main focus was on major housing and infrastructure decisions, including a controversial interim ordinance to eliminate parking minimums citywide and various committee reports on ongoing city projects and fee adjustments. ### Key Terms and Concepts **Interim Ordinance:** A temporary law that takes immediate effect while the city collects community feedback and develops permanent regulations, in this case regarding parking requirements. **Parking Minimums:** City regulations requiring developers to provide a specific minimum number of parking spaces for new developments, which can increase housing costs and reduce available land for development. **Inclusionary Zoning:** A planning tool that requires or encourages developers to include affordable housing units within market-rate developments. **AMI (Area Median Income):** A statistical measure used to determine housing affordability levels, with affordable housing typically targeted at 60-80% of AMI. **Nitrogen Reduction:** Environmental process required at the Post Point Resource Recovery Plant to reduce harmful nutrient discharge into Puget Sound per state environmental regulations. **GRACE Program:** Ground Level Response and Coordinated Engagement program providing intensive care coordination for frequent emergency service users. **Land Value Capture:** Economic concept where public policy changes that increase property values are leveraged to fund public benefits like affordable housing. **Post Point Resource Recovery Plant:** Bellingham's wastewater treatment facility that processes sewage before discharging treated water into Bellingham Bay. ### Key People at This Meeting | Name | Role / Affiliation | |---|---| | Holly Huthman | Council President Pro Tempore, presiding | | Dan Hammill | Council President (attended remotely) | | Kim Lund | Mayor | | Hannah Stone | Council Member, Public Works Committee Chair | | Skip Williams | Council Member, Parks & Recreation Committee Chair | | Lisa …
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Housing Land Use & Planning Transportation & Infrastructure Government Operations AB 24375 Carollo Engineers Government Alliance Race Equity Kulshan Land Trust Lummi Nation Strider Construction Whatcom County Blake Lyon Dan Hammill Hannah Stone Holly Huffman Jace Cotton Kim Lund Lisa Anderson Michael Lilliquist Nicole Oliver Skip Williams Affordable Housing Grace Program Housing Policy Inclusionary Zoning Indigenous Peoples Day Lake Whatcom Watershed Nitrogen Reduction One City Governance Parking Minimums Parks Recreation Welcoming Community