Real Briefings

Bellingham City Council

BEL-CON-2025-03-24 March 24, 2025 City Council Regular Meeting City of Bellingham 6 min

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Executive summary

The Bellingham City Council advanced a significant housing policy initiative by unanimously adopting an interim ordinance expanding middle housing options citywide. The ordinance extends the city's infill housing toolkit—previously limited to certain areas—to all residentially zoned neighborhoods except the Lake Whatcom watershed. This change allows up to four housing units per lot by right, with potential for five or six units if affordable units are included. A key amendment was approved 5-2 to adopt the state's floor area ratio (FAR) standards from the Middle Housing Model Code, replacing the city's existing ratios. Council members debated whether this change was premature for an interim ordinance, but supporters argued it provides necessary flexibility to test housing production approaches. The ordinance fulfills part of Mayor Lund's executive order to proactively implement housing reforms ahead of state requirements. Under House Bill 1110, Bellingham must implement middle housing regulations by June 30, 2026. The interim ordinance allows the city to test approaches while developing permanent regulations through a type-six legislative process. Public testimony was strongly supportive, with housing advocates, Strong Towns members, and developers backing the proposal. Opposition came primarily from tenant advocates who argued the ordinance lacks meaningful affordability requirements and from a former planning commissioner who criticized the focus on market-rate housing.

Key decisions

**Interim Middle Housing Ordinance (AB 24478):** Passed 7-0 after amendment - Staff recommendation: Adopt interim ordinance with existing FAR standards - Council action: Amended to use state FAR table, then adopted with amendment - Key change: Allows up to 4 units per lot citywide (residential zones), with 5-6 units if affordable - Amendment adopted 5-2: Replace city FAR standards with state Middle Housing Model Code ratios - Opposed to amendment: Williams, Anderson (concerned about testing unvetted standards) **Planning Commission Appointment (AB 24479):** Passed 6-0-1 - Staff/Mayor recommendation: Appoint Daniel Bloemker to first term - Council a…

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Policy discussion

**Floor Area Ratio Debate:** The most substantive discussion centered on whether to adopt state FAR standards in the interim ordinance. Council Member Lilliquist argued the current FAR system was designed for single units per lot and doesn't accommodate the multi-unit scenarios now allowed. Director Lyon cautioned that taking only the FAR portion from the state model code without other coordinated standards could create implementation challenges. Anderson and Williams opposed the change, citing concerns about vesting projects under untested standards and potential conflicts with other code sections like tree preservation and transitional zones. Stone and Cotton supported testing the more flexible approach, arguing missed opportunities for housing production outweighed risks. **Affordability Mechanisms:** Multiple speakers criticized the ordinance's affordability provisions as insufficient. The ordinance allows fifth…

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Stakeholder positions

**Housing Advocates (Supportive):** - Rose Lathrop, Kulshan Community Land Trust: "We strongly support allowing middle housing citywide because it directly addresses the urgent need for more affordable housing options" - Cameron Dorman, Strong Towns: Noted Bellingham would complete three of six "housing ready" criteria with this ordinance **Technical Experts (Supportive):** - Dan Bloemker, engineer and Birchwood resident: "Middle housing includes duplexes, quadplexes, townhomes...They already exist throughout our city, seamlessly blended into our individual neighborhoods" - Scott Pelton, Whatcom Housing Alliance: Praised "bold and timely" ordinance as reflecting community leadership **Affordable Housing Advocates (Mixed/Critical):**…

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Notable quotes

**Blake Lyon, on FAR standards:** "One of the concerns that we have about changing the floor area ratios to the state model code is that we're only taking a section out of the model code...it may not fit as well with the other standards that we've talked about." **Michael Lilliquist, on testing approach:** "We won't know if the state's table works until we try it. If we don't try it now, if we don't do it in a year, we won't know in a year we'll have no information whatsoever." **Scott Jones…

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What’s next

- **Type-six legislative process:** Staff will develop permanent ordinance through comprehensive public engagement process - **Middle housing tours:** Next tour scheduled April 9, 2025 (registration required) - **Multifamily Tax Exemption (MFTE) reform:** Staff working to coordinate MFTE u…

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What changed

**Zoning permissions:** Middle housing now allowed citywide in residential zones (previously limited to specific areas mapped in pink and green) **Development capacity:** Residential lots can now accommodate up to 4 units by right, 5-6 with affordability requirements (previously limited to single-family detached) **Floor Area Ratios:** Adopted state FAR table scaling from 0.6 (1 unit) to 1.0 (4 units) to 1.…

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Full meeting narrative

# A Historic Night for Bellingham Housing: Council Passes Citywide Middle Housing Ordinance The Bellingham City Council made a landmark decision on March 24, 2025, adopting an interim ordinance to expand middle housing opportunities citywide—marking a significant step toward addressing the region's housing crisis. In a meeting that stretched well past its usual conclusion time, the council unanimously approved the ordinance after extensive public testimony and spirited debate about building heights, affordability requirements, and the future of neighborhood character. ## Meeting Overview Council President Hollie Huthman called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM in the City Council chambers, with six members present in person and Councilmember Jace Cotton participating remotely. The evening began with the traditional acknowledgment of the Lummi, Nooksack, Samish, and Semiahmoo peoples' ancestral territory, followed by Spanish interpretation announcements—a routine that would prove to set the stage for a meeting focused on expanding housing access for all Bellingham residents. What made this meeting notable was not just the policy changes under consideration, but the level of community engagement it generated. Eleven speakers signed up for the public hearing on the middle housing ordinance, representing viewpoints ranging from passionate advocacy for housing diversity to concerns about implementation challenges. The discussion would ultimately consume nearly two hours of the council's time, making it one of the most substantive housing policy debates in recent memory. ## The Landmark Middle Housing Debate Planning and Community Development Director Blake Lyon opened the evening's main event with a comprehensive presentation on the proposed interim ordinance. The proposal would expand Bellingham's existing infill housing toolkit—previously limited to specific zones—to all areas zoned predominantly for residential use, with the notable exception of the Lake Whatcom watershed. Lyon explained that the ordinance would allow up to four housing units per lot by right, with the possibility of adding fifth and sixth units if they meet state-defined affordability requirements. "This is by no means all of the details that are in the state law," Lyon clarified, noting that the interim measure was designed to advance housing production ahead of the state's June 2026 deadline while allowing time to study and refine the approach. The technical heart of the ordinance l…

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Study guide

### Meeting Overview The Bellingham City Council met March 24, 2025 for a regular meeting that lasted 2 hours and 6 minutes. The main focus was a public hearing on an interim zoning ordinance to expand infill housing opportunities citywide, allowing up to four units per lot with potential for fifth and sixth affordable units. ### Key Terms and Concepts **Infill Housing:** Development that fills in vacant or underutilized lots within existing neighborhoods, typically allowing multiple housing types on single-family zoned lots. **Floor Area Ratio (FAR):** A zoning tool that controls building bulk by limiting the total floor area of a building relative to the size of the lot it sits on. **Middle Housing:** Housing types between single-family homes and large apartment buildings, including duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, and townhomes. **HB 1110:** State legislation requiring cities over 75,000 population to allow middle housing in residential zones by June 30, 2026. **Interim Ordinance:** A temporary regulation, typically lasting one year, used to test policies before permanent adoption. **Area Median Income (AMI):** The midpoint of household incomes in a region, used as a benchmark for determining housing affordability levels. **ADU (Accessory Dwelling Unit):** Secondary housing units on single-family lots, such as backyard cottages or basement apartments. **Tier 1 Cities:** Washington state designation for cities with populations over 75,000, subject to specific middle housing requirements. ### Key People at This Meeting | Name | Role / Affiliation | |---|---| | Kim Lund | Mayor | | Blake Lyon | Planning and Community Development Director | | Hannah Stone | Council Member | | Daniel Hammill | Council Member | | Micha…

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Tags & Connections

Housing Land Use & Planning Budget & Finance Government Operations HB 1110 Bellingham Tenants Union Kulshan Community Land Trust Nooksack Tribal Council Planning Commission Strong Towns Bellingham Water Resources Advisory Board Whatcom Housing Alliance Blake Lyon Cameron Dorman Carrie Burnside Dan Bloemker Daniel Hammill Edwin Williams Hannah Stone Hollie Huthman Jace Cotton Kim Lund Lisa Anderson Michael Lilliquist Rebecca Kirk Ron Golbeck Rose Lathrop Ryan Bowman Scott Jones Scott Pelton Accessory Dwelling Units Affordable Housing Comprehensive Plan Floor Area Ratio Housing Policy Infill Housing Land Use Policy Middle Housing Multifamily Tax Exemption Planning Commission Post Point Wastewater Townhomes Water Resources Zoning Zoning Reform