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Bellingham City Council

BEL-CON-2025-11-17 November 17, 2025 City Council Regular Meeting City of Bellingham
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The Bellingham City Council advanced a comprehensive housing reform agenda at its November 17, 2025 meeting, passing five major ordinances and resolutions designed to increase housing production and reduce regulatory barriers. The four-hour meeting focused heavily on state-mandated changes to development codes, with Council taking action on middle housing extensions, co-living regulations, design review reforms, and two utility easement relinquishments. The most significant action was the passage of an amended interim middle housing ordinance (AB 24753) that extends current regulations by six months while expanding density allowances from four to six units per lot within a half-mile of major transit routes. Council Member Jace Cotton successfully amended the distance requirement from quarter-mile to half-mile walking distance, significantly expanding the geographic area where higher density is automatically permitted without affordability requirements. Council also approved a co-living ordinance (AB 24733) that eliminates the decades-old "family definition" restricting unrelated individuals in households and creates a new regulatory framework for large-scale co-living developments of 24+ sleeping units. An amendment by Cotton removed parking requirements from this ordinance, maintaining consistency with the city's interim parking reform. The design review ordinance (AB 24742) establishes objective standards to replace subjective design guidelines, streamlining the permitting process in compliance with recent state legislation. All three major housing ordinances must be implemented by the end of 2025 to maintain local regulatory authority. Two routine utility easement relinquishments passed without controversy, both supporting private property development while retaining necessary utility access. The meeting demonstrated Council's unified commitment to housing production, with all major items passing 7-0 except the co-living parking amendment which passed 5-2.

**Utility Easement Relinquishments (AB 24731, AB 24732)** - Both passed 7-0 - Relinquished partial utility easement at 925 10th Street (vacated Douglas Street) while retaining 10 feet of right-of-way for development - Relinquished water main easement at 404 Baker Street, surplus to city needs since 1931 - Both facilitate private property development while preserving necessary utility access **Middle Housing Extension & Amendment (AB 24753)** - Passed 7-0 as amended - Extended interim middle housing ordinance by six months to December 2026 - Amended density allowance from quarter-mile to half-mile of major transit routes for automatic six-unit development - Maintains four-unit base density with sixth units requiring affordability outside transit zones - Staff recommendation aligned with Council action…

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**Transit-Oriented Density Expansion:** The most substantive debate centered on Cotton's amendment expanding transit-oriented density from quarter-mile to half-mile radius. Council Member Stone supported the change, arguing that development opportunities are limited and expanding eligibility would maximize housing potential without significantly impacting actual construction feasibility. Council Member Anderson expressed concern about losing affordability incentives, noting that the expanded radius covers most of Bellingham and eliminates requirements for affordable units in those areas. Council Member Lilliquist observed that state law inadvertently created zones where affordability is disfavored, with only the city's Multi-Family Tax Exemption (MFTE) program providing alternative affordability incentives. **Family Definition Elimination:** The co-living ordinance addressed a long-standing policy issue by replacing the restrictive "family" definition with "household." Perry Eskridge testified that he had advocated for this change for 25 years, citing discriminatory enforcement against same-sex households and renters. Staff confirmed the city has not enforced the three-unrelated-persons limit since 2021, allowing naturally occurring co-living throughout Bellingham. The change eliminates regulatory barriers to group living arrangements while creating pathways for larger-scale co-living developments. **Parking Requirements Controversy:** A significant debate emerged over parking standards in the co-living ordinance. Council Mem…
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**Public Commenters:** - **Brian Gas:** Supported co-living and middle housing but wanted strategic placement in urban villages; criticized planning department permitting delays - **David Stahlheim:** Supported interim ordinance while recommending review of minimum densities, FAR requirements, and transit distance measurements - **Brian Russell:** Advocated for removing minimum lot sizes and FAR limits as exclusionary policies designed to increase housing costs - **Dan Blumker:** Supported all housing measures, appreciating inclusion of WTA Go Lines as major transit and increase from four to six units - **Alex Ross:** Strongly supported household definition change and co-living, providing historical context on housing discrimination - **Scott Pelton (Whatcom Housing Alliance):** Urged passage of all measures as critical to preventing Bellingham from following Blaine's anti-growth path - **Perry Eskridge (Building Industry Association):** Supported all measu…
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**Council Member Jace Cotton, on transit-oriented density:** "I have a two-year term, so like a year is like half my political lifespan, right? So I would move to amend subsection B and section 9E from one quarter mile to one half mile walking distance of a major transit route." **Alex Ross, on housing policy history:** "For most of human history, we have been allowing co-living. I have experience with co-living because everyone has experience with co-living. That is how you lived most likely…
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**Immediate Implementation Deadlines:** - All interim ordinances must be fully implemented by December 31, 2025 to maintain local regulatory authority - Third and final readings scheduled for December 8 and December 15, 2025 - Staff will prepare clean ordinances incorporating approved amendments **Six-Month Work Program:** - Middle housing permanent code development coordinated with comprehensive plan adoption and zoning overhaul - Integration of ADU regulations with middle housing and co-living frameworks - Permanent parking code development to replace interim measures - Design review permanent standa…

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**Regulatory Framework Transformations:** - Eliminated 25-year-old family definition restricting unrelated household members, allowing unlimited group living arrangements - Expanded automatic six-unit density eligibility from quarter-mile to half-mile of major transit, covering significantly more of Bellingham's developable area - Removed parking requirements from co-living developments, maintaining consistency with interim parking reform - Established objective design standards replacing subjective "character" requirements **Development Capacity Increases:** - Created regulatory pathway for large-scale co-living developments (24+ sleeping units) in multifamily zones - Extended middle housing interim protections through December 2026, providing development certainty - Streamlined d…
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# Housing Policy Takes Center Stage at Marathon Bellingham Council Meeting The Bellingham City Council transformed their chambers into a workshop on housing reform during a nearly four-hour meeting that saw more public testimony on housing issues than most councils hear in a year. Five consecutive public hearings on November 17th addressed everything from utility easements to co-living regulations, marking what Council Member Hannah Stone called "a historic night for housing policy." The meeting began at 7 PM with Council President Hollie Huthman presiding over all seven council members in attendance. After acknowledging the traditional territory of the Lummi, Nooksack, Samish and Semiahmoo peoples and providing Spanish interpretation access, the council dove into an agenda that would ultimately stretch until 11:23 PM. ## Two Quick Easement Relinquishments The evening began with two routine utility matters that passed with minimal discussion. The first involved a partial relinquishment of a public utility easement on vacated Douglas Street to facilitate development at 925 10th Street. Assistant Public Works Director Mike Wilson explained that the city vacated the Douglas street right-of-way in 1966, retaining a 30-foot utility easement, and now would relinquish 20 feet of that easement to enable development while gaining back 10 feet of right-of-way. Council Member Anderson pressed for assurance that sidewalk improvements would be required. "This area doesn't have a lot of sidewalks," she noted. Director Blake Lyon confirmed that the development proposal includes full frontage improvements with sidewalks on both 10th Street and Douglas. Alex McLean, a regular at council meetings, testified that he had initially thought this was about a different Douglas Avenue right-of-way. He urged the council to "tie these things to development that is going to happen, and wait to do the relinquishment until the end" rather than clearing trees or removing trails prematurely. The resolution passed 7-0. The second easement matter involved relinquishing a water main ease…
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A structured study guide helping readers understand the meeting's content and context. ### Meeting Overview The Bellingham City Council held its regular meeting on November 17, 2025, conducting five public hearings focused primarily on housing-related ordinances and reforms. Council addressed easement relinquishments, extended interim housing regulations, approved co-living housing provisions, and established new design review standards—all driven by state legislative mandates requiring compliance by year-end 2025. ### Key Terms and Concepts **Interim Ordinance:** A temporary law typically lasting 6 months that allows cities to regulate development while permanent regulations are being written. Used here to extend housing rules while staff develops long-term solutions. **Middle Housing/Infill Housing:** Housing types between single-family homes and large apartment buildings—includes duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, and townhomes. State law requires cities to allow these in areas previously zoned only for single-family homes. **Co-Living Housing:** Residential developments where people rent individual bedrooms but share kitchens and common areas. Different from traditional apartments where each unit has its own kitchen. State law requires cities to allow this where multifamily housing is permitted. **Design Review:** A city process that evaluates whether proposed buildings meet aesthetic and community standards. The new ordinance makes these standards more objective and predictable to speed up the approval process. **Family Definition:** Bellingham's outdated code definition that limited unrelated people living together to three individuals. Replaced with "household" to eliminate restrictions on unrelated people sharing housing. **Transit-Oriented Development:** Building higher density housing near bus lines and transit stops to reduce car dependence. Council extended transit proximity from quarter-mile to half-mile for bonus density. **Administrative Review:** A streamlined approval process handled by city staff rather than requiring public hearings or design review boards, making permits faster and cheaper to obtain. **Floor Area Ratio (FAR):** A regulation limiting how much building square footage can be built on a lot regardless of height limits. Referenced as a potential barrier to housing development. ### Key People at This Meeting | Name | Role / Affiliation | |---|---| | Kimberley Lund | Mayor (not present but referenced) | | Hollie Huthman | Council President | | Hannah Stone | Council Member, First Ward | | Daniel Hammill | Council Member, Third Ward | | Edwin "Skip" Williams | Council Member, Fourth Ward | | Lisa Anderson | Council Member, Fifth Ward | | Michael Lilliquist | Council Member, Sixth Ward | | Jace Cotton | Council Member, At-Large | | Blake Lyon | Director of Planning and Community Development | | Chris Cope | Planning Department Staff | | Sydney Perseket | Planning Department Staff | | Sar…
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Housing Land Use & Planning Transportation & Infrastructure Government Operations AB 24731 AB 24732 AB 24733 AB 24742 AB 24753 Building Industry Association Western Washington University Whatcom Housing Alliance Whatcom Transportation Authority Alex Ross Blake Lyon Brian Gas Chris Cope Daniel Hammill Hannah Stone Hollie Huthman Jace Cotton Lisa Anderson Lisa Anderson Michael Lilliquist Mike Wilson Perry Eskridge Sarah Olman Scott Pelton Skip Williams Sydney Persecut Accessory Dwelling Units Affordability Affordability Incentives Co Living Density Design Review Family Definition Housing Policy Interim Ordinance Middle Housing Multifamily Parking Requirements Permitting Single Family State Law Transit Oriented Development Zoning Zoning Reform