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Real Briefings

Bellingham City Council Committee of the Whole

BEL-CON-CTW-2025-11-17 November 17, 2025 Committee of the Whole City of Bellingham
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The Bellingham City Council's Committee of the Whole meeting on November 17, 2025, was a comprehensive marathon session focused primarily on implementing state-mandated housing reforms while also addressing emergency services and the long-awaited 2025 Comprehensive Plan. The meeting ran over five hours, including executive session, demonstrating the complexity and significance of the policy decisions before the council. The dominant theme was housing policy reform, driven by recent Washington State legislation requiring cities to expand housing options. Council processed three interconnected housing ordinances—accessory dwelling units (ADUs), middle housing types, and co-living arrangements—alongside updated design review standards. All housing items were designed to increase housing production while maintaining community character, responding to what Mayor Lund characterized as the existential threat that "our children cannot live here" and "our grandchildren will not be able to live here" due to housing scarcity. The ADU ordinance passed unanimously after council addressed Department of Commerce feedback and Planning Commission recommendations. The measure eliminates owner-occupancy requirements and allows ADUs with all middle housing types, significantly expanding housing options throughout the city. Council Member Anderson raised technical concerns about bathroom ratios in co-living facilities, while Council Member Lilliquist questioned utility infrastructure capacity, leading to detailed staff explanations about building code requirements and fixture counts. The 2025 Comprehensive Plan dominated discussion time, with council members proposing and debating several amendments. Two notable policy additions passed: a new environmental policy requiring collaboration with state agencies on forest practices, and a commitment to monitor and evaluate progress toward tree canopy coverage goals. However, council struggled with how specific to make tree canopy targets,

**AB 24693 - ADU Ordinance:** PASSED 7-0 on first and second reading. Removes owner-occupancy requirements, allows ADUs with all middle housing types, eliminates parking requirements, and addresses Department of Commerce feedback. Staff recommendation aligned with council action. Includes Planning Commission amendments eliminating setback agreements and minimum parking. **AB 24737 - 2025 Comprehensive Plan:** Multiple amendments considered. PASSED 7-0 to adopt changes from November 10 work session. PASSED 6-0 (Anderson absent) to add forest practices collaboration policy. FAILED 2-5 to include specific tree canopy targets (opposed by Huthman, Stone, Williams, Lilliquist, Cotton). PASSED 7-0 to add tree canopy monitoring policy. …

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**Housing Reform Implementation:** Director Blake Lyon's presentation emphasized that middle housing already represents 13% of Bellingham's housing stock and exists in 25 of 27 neighborhoods, countering concerns about introducing foreign development patterns. The city is being "more permissive" than state law requires by allowing fifth and sixth units near WTA Go Lines (quarter-mile radius) rather than restricting this density bonus to just affordable units. Council members debated whether this proximity allowance might reduce incentives for actual affordable housing development. Council Member Anderson pressed staff on co-living bathroom requirements, concerned that 24 sleeping units might share inadequate facilities. Staff explained that building codes mandate minimum bathroom ratios based on bedroom/sleeping unit counts, and water service sizing follows fixture counts to ensure adequate capacity. The co-living ordinance requires minimum six dwelling units or 24 sleeping units in multi-family zones to prevent single-family conversions that circumvent density requirements. **Tree Canopy and Urban Forest Policy:** The most contentious discussion involved how specific the Comprehensive Plan should be about tree canopy targets. Council Member Hammill proposed including the 40-45% canopy coverage target that council previously endorsed, arguing that without an adopted Urban Forest Plan to reference, the Comprehensive Plan must fill this gap. Staff argued for maintaining the high-level policy app…
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**Planning & Community Development Director Blake Lyon** emphasized state compliance requirements while highlighting Bellingham's proactive approach to housing policy. Lyon noted the city is "light years ahead" of other communities on climate action and housing diversity, with middle housing already present citywide. On tree canopy specificity, Lyon preferred keeping targets in functional plans rather than the comprehensive plan. **Council Member Anderson** focused on technical implementation concerns, particularly bathroom adequacy in co-living facilities and utility capacity for multiple units. Anderson emphasized the need for due diligence on policy impacts that could affect Bellingham "for the next 20 years." **Council Member Hammill** advocated for specific tree canopy targets in the comprehensive plan, arguing that without an adopted Urban Forest Plan, the comprehensive plan must provide that direction. Hammill also proposed the forest practices collaboration policy, emphasizing wildfire i…
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**Blake Lyon, on middle housing integration:** "This type of development pattern exists in places throughout the city already." **Mayor Lund, on housing urgency:** "We are faced with our children cannot live here. Our grandchildren will not be able to live here. We have harms playing out in large encampments for people who cannot afford units of housing." **Council Member Anderson, on policy scrutiny:** "Our job is to sometimes get into the weeds. I don't think we've lost touch of why we're …
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**November 17, 2025 Evening:** Public hearings on three housing ordinances: updated middle housing interim regulations, co-living ordinance, and interim design review criteria. Council will consider additional comprehensive plan amendments, including the tabled income segregation policy. **December 8, 2025:** First and second reading of housing ordinances if public hearing proceeds smoothly. Timeline allows for December 15 third and final reading to meet state compliance deadlines. **Urban Forest Plan:** Staff indicated the plan m…

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The ADU ordinance represents the most significant immediate change, eliminating owner-occupancy requirements that have limited ADU development and allowing ADUs with all middle housing types for the first time. This expands potential housing production throughout most of the city, with exceptions only in Lake Whatcom watershed areas. The 2025 Comprehensive Plan gained two new environmental policies: collaboration requirements for forest practices and tree canopy monitoring commitments. However, council rejected specific numerical targets, maintaining the document's high-level approach while creating accountability mechanisms. Council advanced emergency medical services agreements en…
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# Real Briefings — Full Meeting Narrative ## Meeting Overview On a crisp November morning in Bellingham, the City Council Committee of the Whole convened for what would prove to be a marathon session — a three-hour and fifteen-minute deep dive into some of the most consequential housing policy decisions to face the city in years. All seven council members were present: Council President Hollie Huthman presiding, joined by Hannah Stone, Daniel Hammill, Skip Williams, Lisa Anderson, Michael Lilliquist, and Jace Cotton. The agenda was packed with five major items, all stemming from sweeping changes in Washington State housing law that are reshaping how cities across the state must approach residential development. From accessory dwelling units to middle housing, co-living arrangements to comprehensive planning — the morning's work would set the stage for how Bellingham accommodates growth and addresses its housing crisis for the next two decades. What made this meeting particularly significant was its timing. Three of the agenda items would have public hearings that very evening, with final adoption scheduled before year's end to meet state law compliance deadlines. The pressure was on, and council members clearly felt the weight of decisions that would fundamentally alter Bellingham's residential landscape. ## Housing Revolution: Four Interwoven Ordinances Planning and Community Development Director Blake Lyon opened with a comprehensive presentation on how accessory dwelling units, middle housing, co-living arrangements, and streamlined design review all interconnect — four pieces of a complex puzzle mandated by state law but shaped by local choices. Lyon's message was clear: "This is not just a product type, it's a promise of belonging," he said, quoting economist and urban planner Patrick Risk. "Regardless of where you are on the spectrum financially, socially, culturally, you'll have a place to feel like you belong and integrate into the community." The director emphasized a crucial point that would thread through all the morning's discussions: these housing types already exist throughout Bellingham. "Middle housing already represents 13% of our housing stock in the city and every single residential neighborhood in the city," Lyon explained. "We have 25 neighborhoods — all but two have middle housing already in the neighborhood." Using detailed graphics and real Bellingham street examples, Lyon showed council members how duplexes, triplexes, and…
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### Meeting Overview Bellingham City Council's Committee of the Whole met on November 17, 2025 for a comprehensive work session covering five major agenda items. The 3-hour, 15-minute meeting focused heavily on housing policy changes required by state law, including updates to accessory dwelling units, middle housing regulations, co-living arrangements, and design review processes. ### Key Terms and Concepts **Middle Housing:** Housing types between single-family homes and large apartment buildings, including duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, townhouses, and courtyard apartments. State law now requires Bellingham to allow these housing types throughout most residential areas. **Floor Area Ratio (FAR):** A mathematical formula determining how much building space can be constructed on a lot. For example, a 5,000 square foot lot with 0.6 FAR allows 3,000 square feet of building space across all floors. **Co-living:** A housing arrangement where individual bedrooms are rented separately within a larger dwelling, with shared common areas like kitchens and living rooms. Previously known as rooming or boarding houses. **Tier One City:** Cities with populations over 75,000 that must comply with state middle housing requirements. Bellingham qualifies as a Tier One city. **WTA Go Lines:** Whatcom Transportation Authority's high-frequency transit routes. Properties within a quarter-mile of these lines can have up to 6 housing units per lot under the new state rules. **Design Review:** The city's process for evaluating building design and appearance. New state laws require "clear and objective" standards rather than subjective design criteria. **Inclusionary Zoning:** Programs requiring or incentivizing developers to include affordable housing units in market-rate developments. **Urban Village:** Mixed-use neighborhood centers combining residential, commercial, and transit options, designed to reduce car dependency. ### Key People at This Meeting | Name | Role / Affiliation | |---|---| | Hollie Huthman | Council President, Committee Chair | | Blake Lyon | Planning & Community Development Director | | Chris Koch | City Planner | | Chris Behee | Long Range Planning Manager | | Kurt Nevifeld | Planning & Community Development Department | | Mike Wilson | Assistant Director of Public Works/City Engineer | | Elizabeth Erickson | Senior Planner | | Sydney Prusak | City Planner | | Hannah Stone | Councilmember, First Ward | | Daniel Hammill | Councilmember, Third Ward | | Edwin "Skip" Williams | Councilmember, Fourth Ward | | Lisa Anderson | Councilmember, Fifth Ward | | Michael Lilliquist | Councilmember, Sixth Ward | | Jace Cotton | Councilmember, At-Large | ### Background Context This meeting represen…
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Housing Government Operations AB 24693 AB 24734 AB 24735 AB 24736 AB 24737 Department Commerce Planning Commission Planning Community Development South Whatcom Fire Authority Whatcom County Whatcom Transportation Authority Blake Lyon Chris Behee Chris Koch Daniel Hammill Edwin Williams Elizabeth Erickson Forrest Longman Hannah Stone Hollie Huthman Jace Cotton Kim Lund Kurt Navifell Lisa Anderson Michael Lilliquist Mike Wilson Sydney Prusak Accessory Dwelling Units Building Code Co Living Comprehensive Plan Design Review Emergency Services Forest Practices Galbraith Mountain Housing Policy Inclusionary Zoning Income Integration Land Use Policy Middle Housing Parking Reform Transit Policy Tree Canopy Urban Forest Plan Water Sewer Capacity