City of Bellingham Design Review Board

The comprehensive plan update encompasses 11 chapters, including three new ones responding to state requirements and community input: Climate (required by HB 1181), Civic Practices (equitable engagement), and Community Well-being (physical and mental health resources). The community design chapter has been streamlined into five goals: community identity and sense of place, streets as places, site and building design, natural features and open space, and historic and cultural resources. Multiple state housing bills are driving changes to local regulations. HB 1110 requires allowing at least four units per lot on all residential lots (middle housing) and mandates that single-family housing cannot have more restrictive design requirements than middle housing. This creates the unusual situation where the city may need to…

Chair Ryan Van Straten expressed conflicted views about the board's role. While appreciating the quality of projects produced through the current system, he questioned whether the board provides enough value to justify the development timeline delays it creates. He described Bellingham's permitting process as taking years versus months in Wisconsin, potentially deterring smaller developers who lack capacity for extended holding costs. However, he strongly endorsed the city's density-first approach along transportation corridors as "the right way to develop a city for the long haul." Board member Robert Wright, though new to the board, supported the current process as providing "guardrails" against problematic designs and improving project quality. He worried that purely objective standards might miss important nuances that require…

**Ryan Van Straten, on the board's current role:** "I mean my first reaction in hearing that is, that literally, our Board's job is to interpret subjective standards. And so, if clear and objectives required. It seems that our board is not necessary or not allowed really in its current form." **Kathy Bell, on the board's value:** "I would say, from a staff's perspective. It's an immense value, and we, in the course of the last couple of years, have come away with these meetings as well as the …

The meeting established that fundamental changes to the Design Review Board's role are inevitable, though the specific nature and timing remain undefined. The board gained awareness of multiple state housing bills that will reshape local design review processes, potentially eliminating the board's current function of providing subjective design guidance. Staff confirmed they are actively working on interim measure…

### Meeting Overview The Bellingham Design Review Board met on February 18, 2025, with only two board members present (insufficient for a quorum), to receive a presentation on the Bellingham Plan 2025 Comprehensive Plan Update. City staff presented key changes to the community design chapter and sought feedback on how new state legislation will affect design review processes. ### Key Terms and Concepts **Comprehensive Plan:** A state-required 20-year planning document updated every 10 years that contains goals and policies directing city development, investment, and programs. Bellingham's plan must be adopted by the end of 2025. **Growth Management Act:** A 1990 Washington state law requiring cities to plan for and accommodate projected population growth through comprehensive planning, with about 15 statewide goals covering land use, housing, transportation, and more. **House Bill 1293 (Streamlining Design Review):** New state legislation requiring design standards to be "clear and objective" rather than subjective, and limiting design review to only one public meeting. This directly threatens the current role of design review boards. **House Bill 1110 (Middle Housing):** State legislation requiring cities to allow at least 4 units per residential lot, with the restriction that single-family housing standards cannot be more strict than middle housing standards. **Middle Housing:** Housing types between single-family homes and large apartment buildings, including duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, townhomes, and cottage clusters. **Clear and Objective Standards:** Measurable, specific design requirements that eliminate subjective interpretation. Contrasts with current design guidelines that allow board discretion and interpretation. **Urban Villages:** Designated areas in Bellingham planned for higher density development with distinct character and identity, connected by transit corridors. **Design Review Board (DRB):** A volunteer board that reviews development projects for design quality and compliance with community design goals. Their future role is uncertain under new state legislation. ### Key People at This Meeting | Name | Role / Affiliation | |---|---| | Ryan Van Straten | Chair, Design Review Board | | Robert Wright | Design Review Board Member | | Anya Gedrath | Project Planner, City Long Range Planning Team | | Fiona Starr | Administrative Staff | | Chris Cook | Planning Department Staff | | Kathy Bell | Planning Department Staff | ### Background Con…