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Bellingham Greenways Advisory Committee

BEL-GRN-2025-02-06 February 06, 2025 Committee Meeting City of Bellingham
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The February meeting of Bellingham's Greenways Advisory Committee marked a significant transition, with outgoing Chair Kate and member Scott attending their final meetings before term expirations. The session focused primarily on three major briefings that will shape the city's parks and recreation landscape over the coming years: Mayor Kim Lund's presentation on citywide advisory group reforms, comprehensive updates on the Bellingham Plan process, and detailed discussion of the Parks, Recreation & Open Space (PROS) Plan community engagement strategy. Mayor Lund outlined new standardized approaches for all city advisory groups, including universal reapplication requirements when terms expire and enhanced efforts to diversify membership. The initiative aims to reduce barriers to participation while ensuring more equitable representation across Bellingham's neighborhoods and communities. This change directly affects the Greenways committee as members transition out and new appointments are made. City Planner Anya provided an extensive overview of the Bellingham Plan comprehensive update, now in Phase 4 after three years of community engagement that generated thousands of survey responses and extensive public input. The plan proposes 11 chapters including three new sections on climate, civic practices, and community well-being. Parks and recreation policies will be distributed across multiple chapters while consolidating into a dedicated Parks chapter scheduled for Planning Commission review in May 2025. Parks staff Peter Lantz presented the PROS Plan community engagement strategy, which will run parallel to the Bellingham Plan process through 2025. The approach includes ongoing community surveys, public meetings at pavilions, stakeholder listening sessions, and targeted outreach to underrepresented communities. The plan aims to establish 20-year priorities for parks, trails, and recreational facilities while maintaining alignment with the comprehensive planning tim

No formal votes were taken during this meeting. The session was entirely informational, featuring presentations and discussion of upcoming planning processes. **January Meeting Minutes Approval:** The committee approved the January meeting minutes with one correction clarifying that the Bellingham to Baker Trail is "almost all land needed is in public ownership" rather than "almost to completion." **A…

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**Advisory Group Standardization Initiative** Mayor Lund outlined comprehensive reforms affecting all 20+ city advisory groups, emphasizing the need for consistent support structures and more diverse representation. The initiative requires all advisory group members to reapply when terms expire, moving away from the current practice where some members serve 18-19 consecutive years. The city aims to reduce participation barriers by potentially offering childcare, meal service, and stipends similar to the successful Bellingham Plan community work group model. Geographic diversity has traditionally been considered informally for Greenways appointments, but the city plans to establish formal criteria for key characteristics including geographic representation, lived experience, and age diversity. **Bellingham Plan Integration with Parks Planning** The comprehensive plan update represents a significant departure from previous approaches by separating high-level goals and policies from implementation details. Parks policies will be distributed across multiple plan chapters - land use and community design address natural area preservation and recreation opportunities, environment and climate chapters cover ecosystem management and human health benefits, and capital facilities and transportation chapters focus on park and trail connectivity. This integration reflects the interconnected nature of parks with housing, climate action, transportation, and economic development priorities. **…
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**Mayor Kim Lund** emphasized the critical need to diversify advisory group membership beyond traditional participants, noting that current outreach often reaches homeowners through neighborhood associations while missing renters and other underrepresented groups. She highlighted successful models from Bellingham Public Schools that provided childcare and meals to reduce participation barriers, advocating for similar approaches across city advisory groups. **City Planner Anya** stressed the comprehensive nature of the Bellingham Plan update, noting that parks-related policies will be integrated throughout multiple chapters rather than isolated in a single section. She emphasized community feedback consistency with existing priorities and state legislative requirements, particularly around middle housing and climate elements mandated by recent state legislation. **Parks Staff Peter Lantz** acknowledged the significant challenge of reaching underrepresented communities, outlining specific strategies including paid social media promotion, partnerships with VAMOS for Spanish-language outreach, utilizing recreation program mailing lists, and placing signage directly at park locations. He emphasized the importance of understanding whether community members use Greenways for tra…
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**Mayor Kim Lund, on advisory group diversity:** "We have a member who, whose childcare didn't come through tonight? Right? And so how do we reduce those barriers as we seek to have more diverse voices around the table." **Michael Fear, on invasive species control:** "English Ivy kills virtually every tree it climbs up on eventually. And so over time, you know, lived here 36 years over time. I've seen an enormous amount of degradation of the forest health in that time along some of the green …
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**Parks Chapter Review:** Planning Commission discussion scheduled for May 2025, with draft materials released to the public in April. The Parks chapter will be part of the "Sustainable Growth" package including capital facilities, transportation, and parks/recreation/open space topics. **PROS Plan Community Survey:** Currently open through March 2nd, available in English and Spanish. The 20-question survey takes approximately 15 minutes and covers park usage, experiences, strengths, weaknesses, and future priorities. **Public Meetings:** Two open houses scheduled - February 13th at Cordata Pavilion and February 18th at Fairhaven Pavilion, both from 5:30-7:30 PM. Additional public meetings planned throughout the spring and summer. **Committee Transition…

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**Committee Leadership Transition:** Kate completed her final meeting as Chair and will not seek reappointment when her term expires in March. Scott also concluded his service, missing his final meeting due to childcare issues. Sarah was reappointed through 2028, providing continuity as leadership transitions. **Parks Department Staffing:** Mackenzie Kilroy joined the Park Stewardship Program to oversee community gardens and wetland mitigation projects, bringing background in environmental social justice, food education, and outdoor recreation outreach for underrepresented communities. **Advisory Group Reapplication Process:** All Greenways Advisory Committee members must reapply when their terms expire under new citywide standardization …
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# Greenways Advisory Committee Confronts Change and Charts Future Course The February 6, 2025 meeting of Bellingham's Greenways Advisory Committee carried the weight of transitions — departing members, new priorities, and major planning initiatives converging on a cold winter evening in the Mayor's Boardroom. With snow outside and bureaucratic complexity within, the seven-member committee navigated a meeting that revealed both the scope of Bellingham's growth challenges and the vital role parks and trails play in the city's future. ## Meeting Overview The committee gathered on a snowy Thursday evening with several significant developments on the horizon. Two longtime members — chair Kate and Scott — announced they would not seek reappointment when their terms expire in March, marking the end of substantial institutional knowledge and leadership. Meanwhile, the city is simultaneously updating its comprehensive plan and developing a new Parks, Recreation and Open Space (PROS) plan, creating an unprecedented moment where major policy frameworks must align across departments and decades. Present were committee members including newly reappointed Sarah (through 2028), along with staff from Parks & Recreation and guest presentations from Mayor Kim Lund, Planning Department staff, and City Councilmember Skip Williams participating remotely. The meeting agenda reflected the complexity of current city planning efforts, with updates on everything from community garden programs to growth projections for 30,000 new residents over the next 20 years. ## Land Acknowledgment and Announcements The meeting began with the standard land acknowledgment recognizing Lummi and Nooksack peoples, then moved to several significant announcements. Staff highlighted upcoming public meetings for the PROS plan, including open houses at the Corda Pavilion (February 13) and Fairhaven Pavilion (February 18), both running from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The most significant personnel news was Sarah's three-year reappointment through 2028, providing continuity as the committee faces other departures. Scott's absence due to childcare issues illustrated the barriers to civic participation that Mayor Lund would later address directly in her presentation about advisory committee reform. Staff also announced plans for a long-awaited field trip to the DNR (Department of Natural Resources) property, weather permitting, using a doodle poll to find times that work for committee members who are largely …
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A structured study guide helping readers understand the meeting's content and context. ### Meeting Overview The Bellingham Greenways Advisory Committee met on February 6, 2025, to discuss the integration of the Parks Recreation and Open Space (PROS) Plan with the comprehensive Bellingham Plan update, receive operations updates, and review the public engagement strategy for the PROS Plan. ### Key Terms and Concepts **Greenways Advisory Committee:** A city advisory board that provides guidance on parks, trails, and open space issues in Bellingham. The committee helps plan and prioritize recreational amenities funded through the Greenways levy. **PROS Plan:** Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Plan - a 20-year planning document that will be separated into two parts: goals and policies integrated into the comprehensive Bellingham Plan, and technical implementation details as a standalone document. **Bellingham Plan:** The comprehensive plan update happening citywide, covering 11 chapters including housing, transportation, climate, and parks. Required to be updated every 10 years under state law. **Growth Management Act:** State legislation requiring cities to plan for projected population growth and allocate housing, jobs, and infrastructure accordingly. Bellingham must plan for 30,000 new residents over the next 20 years. **Middle Housing Legislation (House Bill 1110):** State requirement allowing at least 4 housing units per lot in every residential area, which must be implemented within 6 months of comprehensive plan adoption. **Community Gardens:** City-operated garden plots for residents to grow food, overseen by new staff member Mackenzie Kilroy. The program has dedicated funding for improvements. **Urban Growth Areas (UGAs):** Designated zones where cities can expand to accommodate projected population growth, requiring adequate infrastructure like water, sewer, police, and fire services. **Type 6 Legislative Process:** The formal adoption process for comprehensive plan updates, requiring public hearings and city council approval. ### Key People at This Meeting | Name | Role / Affiliation | |---|---| | Kate (Chair) | Greenways Advisory Committee Chair (last meeting before term end) | | Scott | Greenways Advisory Committee member (absent, final term) | | Sarah | Greenways Advisory Committee member (reappointed through 2028) | | Neil | Greenways Advisory Committee member | | Kelsey | Greenways Advisory Committee member | | Mayor Kim Lund | Mayor of Bellingham | | Skip Williams | Bellingham City Council member | | Freya Fredenberg | Acting Supervisor, Park Stewardship Program | | Mackenzie Kilroy | New Parks staff member overseeing community gardens | | Anya | City planner working on Bellingham Plan up…
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Parks & Recreation Government Operations Budget & Finance Bellingham Public Schools City Council Greenways Advisory Committee Parks Department Planning Commission Vamos Walk Million Trees Western Washington University Whatcom County Anya Planner Kate Chair Kelsey Member Kim Lund Mackenzie Kilroy Michael Fear Neil Member Peter Lantz Sarah Member Sarah Reappointed Scott Member Skip Williams Advisory Group Reform Advisory Groups Bellingham Plan Climate Action Community Engagement Comprehensive Planning Growth Management Act Housing Policy Invasive Species Middle Housing Parks Recreation Pros Plan Transportation Policy Tree Ordinance Water Resources