Hearing Examiner

**One-and-a-Half Rule Application:** The central policy question involves applying Bellingham Municipal Code 23.08.040.D2 rounding provisions to create two lots from property that's 1.6 times the minimum lot size but not quite double. Staff planner Ryan Nelson explained this represents the city's effort to encourage infill development while maintaining flexibility in gray-area situations. **Government Lot Legal Descriptions:** The application required a director's interpretation because the property has a government lot legal description rather than standard meets-and-bounds or platted lot description. Nelson noted government lots "are old as the hills" and don't fit modern subdivision requirements, but staff supported finding a path forward for appropriate infill opportunities. **A…

**Ali Taishi (AVT Consulting, representing property owner Doug Webb):** Advocated for creating a larger vacant lot to maximize future development flexibility. Acknowledged the existing curb cut serves neighboring properties and expressed conditional acceptance of alley access requirements given the built-in flexibility language. Noted familiarity with the neighborhood as a resident three blocks away. **Ryan Nelson (City Planner II):** Strongly…

**Sharon Rice, on meeting format:** "We are having technical difficulties with the hybrid hearing system tonight." **Ali Taishi, on project simplicity:** "So, it's a very straightforward proposal. What's unique about it is the one and a half rule component, because it's not big enough to house two." **Ryan Nelson, on regulatory complexity:** "The lift doesn't get much heavier than this one lot short plat." **Ali Taishi, on neighborhood character:** "I don't think it's out of character in t…

**Subdivision Authority:** If approved, this decision would establish precedent for applying the one-and-a-half rule to government lot legal descriptions, expanding the tool's applicability beyond standard meets-and-bounds parcels. **Development Capacity:** The decision would create one new …

### Meeting Overview The City of Bellingham Hearing Examiner met on October 8, 2025, to consider a "one and one-half rule" short plat subdivision at 2609 Jaeger Street in the Columbia neighborhood. Hearing Examiner Sharon Rice presided over the hybrid in-person/Zoom hearing to review a proposal to split an 8,023 square foot lot into two parcels. ### Key Terms and Concepts **One and One-Half Rule:** A Bellingham Municipal Code provision allowing subdivision of lots that are at least 1.5 times the minimum lot size but less than twice the minimum size, creating one additional lot. **Short Plat:** A simplified subdivision process for creating four or fewer lots, requiring hearing examiner approval rather than full Planning Commission review. **Meets and Bounds Legal Description:** A property description that uses physical features and measurements rather than lot numbers from a recorded plat, required to qualify for the one and one-half rule. **Director's Interpretation:** An administrative decision clarifying how city code applies to a specific situation, issued before the subdivision application. **Government Lot:** An older type of property description that predates modern subdivision requirements, falling in a "gray area" for the one and one-half rule. **Infill Development:** Building new housing on vacant or underutilized lots within existing neighborhoods served by infrastructure. **Critical Areas:** Environmentally sensitive areas like wetlands, streams, or geological hazards that require special review and protection measures. **Coal Mine Hazard:** A geological critical area designation for properties with potential underground mining impacts requiring building permit review. ### Key People at This Meeting | Name | Role / Affiliation | |---|---| | Sharon Rice | City-appointed Hearing Examiner | | Ali Taishi | Applicant representative, AVT Consulting | | Doug Webb | Property owner | | Wyatt Rothenbuller | AVT Consulting staff member | | Ryan Nelson | …