Bellingham City Planning Commission

**Design Standards and State Legislation** The most substantive discussion centered on implementing HB 1293 and HB 1110, which require "clear and objective" design standards and administrative (rather than discretionary) design review. Staff explained that middle housing design standards cannot be more restrictive than those applied to single-family homes, creating challenges since Bellingham currently has no design standards for single-family development. Commissioner Rose Lathrop questioned what "clear and objective" standards look like in practice, prompting discussion about learning from other jurisdictions like Spokane, Carnation, and Bellevue. Staff noted ongoing statewide collaboration among planners working through similar implementation challenges. **Human Scale Streets and Flexible Right-of-Way** Commissioners sought clarification on "human scale" street design, with Gedrath explaining it prioritizes pedestrian comfort and safety over vehicle accommodation. The flexible right-of-way concept would allow variations in lane widths, sidewalk dimensions, and infrastructure placement based on neighborhood context and competing de…

**Dan Bloemker (Birchwood neighborhood):** Argued that excessive regulations have created housing unaffordability, citing stabilized rents due to recent apartment completions but warning of construction slowdowns from interest rates and anticipated tariffs. Called for genuine cost-benefit analysis of all regulations affecting housing viability. **Brian Horn (Letter Streets):** Emphasized homeownership challenges for working families, arguing that creating more rental units doesn't address the broader affordability crisis. Criticized focus on homeless shelter expansion while working families get "priced out of being able to ever buy a home." **R…

**Anya Gedrath, on community feedback:** "The feedback that we heard is really consistent with and supports the goals and policies that you'll find in this chapter." **Dan Bloemker, on housing regulations:** "We've invented so many different ways to reduce housing viability, and it has made Bellingham one of the least affordable cities in the country because supply isn't keeping up with demand." **Chris Behee, on community outreach success:** "I think that set us up well for when Anya and th…

The Community Design chapter was restructured from eight goals to five, removing redundancies while retaining all content through reorganization and consolidation. Historic and cultural resource policies, previously scattered throughout the plan, are now consolidated in a single goal. The chapter now explicitly addresses state legislative requirements for objective design standards and streamlined review processes, fun…

### Meeting Overview The Bellingham City Planning Commission met on March 6, 2025, to review and discuss the Community Design chapter of the comprehensive plan update. Staff presented draft goals and policies for this chapter, which focuses on creating attractive, walkable neighborhoods and managing growth through design standards. ### Key Terms and Concepts **Community Design Chapter:** A comprehensive plan element focused on how buildings, streets, and public spaces should be designed to create attractive, livable neighborhoods. **House Bill 1293:** State legislation requiring "clear and objective" design standards that can be applied consistently without subjective interpretation. **House Bill 1110:** State law requiring middle housing design standards to be no more restrictive than standards for single-family homes. **Middle Housing:** Duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, townhomes, and other housing types that fall between single-family homes and large apartment buildings. **Design Review Board (DRB):** A five-member volunteer board that reviews development proposals for design compliance, with at least three members having building trades backgrounds. **Human-Scale Streets:** Streets designed primarily for people rather than cars, featuring sidewalks, bike lanes, landscaping, and other pedestrian-friendly amenities. **Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED):** Design principles that create naturally safe environments through visibility, lighting, and strategic placement of features. **Infill Toolkit:** Current city regulations that provide design standards for smaller-scale housing development within existing neighborhoods. ### Key People at This Meeting | Name | Role / Affiliation | |---|---| | Mike Estes | Planning Commission Chair | | Anya Gedrath | City Planner II, presenter | | Chris Behee | Long Range Division Manager | | Barbara Plaskett | Planning Commissioner | | Rose Lathrop | Planning Commissioner | | Jerry Richmond | Planning Commissioner | | Russ Whidbee | Planning Commissioner | | Scott Jones | Planning Commissioner | | Dan Bloemk…