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Real Briefings

Bellingham Planning Commission

BEL-PLN-2025-10-09 October 09, 2025 Planning Commission Meeting City of Bellingham
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The Bellingham Planning Commission held a public hearing on proposed updates to the city's Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) ordinance, designed to bring Bellingham into full compliance with Washington State House Bill 1337. The commission unanimously approved the ordinance with three key amendments after extensive technical discussion about development standards, floor area ratios, and utility sharing provisions. The proposed changes eliminate owner occupancy requirements for ADUs, remove several design standards deemed more restrictive than those applied to primary units, and integrate ADUs more fully with the city's middle housing framework under HB 1110. The Planning Commission's amendments focused on reducing setback requirements, preserving shared utility options, and eliminating minimum parking requirements for ADUs. Staff presented dramatic growth data showing ADU permits increasing from mid-40s annually to over 100 permits after the 2023 implementation of HB 1337 provisions, demonstrating significant pent-up demand for this housing type. The ordinance now moves to City Council with Planning Commission recommendation for approval, with a scheduled hearing on October 20th.

**ADU Ordinance Recommendation (AB: Draft Ordinance)** - **Staff Recommendation:** Approve with state compliance updates - **Commission Action:** PASSED 5-0 with three amendments - **Key Specifics:** Eliminates owner occupancy requirements, integrates with middle housing framework, removes design barriers - **Practical Impact:** Full state law compliance by year-end deadline **Zero Setback Amendment** - **Commission Action:** PASSED 5-0 (Bloemker/Lathrop) - **Key Specifics:** Eliminates 5-foot setback requirement in rear 32 feet of property for detached ADUs - **Practical Impact:** Allows more flexibility for ADU placement c…

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**Floor Area Ratio (FAR) Integration** The commission extensively discussed the transition from square footage limits to FAR calculations for ADUs. Staff explained that FAR provides scalable development standards that work across different lot sizes, promoting housing diversity while maintaining neighborhood compatibility. Commissioner concerns centered on FAR being "wonky" and hard for property owners to understand, but staff emphasized its importance for consistent application across various housing types. The change eliminates ADU exemptions from FAR to align with middle housing standards under HB 1110. **Property Line Setbacks** Staff requested specific guidance on whether detached ADUs should be allowed at zero setback in rear yards, consistent with current accessory building standards. The discussion balanced practical construction needs, neighbor relationships, and regulatory simplicity. Commissioners ultimately supported eliminating the neighbor consent requirement, preferring clear, objective standards over case-by-case negotiations. Fire code requirements and construction …
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**Planning Staff (Chris Koch, Blake Huddle, Kurt Nabbefeld)** Recommended approval with state compliance updates. Emphasized the need to coordinate ADU regulations with middle housing and design review ordinances. Supported removing redundant provisions and achieving consistency across housing types. Acknowledged the complexity of implementing three related state mandates simultaneously. **Commissioner Rose Lathrop** Strongly advocated for preserving shared utility provisions, citing direct experience with affordable housing development where shared utilities provided significant cost savings. Supported eliminating parking minimums and red…
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**Blake Huddle, on development options:** "With all of the new changes at the state level, at the local level, it's almost the question that consultants and people are asking, even us at the counter, when they come in and say, 'What can I do with my lot?' It's more like, 'What can't you do with your lot now?'" **Commissioner Lathrop, on shared utilities:** "We were able to because they were ADUs share utilities. They almost didn't let us. The inspector came out and was like, 'No, we need two …
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**City Council Public Hearing:** October 20, 2025, for first and second reading of ADU ordinance with Planning Commission amendments. **Third Reading Coordination:** Final adoption scheduled after middle housing and design review ordinances are prepared, allowing Council to review all three together. **Middle Housing Ordinance:** Return to Planning Commission in 2026 for final version after interi…

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**Setback Flexibility:** Detached ADUs can now be built at zero setback in rear 32 feet of properties without neighbor consent, matching accessory building standards. **Utility Cost Reduction:** Planning Commission directed preservation of shared utility options, overriding staff recommendation to relocate provisions to general codes. **Parking Deregulation:** Minimum parking requirements eliminated for ADUs, making standards consistent with cityw…
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## Meeting Overview On October 9, 2025, the Bellingham Planning Commission convened at 6:00 PM in City Council Chambers for a public hearing on updates to the City's Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) ordinance. This was no routine meeting—the commission was deliberating on sweeping changes required by state law that would fundamentally alter how ADUs can be built in Bellingham. Five commissioners were present: Chair Mike Estes, Dan Bloemker, Jed Ballew, Lisa Marx, and Rose Lathrop. Jerry Richmond and Russ Whidbee were absent. The meeting centered on a critical deadline: Washington State's House Bill 1337, along with companion bills HB 1110 and HB 1293, must be fully implemented by December 31, 2025, or the state will preempt local regulations entirely. This was Bellingham's final opportunity to craft its own approach to ADU reform while meeting state mandates for dramatically expanding housing options. What made this meeting particularly significant was its coordination with the city's broader housing transformation. The ADU changes weren't happening in isolation—they were being harmonized with interim middle housing regulations that allow up to four units per lot (or six with affordability components), creating what staff described as nearly infinite development options that have shifted the conversation from "what can you build?" to "what can't you build?" ## The State Housing Mandate Context Blake Wagner, representing Planning and Community Development, opened the substantive discussion by placing the ADU updates within Washington's historic housing push. "In the 2023 state legislative session, there were several housing bills that came through that session that had particular timelines associated with them," he explained. House Bill 1337 was just one piece of a comprehensive state strategy to address Washington's housing crisis by forcing local governments to remove barriers to alternative housing forms. The urgency was palpable. Originally, cities had six months after comprehensive plan adoption to complete these regulations. "Then in this year's legislative session, they took that …
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### Meeting Overview The City of Bellingham Planning Commission held a public hearing on October 9, 2025, to review proposed updates to the Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) ordinance. The amendments are required to bring Bellingham into full compliance with Washington State House Bill 1337, which mandates changes to ADU regulations by December 31, 2025. The commission voted 5-0 to recommend approval with several amendments. ### Key Terms and Concepts **ADU (Accessory Dwelling Unit):** A second residential unit on the same property as a primary home, either attached to or separate from the main house. **House Bill 1337:** 2023 Washington State legislation requiring cities to ease barriers to ADU construction by eliminating certain restrictions like owner occupancy requirements and overly restrictive design standards. **Floor Area Ratio (FAR):** A zoning tool that limits building size based on lot size, ensuring development scales appropriately with the property rather than using fixed square footage limits. **Middle Housing (HB 1110):** State legislation allowing up to 4-6 housing units per lot, which ADUs now count toward under the updated regulations. **Type I Review Process:** An administrative approval process that doesn't require public notice, making ADU permits faster and less expensive to obtain. **Principal Unit:** The main dwelling on a property (single-family home, duplex, triplex, etc.) that an ADU is associated with. **Detached ADU (D-ADU):** An ADU in a separate building from the primary residence, such as a converted garage or purpose-built structure. **Minor Modifications:** Small adjustments to development standards that can be approved administratively without requiring a full variance process. ### Key People at This Meeting | Name | Role / Affiliation | |---|---| | Mike Estes | Planning Commission Chair | | Dan Bloemker | Planning Commissioner | | Rose Lathrop | Pl…
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Housing Land Use & Planning Government Operations HB 1110 HB 1293 HB 1337 SB 5558 SB 6015 Bellingham Planning Commission City Council Department Of Commerce Washington State Legislature Whatcom County Blake Huddle Chris Koch Dan Bloemker Jed Ballew Kurt Nabbefeld Lisa Marx Mike Estes Rose Lathrop Accessory Dwelling Units Affordable Housing Design Review Floor Area Ratio Growth Management Act Housing Development Infill Development Land Use Policy Middle Housing Parking Requirements Setback Requirements State Legislation Utility Sharing Zoning