### Meeting Overview The Bellingham Planning Commission met on April 16, 2026, for an informational presentation on the city's implementation of interim ordinances for middle housing, ADUs, and design review. Blake Lyon, Director of Planning and Community Development, led the briefing with staff experts to share lessons learned from these temporary regulations adopted to comply with state housing laws. ### Key Terms and Concepts **Middle Housing:** Housing types between single-family homes and large apartment buildings, including duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, townhomes, and cottage clusters. Required by state law to increase housing options. **ADU (Accessory Dwelling Unit):** A smaller housing unit on the same lot as a primary residence. New state law allows up to two ADUs per lot, up to 1,000 square feet each, with no owner-occupancy requirement. **Floor Area Ratio (FAR):** The ratio of total building floor area to lot size. For example, a FAR of 1.0 means you can build 5,000 square feet of floor space on a 5,000 square foot lot across multiple stories. **Interim Ordinance:** Temporary regulations that allow cities to test new rules while developing permanent versions. Bellingham used these to meet state deadlines while learning from real applications. **Objective Design Standards:** Measurable design requirements (like "windows must cover 15% of wall area") rather than subjective ones (like "shall meet general character"). Required by state law to streamline approvals. **Condominiumization:** Converting rental units into separately-owned condominiums. Allowed for ADUs under state law but rarely used due to financing complications. **Tier One City:** Cities with population over 75,000 (Bellingham is the only one in Whatcom County). Must allow up to 4 units per lot, with 5-6 units allowed near transit or for affordable housing. ### Key People at This Meeting | Name | Role / Affili…