Real Briefings
The meeting demonstrates significant alignment on problems but reveals the complexity of coordinated regional governance in addressing growth management challenges.
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## Meeting Overview
On a crisp February 20, 2025 afternoon, elected officials from across Whatcom County gathered at Bellingham's Pacific Street Operations Center for what was described as a crucial but challenging conversation about regional growth management. The special meeting, hosted by Bellingham City Councilmember Michael Lilliquist, brought together representatives from eight jurisdictions to tackle some of the most pressing planning issues facing the county: coordination between cities and the county on urban growth areas, industrial land supply, and the possibility of new city incorporations.
This was not the first such meeting — similar gatherings had been occurring quarterly — but the urgency felt different. With the county's comprehensive plan update underway and growth pressures mounting, officials wrestled with fundamental questions about how to manage development, where to put future housing and industry, and how to coordinate planning across jurisdictional boundaries. The conversation would reveal both shared concerns and divergent approaches to solving Whatcom County's growth challenges.
The meeting included county councilmembers Tyler Byrd, Ben Elenbaas, Carol Frazey, Kaylee Galloway, and Todd Donovan; mayors and council members from Bellingham, Ferndale, Lynden, Blaine, Sumas, and Everson; and key planning staff. Some participated remotely, including Councilmember Hannah Stone who joined partway through. The tone was collaborative but sometimes tense as officials grappled with complex policy questions that have no easy answers.
## Pre-Zoning: Setting Expectations for Future Development
The first substantive discussion centered on what Lilliquist termed "pre-zoning" — a proposed countywide planning policy that would require formal processes for zoning urban growth areas (UGAs) before annexation occurs. Ferndale Mayor Greg Hanson opened by outlining his city's frustrations with current development patterns in their UGA.
"The city of Ferndale has ongoing concerns about development in the UGAs that tend to, over time, block the annexation, make it extraordinarily difficult," Hanson explained. He pointed to development patterns that create rural expectations and infrastructure that later become barriers to urban-level development when cities try to annex these areas.
The challenge, as several officials explained, is the chicken-and-egg problem of rural development in areas designated for future urban growth. County Councilmember Tyler…
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### Meeting Overview
A special joint meeting of city and county elected officials convened on February 20, 2025, to discuss growth management coordination for the 2025 comprehensive plan update. Representatives from Whatcom County, Bellingham, Ferndale, Lynden, Blaine, Sumas, Everson, and Nooksack gathered to address Urban Growth Area (UGA) planning policies, industrial land supply challenges, and potential city incorporation processes.
### Key Terms and Concepts
**Pre-zoning:** A proposed process where Whatcom County would adopt zoning for Urban Growth Areas before annexation, with the zoning taking effect when properties are formally annexed into cities. This would provide clarity to developers and property owners about future development expectations.
**Urban Growth Areas (UGAs):** Areas designated under the Growth Management Act where urban-level development is planned to occur in the future. These areas are typically annexed by cities when infrastructure and services can support urban density.
**Abutting UGAs:** The areas where Bellingham and Ferndale's Urban Growth Areas come close together, requiring coordination between the two cities to prevent conflicts in planning and development.
**Shovel-ready sites:** Industrial or commercial properties that have utilities, road access, and permits in place, allowing development to begin immediately without lengthy preparation.
**Industrial land banking:** A policy tool allowing jurisdictions to designate and hold large areas for future industrial development, protecting them from incompatible uses.
**Annexation:** The process by which unincorporated areas become part of an existing city, typically initiated by property owner petition or under specific statutory procedures.
**Land capacity analysis:** Technical studies that calculate how much development can occur on available land based on current zoning and infrastructure constraints.
**Level of service:** Standards for public services like fire protection, police, and utilities that must be maintained as areas develop from rural to urban densities.
### Key People at This Meeting
| Name | Role / Affiliation |
|---|---|
| Michael Lilliquist | Bellingham City Council, Meeting Host |
| Satpal Sidhu | Whatcom County Executive |
| Tyler Byrd | Whatcom County Council District 1 |
| Kaylee Galloway | Whatcom County Council District 2 |
| Jon Scanlon | Whatcom County Council District 3 |
| Mark Strumpher | Whatcom County Council |
| Greg Hanson | Mayor of Ferndale |
| Gary Bess | Lynden City Council |
| Scott Korthuis | Mayor of Lynden |
| Mary Lou Stewart | City of Blaine |
| Bruce Buss | Mayor of Sumas |
| Jen Luttenbacher | Everson City Council |
| Lisa Anderson | Bellingham City Council |
| S…
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