Whatcom County Planning Commission

**Bellingham's Housing Crisis Strategy** Commissioner Brown fundamentally challenged Bellingham's approach to affordable housing, arguing that the city's $133 million annual funding need to meet low-income housing goals is economically unrealistic. He contended that the city should focus on reducing housing costs rather than increasing subsidies, pointing to $30,000 in impact fees as an example of regulatory costs driving up housing prices. Chris Behee, representing Bellingham, acknowledged the financial challenges but defended the city's land use reforms and regulatory streamlining efforts. **Rural Forestry Management Debate** The commission engaged in extensive discussion about converting rural forestry land to commercial forestry. Commissioner Hansen proposed allowing staff to identify areas where such conversions would be appropriate, particularly in wildfire-prone areas. However, commissioners Moceri and others argued that rural forestry provides valuable biodiversity an…

**Holly Koon (Forestry Advisory Committee):** Expressed appreciation that prior input had been incorporated but requested specific language changes including support for "forest collaborative" structures and opposition to broad rural forestry rezoning to commercial forestry. **Bill Geyer (Guy Associates):** Reported that Blaine voters approved deanexation of Grandis Pond area and criticized County Council for acting prematurely on UGA proposals before Planning Commission review. **Jack Hovenier (Columbia Valley landowner):** Detailed his property development progress including wetland delineations, geology studies, and agreements with fire and water distr…

**Commissioner Brown, on affordable housing costs:** "If the model to provide affordable housing requires $130 million a year, there are 98,000 population. You divide that by 2.4 to give you an average household. That's an additional $3,250 per household that we're going to have to tax them in order to provide affordable housing. It's just not a sustainable approach." **Commissioner Brown, on housing cost reduction:** "My fundamental struggle is we keep looking for solutions that require us r…

After this meeting: - Bellingham's growth planning is significantly delayed due to proposal rejection - Ferndale and Columbia Valley are positioned for timely approval of their growth plans - County forest land policies include new wildfire risk reduction measures - Gravel harvesting from riverine areas faces new restric…

--- ### Meeting Overview The Whatcom County Planning Commission held a Special Meeting (Work Session) on November 6, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. in hybrid format at 5280 Northwest Drive, Bellingham. The commission conducted preliminary reviews of Urban Growth Area (UGA) proposals for the City of Bellingham, City of Ferndale, and the Columbia Valley, and then worked through a series of policy motions on Chapter 8: Resource Lands of the 2025 Comprehensive Plan update. --- ### Key Terms and Concepts **Urban Growth Area (UGA):** A boundary designated under Washington's Growth Management Act (GMA) within which urban growth is encouraged. Cities annex land from the UGA to expand their city limits. The county and cities jointly review and propose UGA boundaries every several years as part of a comprehensive plan update. **UGA Reserve:** Land set aside as a potential future urban growth area but not yet designated as UGA. Land in UGA Reserve status is held for possible inclusion in a future planning cycle when need and infrastructure can be demonstrated. **Area Median Income (AMI):** A benchmark used to describe housing affordability. Housing affordable to households earning 0–30% AMI serves the lowest-income residents; 50–80% AMI is roughly market-rate in Bellingham. House Bill 1220 requires jurisdictions to plan for housing at all income levels. **Land Capacity Analysis (LCA):** A technical study comparing how many housing units or jobs a proposed UGA boundary can accommodate against the jurisdiction's allocated growth target. A surplus means the boundary can hold more than the allocation; a deficit means it cannot. **Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH):** Affordable housing units that include on-site, around-the-clock case management, behavioral health services, or other wraparound services. PSH serves people experiencing homelessness, especially those with complex needs. **Middle Housing:** A range of housing types between single-family detached homes and large apartment buildings, including duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, townhomes, cottage housing, and accessory dwelling units (ADUs). Washington State legislation has required cities to allow middle housing in most residential zones. **De-designation (of agricultural land):** The process of removing the "agricultural resource land" designation from a parcel under the GMA, which allows it to be converted to an urban growth area. De-designation requires a formal finding that conditions have changed and must follow specific state criteria. **Conservation Futures Fund:** A Whatcom County fund that finances the purchase of voluntary conservation easements, removing development rights from agricultural and other resource lands to preserve them in perpetuity. **Wildland Urban Interface (WUI):** The zone where developed or residential land meets or intermingles with undeveloped wildland. Properties in the WUI face elevated wildfire risk, and the Washington Department of Natural Resources maintains a WUI map. **Forest Collaborative:** A specific, structured type of interagency committee used in other Washington counties to coordinate with the U.S. Forest Service on timber harvest, forest health, and restoration on federal lands. --- ### Key People at This Meeting | Name | Role / Affiliation | |---|---| | Kelvin Barton | Chair, Whatcom County Planning Commission | | Jim Hansen | Planning Commissioner | | Julie Jefferson | Planning Commissioner | | Daniel Dunne | Planning Commissioner | | Dom…