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Whatcom County Planning Commission

WHA-PLN-2026-02-26 February 26, 2026 Planning Commission Meeting Whatcom County
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The Whatcom County Planning Commission held a public hearing on proposed zoning map amendments related to the City of Blaine's Urban Growth Area (UGA) proposal. The commission considered three separate rezoning requests: designating a pending 573-acre de-annexed area as Rural 10-acre (R-10A), rezoning the 37-acre Dakota Creek UGA from Urban Residential-4 (UR-4) to R-10A, and rezoning 263 acres of East Blaine UGA from UR-4 to Light Impact Industrial (LII). The commission unanimously approved the first proposal (5-1 with Brown dissenting), rejected the second proposal 6-0 (then passed an alternative recommendation 6-0 with one abstention), and supported staff's recommendation to maintain current zoning for the third proposal (5-2). The meeting featured extensive discussion about wetlands impacts, public outreach concerns, and tensions between preserving industrial land capacity versus protecting existing residential uses. The most contentious issue was the Dakota Creek area, where commissioners ultimately recommended the county council either keep it in the UGA or adopt the highest possible rural density. For the East Blaine industrial proposal, commissioners supported staff's position requiring additional public outreach and critical areas study before proceeding.

**Motion 1 - De-annexed Area Zoning (PASSED 5-1):** - Item: Designate pending 573-acre de-annexed area as R-10A - Vote: 5 Yes (Barry, Dunne, Hansen, Moceri, Van Dalen), 1 No (Brown) - Staff recommendation: Supported - Significance: Area becomes rural when de-annexation is finalized **Motion 2 - Dakota Creek Initial Motion (FAILED 6-0):** - Item: Approve staff recommendation to rezone Dakota Creek UGA from UR-4 to R-10A - Vote: All voted No - Result: Motion failed, prompting alternative proposal **Motion 3 - Dakota Creek Alternative (PASS…

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**De-annexed Area Designation:** The 573-acre area in northeast Blaine presented the clearest case, with commissioners largely accepting the R-10A designation as appropriate for undeveloped land with significant critical areas and infrastructure challenges. Commissioner Brown opposed on housing crisis grounds, arguing the area could support 1,000 housing units and that downzoning amounted to creating a "private estate" at taxpayer expense. **Dakota Creek UGA Removal:** This area generated the most complex debate. The 37-acre area is partially developed with Harbor Shores subdivision having sewer service, but surrounded by critical areas and climate change vulnerabilities. Commissioners initially rejected staff's…
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**City of Blaine (Alex Winganger):** Strongly advocated for all three proposals, emphasizing economic development needs and alignment of growth plans. Supported R-10A for areas they don't want to serve with utilities, but pushed for industrial zoning where they see job creation potential. Acknowledged need for more public outreach but maintained urgency for industrial land designation. **PDS Staff (Mark Personius, Maddie Schacht):** Supported first two proposals but opposed industrial rezoning due to insufficient public engagement and environmental concerns. Emphasized need for property owner notification and critical areas study before proceeding with industrial designation. **Commissio…
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**Mark Personius, on UGA vs. rural zoning:** "One of the things that we've talked about over the past couple of years with the cities is these urban growth areas, unincorporated urban growth areas that are associated with cities, not getting annexed. And the cities don't extend sewer and water. So, they never urbanize." **Commissioner Brown, on de-annexation consequences:** "It to me it's the ultimate tragedy in this community from a housing perspective. We've lost a thousand houses i…
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- County Council will review all three zoning proposals alongside UGA decisions in weekly meetings through May 12, 2026 - Council sessions scheduled for March 3, 17, and 31 focusing on different Comprehensive Plan elements - Public hearing dates to b…

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**Approved Changes:** - 573-acre de-annexed area will receive R-10A zoning upon finalization of de-annexation - Planning Commission formally opposed industrial zoning for East Blaine UGA pending further study - Commission recommended keeping Dakota Creek in UGA or maximizing rural density if removed **Process Changes:** - Established precedent requiring public outreach for major zoning changes affecting existing residents - Highlighted need for critical areas analy…
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# Whatcom County Planning Commission Meeting — Complex Zoning Decisions Following Blaine's De-annexation ## Meeting Overview On February 26, 2026, the Whatcom County Planning Commission convened at 6:00 p.m. in a hybrid format to address one of the more complex land use decisions of the year: implementing zoning changes necessitated by the City of Blaine's pending de-annexation of 573 acres and related Urban Growth Area (UGA) modifications. Present were Commissioners Daniel Dunne (Chair), Matt Barry (newly appointed), Rud Browne, Scott Hansen, Dominic Moceri, Scott Van Dalen, and Nicholas Greif joining remotely. Staff was represented by Planning Director Mark Personius and Senior Planner Maddie Schacht, with Community Development Director Alex Winganger from Blaine attending to answer questions. The meeting centered on three interrelated rezoning proposals stemming from Blaine voters' approval in November 2025 to de-annex a substantial 573-acre area in the northeastern "panhandle" of the city. This action, combined with Blaine's request to remove other areas from Urban Growth Area designation and rezone part of their eastern UGA for light industrial use, created a complex web of zoning decisions that would ultimately affect hundreds of property owners and thousands of acres of land. What made this meeting particularly significant was the tension between competing policy goals: preserving industrial land capacity in a county with acknowledged shortages, respecting local voter decisions, maintaining housing opportunities during a regional housing crisis, and ensuring adequate public participation in decisions affecting property owners. ## Department Updates and Scheduling Mark Personius opened with updates on the accelerated timeline facing the commission. Starting the following week, county council would begin weekly meetings to review the comprehensive plan element by element, with sessions scheduled for March 3rd, 17th, and 31st, running from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. "We start weekly meetings with the council from now until mid-May," Personius noted, indicating the intensive review process ahead. The commission's upcoming schedule reflected the volume of Growth Management Act compliance work: March 12th would feature an open space application, March 26th another open space review, and April would bring a "big packag…
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Land Use & Planning Economic Development Environmental Government Operations PLN2023 00001 Boundary Review Board City Of Blaine County Council Harbor Shores Planning Development Services Whatcom County Alex Winganger Daniel Dunne Dominic Moceri Jim Hansen Maddie Schacht Mark Personius Matt Barry Nick Greif Otto Pointer Rud Brown Scott Van Dalen Annexation Comprehensive Plan Critical Areas Critical Areas Ordinance Dakota Creek De Annexation Housing Policy Industrial Development Public Outreach Sewer Water Services Urban Growth Areas Wetlands Protection Zoning Amendments