Planning Commission

RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION CITY OF BELLINGHAM, WASHINGTON Thursday 7:00 PM December 3, 2020 City Council Chambers Video Recorded www.cob.org Call to Order / Roll Call Present: Mike Estes (Chair); Ali Taysi; Phyllis McKee, Steve Crooks, Rose Lathrop, Scott Jones and Mackenzie Graham Absent: Approval of Minutes November 1 and November 19, 2020 were approved by general consensus. Public Comment Period Opportunity for citizens to speak informally to the Planning Commissioners on any subject not listed on the agenda. Speakers are allowed a MAXIMUM of three (3) minutes to address the Commission. Speakers will not be required to disclose their address. Ten citizens provided comment to the Commissioners on a variety of topics. WORK SESSION Family Definition Discussion Lisa Pool shared an overview of the process staff has followed to date, as well as the Engage Bellingham survey results. Staff reviewed alternative options to the definition for discussion: 1) Eliminate the definition; 2) Remove the limit on number of unrelated, but establish new bulk and scale limitation of new single-family construction; 3) Retain the definition, but allow for cooperatives/intentional communities; 4) Retain the definition and supplement it with the creation of a functionally equivalent “household unit” without any limit; 5) Retain the definition, but adopt an occupancy requirement for unrelated people who live together and 6) In residential-single zoning districts, establish number of unrelated people based on analysis of pre-existing number of bedrooms and/or square footage. There was some discussion about how enforcement would actually be achieved in some of the alternatives provided. There was also a conversation about the difference between established neighborhoods and green-field development and how will the bulk and scale be limited in appropriate areas. It was pointed out that the existing infrastructure needs to be considered when determining how many residents should be living in a home, and if it can handle the additional loads. There was a conversation about how this may make a positive impact to the housing crisis and hopefully remove some of the segregation that we are experiencing at this time. There was general support for using the term “household unit” and how many persons would fit in a certain home. It was also pointed out that there is still going to be an enforcement issue that the City will need to figure out how to address. RM Project Update Lisa Pool shared the public process to date and explained the different opportunities available to the community for participation and to share their comments. She highlighted some of the results from the survey that was posted to the Engage Bellingham website related to the RM Project. Staff reviewed four of the project scope components: 1) Density Bonus; 2) Infill Housing Toolkit; 3) Minimum Densities and 4) Ranged Zoning and invited the Commissioners to share their thoughts for consideration when drafting the Ordinance. Commissioner Questions / Comment There was a conversation about the TDR (Transfer of Development Rights) program and how successful it has been with regard to achieving density bonuses. Staff shared that the 50% bonus in the land division ordinance related to infill housing is also being used and has been successful. There was a suggestion of taking the low density zone and moving it into the medium zone and only having two tiers rather than three to ensure the desired density is actually achieved. Staff commented that most of the areas that would qualify for the low density zone have been developed. There was a brief discussion on the additional number of units could be realized with these proposed changes. There was concern expressed that this update may not address the real reason that desired densities are not being achieved in residential-multi zones. It was suggested that it could be the existing development regulations and without revisions to those regulations, we may still not achieve what we are hoping for. Staff acknowledged that more may need to be done in the future; however, this project and the scope that has been outlined in the first step in reaching the goal of achieving more density in the residential- multi zones. There was support for assigning the highest density to those areas that may be large enough to cross- over into two different ranges (medium and high for example). Old/New Business Shoreline Committee: Mike Estes appointed Scott Jones to the vacant position on the Shoreline Committee. Upcoming Meetings: No meeting dates scheduled at this time. Adjournment Minutes prepared by: _Heather Aven______________ Heather Aven, Recording Secretary Minutes edited by Planning Commission members and various Planning Staff.