Planning Commission

Planning Commission Minutes City of Bellingham, Washington Thursday 6:00 PM October 24, 2024 PW Conference Room - 2221 Pacific Street Video Recorded https://meetings.cob.org Call to Order The Planning Commission meeting was called to order by the Chair at 6:00 PM. • Present: Mike Estes (Chair), Barbara Plaskett, Jed Ballew, Rose Lathrop, Russ Whidbee and Scott Jones • Staff Present: Blake Lyon, PCDD Director and Chris Behee, Long Range Division Manager -Approval of Minutes Public Comment Period During this time, citizens may take up to three (3) minutes to address the members about any topic not on the agenda. Citizens wishing to speak during this time will be recognized by the Chair for comment. Three citizens addressed the Commission on the following topics: • Which growth alternative strategy to choose • Single room occupancy housing types should be considered • Which areas in the UGA should be identified for annexation • Inclusionary zoning should be considered Agenda Items Work Session 1. Joint Planning Commission and City Council Meeting p. 2 Chris Behee shared the process to date and explained that each jurisdiction needs to submit a preferred alternative proposal to Whatcom County for consideration as part of a non-binding, multi-jurisdictional resolution. He emphasized that the work being done at this work session would be the starting point and will inform future conversations, it is not the final preferred alternative. Chris reviewed the OFM projections and shared some statistics related to the population and housing growth in Whatcom County over the last 10 years. He spoke to the fact that the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) will inform the policy choices that best accommodate growth while minimizing impacts. He shared the EIS Alternatives 1 – OFM Medium, 2 – Jurisdiction Request, and 3 – Adjusted High. He briefly touched on the requirements contained in the new WA State HB 1220 and what that might mean for our jurisdiction.  Chris commented on how Bellingham quantifies buildable land and explained that the land capacity analysis follows the countywide methodology. He shared the baseline capacity for both housing units and new jobs, as well as strategies that could provide for additional capacity. He noted that staff has recommended a growth allocation for Bellingham that matches the allocation for EIS Alternative 2. He explained that this agrees closely with the 1,346 people per year growth we have already been accommodating. There was a concern expressed that the projected growth would require the city to expand into the identified urban growth areas. There was also concern expressed that if we indicate that we would take a certain percentage, that would allow the other cities in Whatcom County to recommend accepting less growth. There was concern expressed about overplanning, which could drive up the cost of development. It was suggested that the focus of the discussion should not be the number itself, but instead talk about those things that are impacted by the estimated growth projection. There was a discussion about how the other jurisdictions (small cities) would be making their recommendations, and how Bellingham’s recommendation might influence those choices. There was also a brief conversation about how jobs and where people work might change in the future. Staff briefly spoke to the strategies for additional capacity and explained all of the things that are considered when choosing which properties to annex from the urban growth areas. They also spoke to the community’s interest in having housing near transit, having smaller housing forms available, and being able to live in walkable neighborhoods. There was a brief discussion about the actual growth percentage that Bellingham would be accepting and the costs associated with that allocation. There was also a brief conversation related to occupancy rate and what the process is to determine how that is factored into the proposed projections. There was general consensus for the staff to propose Alternative 2 (total of 18,443 housing units) for consideration and examination through the EIS process. Other Business 1. Approve Bylaw Amendments MOTION: Barbara Plaskett/Russ Whidbee moved to amend the Planning Commission bylaws, article II and article V to reflect the change of a regular meeting time from 7:00pm to 6:00pm.  VOTE: Motion Passes 5-0 1. Director's Report Adjournment Minutes prepared by: ____________________________________________ Heather Aven, Recording Secretary Minutes edited by both staff and Planning Commission members.