Planning Commission

Planning Commission Minutes City of Bellingham, Washington Thursday 6:00 PM July 10, 2025 City Council Chambers 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), Daniel Bloemker, Jed Ballew, Jerry Richmond, Lisa Marx and Russ Whidbee • Absent: Rose Lathrop • Staff Present: Chris Behee, Long Range Division Manager Approval of Minutes None to approve 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: • The exclusion of the South Yew St. UGA • Concern about the lack of trees that are required to be planted when new development occurs • Four issues with the land capacity analysis Agenda Items Presentation 1. EIS, Land Capacity Analysis, and Growth Strategy p. 2 Chris Behee provided an overview of the process to date. He reviewed each of the growth alternatives that were considered and noted that staff's preferred growth alternative is Alternative 2. He shared some information from the draft EIS that showed the new population, housing, and employment growth totals (related to each jurisdiction) for each of the growth alternatives. He also reviewed each of the areas that are included in the Urban Growth Area (UGA) or the Urban Growth Area Reserves and shared how each of the alternatives might affect that inclusion status. He reviewed the public comments received and noted when there were several comments on the same topic. Commission Questions/Comments There was a brief conversation on South Yew Street which included a discussion on the pros and cons for removing this area from the UGA Reserves and including it in the City’s Urban Growth Area. There was a brief discussion about the housing types that the City is expecting to see in the next decade.  There was a conversation about how a property being considered for annexation could be impacted by the tree and wildlife protections that are currently in effect. There was a concern expressed that the 3% buffer for growth may not be enough, and it was suggested that staff consider a higher percentage to account for a wider margin of error. Staff acknowledged that many of the points made were valid and shared the rationale for choosing the 3%. Other Business 1. Upcoming Meetings • Public Hearing on the Bellingham Comprehensive Plan (September) Adjournment Minutes prepared by: _Heather Aven________________________________ Heather Aven, Recording Secretary Minutes edited by both staff and Planning Commission members.