Whatcom County is exploring a big question: Would a countywide Office of Healthy Housing be helpful or even necessary? Right now, no decisions have been made. This feasibility study will find out if such an office would address real needs in our community. That’s why we want to hear from the people who know rental housing best—renters, landlords,…
HB 1175 – Corner Stores his bill seeks to promote mixed-use neighborhoods by allowing small-scale retail businesses, known as corner stores, in residential areas. The goal is to enhance walkability and provide local amenities without significant changes to neighborhood character. Read the full bill here. HB 1183 – Building Codes B 1183 proposes updates to…
On January 13, Bellingham City Council voted to pass an interim ordinance to eliminate parking minimums for new residential developments. This bold move aligns with the city’s commitment to addressing housing affordability, reducing environmental impacts, and creating a more walkable, accessible urban landscape. Backed by Mayor Kim Lund and her Executive Order, and informed by…
On November 21, 2024, Bellingham Mayor Kim Lund issued an Executive Order (EO) to address Bellingham’s escalating housing crisis. The EO has 13 administrative actions and 3 legislative directives, all aimed at expanding housing options and addressing affordability in Bellingham. This directive focuses on diversifying housing options, streamlining permitting processes, and notably, eliminating parking minimum…
Bellingham is currently navigating several significant policy developments, each with the potential to shape the city’s future growth and infrastructure. Here’s a brief update on key policy discussions, along with opportunities for public engagement, where applicable: Parking Reform The Planning Commission is expected to review proposals for parking reform in late summer or early fall.…
BELLINGHAM, WA July 1, 2024 The Whatcom Housing Alliance is thrilled to announce the launch of the Middle Housing Design Competition, where innovation meets community transformation! As the City of Bellingham begins to adopt Middle Housing, this competition aims to ignite dialogue about the importance of these diverse housing options, including townhomes, duplexes,…
With the passing of the historic HB 1110 middle housing Bill last spring, we want to share some of the FAQs that have been posed by municipalities. WA State Commerce Department has compiled all of them, in an effort to highlight how the passing of this legislation will impact cities. We’ve dropped many of the…
As we noted in this week’s newsletter, Bellingham voted to pass an ordinance that adopted HB 1337. We want to take this opportunity to expand education on the difference between state law and local adoption of state law. Before we get into what was passed in Bellingham, let’s breakdown what was passed at the state…
Parking continues to be such a driving policy in so many of our housing decisions. Below is the letter that was sent to City Council for review during their deliberations on 6/26. City Council voted 6-0 (Michael Lilliquist was absent), to send back to Committee for more information before voting on the removal of parking…
