HomeMy WebLinkAboutPlanning Mar 8 2022Whatcom County
Council Planning and Development Committee
COUNTY COURTHOUSE
311 Grand Avenue, Ste #105
Bellingham, WA 98225-4038
(360) 778-5010
Committee Minutes - Final
Tuesday, March 8, 2022
1:15 PM
Council Chambers
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COUNCILMEMBERS
Todd Donovan
Ben Elenbaas
Kaylee Galloway
CLERK OF THE COUNCIL
Dana Brown -Davis, C.M.C.
Council Planning and Development Committee Minutes - Final March 8, 2022
Committee
Call To Order
Committee Chair Ben Elenbaas called the meeting to order at 1:17 p.m. in a
Roll Call
hybrid meeting.
Present: 3 - Todd Donovan, Ben Elenbaas, and Kaylee Galloway
Absent: None
Also Present: Barry Buchanan, Tyler Byrd, Carol Frazey, and Kathy Kershner
Announcements
Committee Discussion and Recommendation to Council
1. AB20222145 Resolution docketing Comprehensive Plan and Development Regulation amendments
Matt Aamot, Planning and Development Services Department, presented
and answered questions about the Bellingham Urban Growth Areas (UGA)
Expansion project, how much forest land we have in Urban Growth Areas
and where it would be, and whether the Department of Natural Resources
(DNR) has jurisdiction over forest lands that are currently in our UGA.
Donovan read the following item and moved that they recommend to the
full Council that this item be added to Exhibit A (the docket):
Review and if necessary, revise county code and the Comprehensive
Plan to protect and enhance public access to shorelines of Cherry
Point. The review should include but not be limited to planning to
facilitate the development of the Coast Millennium Trail, land swaps,
development mitigation allowances, easements, and land purchases.
The motion was seconded by Galloway.
Councilmembers discussed the motion and whether there is pubic access
now.
Kershner suggested a friendly amendment that he add "and expand" public
access as follows:
Review and if necessary, revise county code and the Comprehensive
Plan to protect, and -enhance,, gqd�k�q- public access to shorelines
of Cherry Point. The review should include but not be limited to
planning to facilitate the development of the Coast Millennium Trail,
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Council Planning and Development Committee Minutes - Final March 8, 2022
Committee
land swaps, development mitigation allowances, easements, and land
purchases.
Donovan accepted the friendly amendment.
The motion to amend carried by the following vote:
Aye: 3 - Donovan, Elenbaas, and Galloway
Nay: 0
Aamot answered questions about the proposed docket.
Donovan moved that they recommend the substitute docket for approval as
amended. The motion was seconded by Galloway.
Aamot answered whether there are any updates or outcomes on the projects
on the docket that have been crossed out, and whether they wait until the
items are totally complete before crossing them off the docket.
Frazey asked whether the Council might be willing to bring forward an
amendment to the docket regarding trail maintenance to have an exception
to rebuild the trails in the watershed during the seasonal closure, and stated
she will bring that up tonight.
Mark Personius, Planning and Development Services Department Director,
answered whether they would be waiving the out of season trail building or
extending the 500-foot limit or both, whether it would be considered an
exemption to land clearing, and what part of the code it would change.
Donovan moved to recommend that they amend the docket to include
Frazey's amendment as follows:
Amend the Whatcom County Code to allow for an exemption to
seasonal clearing activity closures in the Lake Whatcom watershed
for trail maintenance and limited trail construction under certain
circumstances.
The motion was seconded by Galloway.
The motion to amend carried by the following vote:
Aye: 3 - Donovan, Elenbaas, and Galloway
Nay: 0
Donovan moved that the SUBSTITUTE Resolution be RECOMMENDED
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Council Planning and Development Committee Minutes - Final
Committee
FOR APPROVAL WITH PROPOSED AMENDMENT(S). The motion
carried by the following vote:
Aye: 3 - Donovan, Elenbaas, and Galloway
Nay: 0
Absent: 0
Other Business
Adiournment
There was no other business.
The meeting adjourned at 1:45 p.m.
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Dana Brown Dayis, Council Clerk
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Kristi Felbinger, Minutes Transcription
March 8, 2022
WHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL
WHATCOM COUNTY, WA
Ben Elenbaas-via email 3/10/2022
Ben Elenbaas, Committee Chair
Whatcom County Page 3