HomeMy WebLinkAboutPlanning Nov 9 2022Whatcom County
Council Planning and Development Committee
COUNTY COURTHOUSE
311 Grand Avenue, Ste #105
Bellingham, WA 98225-4038
(360) 778-5010
Committee Minutes - Final
Wednesday, November 9, 2022
3:20 PM
Hybrid Meeting
PLEASE NOTE START TIME CHANGE TO 3 P.M. HYBRID MEETING -
ADJOURNS BY 4:30 P.M.; MAY BEGIN EARLY (PARTICIPATE IN -PERSON, SEE
REMOTE JOIN INSTRUCTIONS AT www.whatcomcounty.us/joinvirtualcouncil, OR
CALL 360.778.5010)
COUNCILMEMBERS
Todd Donovan
Ben Elenbaas
Kaylee Galloway
CLERK OF THE COUNCIL
Dana Brown -Davis, C.M.C.
Council Planning and Development Committee Minutes - Final November 9, 2022
Committee
Call To Order
Roll Call
Committee member Todd Donovan called the meeting to order at 3 p.m. in
a 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
1. A21 .0 21-A2 7, Discussion of the Buildable Lands Report
The following people presented (presentation on file) on some of the key
findings of the Buildable Lands Report (BLR) issued in July 2022 and
answered questions:
• Matt Aamot, Planning and Development Services Department
• Chris Behee, City of Bellingham
They answered whether it is the Urban Growth Area (UGA) in Bellingham
city limits which is not annexed that is not meeting the planned density,
whether the "Planned and Achieved Densities" information in the
presentation is really a density chart and not necessarily a chart that tells
whether the city of Bellingham is building enough units to take care of the
population, why are we planning for densities of 6.0 units per acre for the
County portion (UGA) within the City of Bellingham when that is not even
possible, whether any of the acreage under the achieved density column on
the "Planned and Achieved Densities" slide flooded during the last two
floods and whether we will continue to develop in those areas, why the
consideration of available land being subject to flood or other
climate -related impacts would not be relevant for the BLR as we are
looking to project for the next eight years, whether the two floods in 2021
went above the floodway (which the cities used discretion on whether to
include in deductions from the land available) and the flood plain, whether
the numbers on the slide titled "Population' are taking into account the city
and the UGA or just the UGA, where they got the population estimations,
and why developers are not building on the buildable lands in the city in
light of the housing problem.
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Council Planning and Development Committee Minutes - Final November 9, 2022
Committee
Kershner stated she encourages the City of Bellingham to make it an
emergency to get as much housing capacity and zoning as possible and as
quickly as possible.
The speakers answered whether it has been taken into account how many
houses are second homes (not primary residences) and vacant for a large
part of a year, how on paper it seems like we are meeting our goals for
density and growth and then in reality we are still experiencing hardship and
crisis, what the reasonable measures are to achieve densities in Birch Bay
and Blaine, what happens if we increase the densities but the market is not
going that way and people are not developing at those densities, whether
reasonable measures would be adopted during the Comprehensive Plan
update, and whether there are things that can get docketed for reasonable
measures without having to wait for the Comprehensive Plan process.
This agenda item was DISCUSSED.
Committee Discussion and Recommendation to Council
1. Af32022-586 Discussion and motion to approve the Public Participation Plan for Whatcom County
Comprehensive Plan and Development Regulation Amendments
Matt Aamot, Planning and Development Services Department, briefed the
Councilmembers. He stated project D-8 (Lake Whatcom Watershed
Overlay District Amendments) was approved by Council in Ordinance
2022-061 so this project should be deleted.
Galloway stated an ordinance regarding wireless service facilities is also on
the Council's agenda tonight and asked if those references should be
deleted from the plan also if the ordinance is adopted.
Councilmembers asked if they dealt with deleted projects D-18 Surface
Mining of Dry Meander Zones and D-17 Surface Mining Pipeline Buffer.
Galloway moved to recommend to the full Council that they approve the
Public Participation Plan for Whatcom County Comprehensive Plan and
Development Regulation Amendments striking projects PLN2021-00005
(Wireless Communication Facilities) and PLN2021-00008 (Lake
Whatcom Watershed Overlay District Amendments).
The motion carried by the following vote:
Aye: 3 - Galloway, Elenbaas, and Donovan
Nay: 0
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Council Planning and Development Committee Minutes , Final November 9, 2022
Committee
Aamot answered whether he cross-checked the list of
"Governmental/Quasi-Governmental Groups" with the Resolution
establishing priorities for Whatcom County's 2025 Comprehensive Plan
update that Council approved in August. He stated he did.
This agenda item was FORWARDED TO COUNCIL WITH
RECOMMENDED MOTION(S).
Items Added by Revision
Other Business
Adjournment
There were no agenda items added by revision.
There was no other business.
The meeting adjourned at 3:49 p.m.
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Kristi Felbinger, Minutes Transcription
WHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL
WHATCOM COUNTY, WA
Ben Elenbaas-via email 12/9/2022
Ben Elenbaas, Committee Chair
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