HomeMy WebLinkAboutSpecial Committee of the Whole Feb 4 2025Whatcom County
Council Special Committee of the Whole
COUNTY COURTHOUSE
311 Grand Avenue, Ste #105
Bellingham, WA 98225-4038
(360) 778-5010
Committee Minutes - Final
Tuesday, February 4, 2025
9AM
Hybrid Meeting - Council Chambers
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COUNCILMEMBERS
Barry Buchanan
Tyler Byrd
Todd Donovan
Ben Elenbaas
Kaylee Galloway
Jon Scanlon
Mark Strender
CLERK OF THE COUNCIL
Cathy Halka, AICP, CMC
Council Special Committee of the Whole Committee Minutes - Final
Call To Order
Roll Call
February 4, 2025
Council Chair Kaylee Galloway called the meeting to order at 9:01 a.m. in a
hybrid meeting.
Present: 6 - Barry Buchanan, Todd Donovan, Ben Elenbaas, Kaylee Galloway, Jon Scanlon,
and Mark Stremler
Absent: 1 - Tyler Byrd
Announcements
Committee Discussion
1. AB2025-081 Discussion relating to population and employment projections for the County as a
whole, Urban Growth Areas, and the Rural & Resource Lands associated with the
2025 Comprehensive Plan Update
Matt Aamot, Planning and Development Services Department (PDS),
introduced the presentations and answered what the goal is for the Council
in hearing them. He spoke about the history of the non -binding resolution
and the time it has taken because of the new housing allocation requirement
from the State and conversations that have taken place about that.
Donovan spoke about the sense that PDS has been driving projections above
the Office of Financial Management (OFM) medium numbers, and asked
when the Council was ever asked what the goal should be for countywide
planning.
Aamot stated if the Council wants to go with a different projection than
what is presented in the County/City proposals, it is up for discussion but
hopefully, the County, cities, and Planning should all try to get on the same
page.
City of Bellingham
Approximate Timestamp: 10:12
Chris Behee, City of Bellingham, read from a presentation (on file)
regarding Bellingham's urban growth area (UGA) preliminary growth
proposal and answered questions. He spoke about working towards a
strategy encouraging growth in UGAs and minimizing growth in rural areas
(as written in the City of Bellingham's letter), and answered what the City's
plan is for addressing the lack of land capacity and how they will be on
target to accommodate 25,000 people across the various housing types. He
stated the bulk of the growth that Bellingham is anticipating is going to land
in the existing city limits, and spoke about how the projection of 18,000
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Council Special Committee of the Whole Committee Minutes - Final February 4, 2025
needed homes is calculated and how they would accomplish that.
Approximate Timestamp: 30:02
Aamot read from a presentation (on file) on the Birch Bay, Cherry Point,
and Columbia Valley UGAs and answered questions.
Birch Bay UGA
He stated the technical report middle scenario for Birch Bay is lower than
growth experienced in the last three decades and also lower than the county
proposal. He answered how population and job growth projections in Birch
Bay line up with sea level rise scenarios, and stated they would be looking at
increasing residential zoning density outside of that floodplain or sea level
rise area. He answered whether they plan on engaging the newly formed
Birch Bay Community Advisory Committee through the Comprehensive
Plan update, and stated they do. He answered why the County's preliminary
proposal for employment growth is so different than the technical report
middle projection and what kind of employment they are hoping to drive in
to Birch Bay. He answered whether population growth above the OFM
medium projection would be accomplished with just zoning changes in the
existing UGA, and stated if they allow middle housing (duplex, triplex,
fourplex) they anticipate that no expansion of the UGA would be required
with the County's proposal. He answered whether they have taken into
account that the population has changed to be more year-round residents
rather than part-time, and he spoke about determining the occupancy rate.
Scanlon stated there may be some data from the feasibility study for
incorporation that they might want to look at too when that data comes in.
Cherry Point UGA
Approximate Timestamp: 42:11
Aamot answered if projections have been informed by any coordination
with the land owners at Cherry Point to make sure their future plans align
with the employment growth projections. He stated they are hoping to get
more information about that from an industrial study being done by the Port
of Bellingham, and they have also a market factor for land they realize will
not be developed and they could modify that based on the Port's
information.
Columbia Valley UGA
Approximate Timestamp: 46:47
Aamot stated the preliminary land capacity analysis indicates that the
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Council Special Committee of the Whole Committee Minutes - Final
February 4, 2025
Columbia Valley UGA could only accommodate the County -proposed
employment growth with a potential rezone of almost 40 acres to light
impact industrial. He answered whether they would plan to put that light
industrial -land as far as possible from where people live.
City of Blaine
Approximate Timestamp: 52:31
Alex Wenger, City of Blaine, stated (because of time constraints) he is
willing to come back next week to present.
This agenda item was DISCUSSED.
Items Added by Revision
Other Business
Adjournment
There were no agenda items added by revision.
There was no other business.
The meeting adjourned at 9:55 a.m.
The County Council approved these minutes on February 25, 2025.
ATTEST:
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Cathy Halle auttelclec
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WHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL
WHATCOM COUNTY, WA
Kaylee Ulloway, Council Chair
Meeting Minutes prepared by Kristi Felbinger
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