HomeMy WebLinkAboutPlanning Apr 29 2025Whatcom County
Council Planning and Development Committee
COUNTY COURTHOUSE
311 Grand Avenue, Ste #105
Bellingham, WA 98225-4038
(360)778-5010
Committee Minutes - Final
Tuesday, April 29, 2025
11:45 AM
Hybrid Meeting - Council Chambers
HYBRID MEETING - MAY BEGIN EARLY - ADJOURNS BY 12:00 P.M.
(PARTICIPATE IN -PERSON, SEE REMOTE JOIN INSTRUCTIONS AT
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COUNCILMEMBERS
Todd Donovan
Ben Elenbaas
Jon Scanlon
CLERK OF THE COUNCIL
Cathy Halka, AICP, CMC
Council Planning and Development Committee Minutes - Final April 29, 2025
Committee
Call To Order
Roll Call
Committee member Jon Scanlon called the meeting to order at 11:54 a.m.
in a hybrid meeting.
Present: 3 - Todd Donovan, Ben Elenbaas, and Jon Scanlon
Also Present: Barry Buchanan, Tyler Byrd, Kaylee Galloway, and Mark Stremler
Announcements
Special Presentation
1. AB2025-219 Report from the Planning and Development Services Department
Mark Personius, Planning and Development Services Department Director,
reported and answered questions.
Permitting
He gave an overview on permitting and stated that permit and land use
application numbers remain steady. He spoke about implementing the new
permit review timeline code changes from Senate Bill (SB) 5290 and spoke
about internal process adjustments that staff and the office have been
making, including amending their open hours for the public. He spoke about
the public civic access portal which allows the development community and
the public to apply for permits online, and he updated on the Birch Bay
incorporation feasibility study, and a multi -family project proposal with
Horizons at Semiahmoo.
Comprehensive Plan
He spoke about the draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) being
published tomorrow, the next Growth Management Act (GMA) elected
officials meeting on May 21 st, and incorporating public input into each of
the twelve elements of the Comprehensive Plan. He spoke about the
Comprehensive Plan update and the desire to have a sequential review
process, so that when they bring an element to the Planning Commission,
they will bring the same chapter to the Council shortly thereafter, and he
discussed some options with the councilmembers.
He answered how many FTEs they have budgeted versus how many they have
on the ground, and stated they have two open positions. He described those
and stated they do not plan on filling the Natural Resources Division
Manager position at this time.
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Council Planning and Development Committee Minutes - Final April 29, 2d25
Committee
Aly Pennucci, Executive's Office, spoke about the vacant positions and
thanked the Planning Department for changing their public office hours to
address the new level of service requirements without adding additional
staff.
Elenbaas spoke about his concern with not filling staff roles that need to be
filled and whether it will be a budget efficiency in the long run.
Personius stated they will see some significant proposed policy changes in
this Comprehensive Plan update for things such as water resource
management, affordable housing, land use, transportation, and floodplain
management.
This agenda item was REPORTED.
Committee Discussion and Recommendation to Council
1. AB2025-282 Ordinance adopting amendments to Whatcom County Code Chapter 16.24,
Commute Trip Reduction, and adopting the 2025-2029 Commute Trip Reduction
Plan for Whatcom County
Cathy Halka, Clerk of the Council, answered whether it is possible for the
Council to make a recommendation on this since there is a public hearing
tonight.
Councilmembers discussed not having had a chance to look at changes
being proposed by public commenters, that there are discussions scheduled
today in Committee of the Whole that address those comments, and that
this is a separate topic.
Mark Personius, Planning and Development Services Department Director,
stated the Council had a work session on this two weeks ago and he briefed
the councilmembers on the ordinance.
Scanlon stated he is inclined to not forward a recommendation on this from
the committee since there is a public hearing this evening.
Councilmembers did not make a motion.
This agenda item was DISCUSSED.
Items Added by Revision
There were no agenda items added by revision.
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Council Planning and Development Committee Minutes - Final
Committee
Other Business
Adjournment
There was no other business.
The meeting adjourned at 12:19 p.m.
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April 29, 2025
WHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL
WHATCOM COUNTY, WA
Ben Elenbaas-via email 5/6/2025
Ben Elenbaas, Committee Chair
Meeting Minutes prepared by Kristi Felbinger
Whafcom County page 3