Bellingham City Council directed staff to explore two options that could change parking mandates for new developments in the city.
A certain number of parking spaces per development is currently required by city code, and the two options would result in either elimination of parking minimums citywide, or elimination of minimums in urban villages or within a quarter mile of high-frequency bus routes.
Citywide code currently requires 1.5 spaces per one- or two-bedroom units, two parking spaces for single-family residences, and a range of requirements for non-residential developments. There are exceptions in urban villages, and recently, city council waived the requirement in the Old Town sub area plan entirely.
Eliminating the code requirement wouldn’t do away with new parking construction, but it would give developers the choice of how much parking to build, Public Works Director Eric Johnston said at a Monday, May 20 meeting.
City council members found consensus Monday on the move away from the current parking policy, especially given the city’s commitments to the environment and housing affordability. According to a staff report, the “overproduction” of parking spaces can cause environmental impacts like the heat island effect, and can up the cost of housing as developers factor parking construction costs into rent or sale prices.
“The status quo is failing us, or often fails us,” city council member Michael Lilliquist said.
The city’s parking minimums evolved from the city’s first zoning ordinance in 1947 with major updates in 1969. Since then, there have only been small amendments, according to the staff report.
Johnston called the city’s existing requirements “arbitrary,” and based on “bogus” Institute of Transportation Engineers standards — which were often conservative, based on peak demand periods, and a lack of transit and parking management, according to the staff report.
Whatcom County has an “oversupply” of parking, said Planning and Community Development Director Blake Lyon, to the tune of about five parking spaces per car.
And creating parking is costly: Lyon said that constructing parking spaces in Whatcom County can range from $18,000 to $23,000 per space in a surface lot, to $60,000 per space in a below-ground parking structure.
Eighteen percent of downtown Bellingham is made up of surface lots, Lyon said.
“It’s financially unproductive,” Lyon said. “It’s all of these other things that come into play and tie up in an asset that’s not really generating anything of value to us and to the community.”
Lilliquist said at the meeting that the conversation was “exciting,” and emphasized the need to keep meeting accessible parking and bike parking requirements, no matter what direction the city goes in.
Lilliquist requested staff look into how they could tie affordability into these reforms, specifically if they could ask for some return from developers if they eliminate parking mandates.
Council member Lisa Anderson said she was more interested in eliminating minimums in urban villages or near transit.
“My concern is that if we go citywide, it’s going to take some time to catch up and resources for WTA to have really good infrastructure and transportation for the outskirts of the city,” she said.
Council member Jace Cotton said he’s in favor of the elimination citywide.
“It seems pretty clear from the research that there is not a rational basis to our existing regulations,” Cotton said.
With the two options now recommended back to city staff, there will be a public process before the council votes on the final decision, leaving time for community members to voice their opinions on the proposals.
Charlotte Alden is CDN’s general assignment/enterprise reporter; reach her at charlottealden@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 123.
