The City of Bellingham’s draft comprehensive plan is now open for public feedback.
The Bellingham Plan will guide the city’s growth for the next 20 years, and over the last year, city staff have held numerous open houses to solicit feedback from citizens in the plan’s updating process.
“The [city] team has developed a growth strategy based on what they’ve heard over the last year, balanced alongside state law, and now we are ready to hear the community’s thoughts on those ideas,” Mayor Kim Lund said at the Nov. 4 city council meeting.
The draft plan continues previous priorities of balancing urban growth with environmental stewardship, developing compact urban villages, providing a range of housing options, developing “world-class parks,” and more.
New updates include a focus on community connections, inclusive and equitable planning across the city, support for more middle housing, clearer and more predictable design standards for housing development, fostering climate resilience and supporting more transportation connections.
Community members can provide feedback on the draft at Engage Bellingham until Dec. 1.
The city will also host three in-person open houses:
- Nov. 14, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Western Washington University’s Viking Union
- Nov. 14, 5–6:30 p.m. at Options High School Commons
- Nov. 20, 5–6:30 p.m. at Cordata Park Pavillion
In mid-2025, the Bellingham Planning Commission and the city council will review and adopt the final plan, and by June 2026, the city will update its code to reflect the updated plan.
Charlotte Alden is CDN’s general assignment/enterprise reporter; reach her at charlottealden@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 123.
