The City is committed to preserving the unique character of Bellingham while planning for growth and preventing sprawl.
In addition to working on legally mandated projects, the city's top planning priorities are master planning urban villages, creating an Infill Housing Toolkit and supporting the Waterfront redevelopment project.
Bellingham's planning efforts are shifting away from policy debates towards actual implementation of land use strategies that control what happens on the ground. To accomplish this, the Planning department is focusing its resources on projects that provide the maximum benefit towards achieving the goals set forth in the Comprehensive Plan. The City needs to be realistic and responsive in the way it allocates staff and resources, especially during an economic downturn where permit revenues are declining.
Implementation of the activities outlined in Bellingham's Comprehensive Plan. This includes:
The Planning and Community Development's work program priorities for 2010 will be determined by the City Council budget approval at the end of the year. For more information, contact the Planning & Community Development Department.