Housing for Bellingham

Guest writer, Eamonn Collins, addresses the concern and reluctance of existing residents to accept new housing in Bellingham’s community calling on Council to respond more quickly to Bellingham’s housing crisis by adopting Mayor Lund’s proposals. Change is difficult, but the consequences of not having enough housing (spike in housing costs, rise in inequality, record rates of homelessness, the strain on our social services and nonprofits, and the environmental impacts of sprawl) have long-lasting effects on the vitality of our community. **We want the children we’re raising to be able to afford to live in their home town when they grow up.** Change is going to happen whether we want it to or not, so we have to approach Bellingham’s housing crisis with a different mindset. Collaboration between developers, nonprofits, municipalities and the community is a GOOD thing. Bellingham and Whatcom County are home to a number of innovative and reputable builders and architects who bring a wealth of resources to the table. We should be looking to them to share solutions for artful, energy-efficient and resilient new housing development. At the end of the day, we all live in this community, we cherish the environment, and want to see more social and economic equality. Follow the link to read Eamonn’s article in the @cascadiadaily https://lnkd.in/dufMUm-V . . . #housingcrisis #bellinghamwa #whatcomcounty #housingforbellingham #cascadiadailynews

Studies show an increase in supply of market-rate housing reduces housing costs across income tracts. While the housing crisis is multifaceted and complex, an important component to reducing costs is increasing the supply of homes in Bellingham (and Whatcom County as a whole). Follow the link to read “Supply Skepticism and America’s Housing Shortage,” and learn more about the connection between an increase in housing supply and lower housing costs. https://lnkd.in/g6iM34_C . . . #housingforbellingham #supplyskepticism #housingmarket #housingcrisis #bellinghamwa #whatcomcounty

It is too risky to plan for only the baseline population growth. We’re experiencing a housing supply shortage and seeing sprawl across the county because we didn’t have a good enough plan in place to accommodate the number of people who ended up moving to Bellingham. We can’t legally stop growth and we’ve seen what happens when we let political will try to slow growth (housing affordability crisis and record rates of homelessness). To protect our community from the social, economic and environmental impacts of growth without a plan, we should follow the recommendations of staff and strategize for medium-high growth (more than the baseline) so that we’re prepared. #housing #housingforbellingham #housingcrisis #landuseplanning #comprehensiveplan 

Tonight at 7pm Bellingham’s City Council meets for the last time this year. Attend in person or watch online; the Council Chamber doors open at 6:30pm. To learn more about the Interim Ordinance to eliminate parking minimums throughout the city, the work session on landlord-tenant relations and excessive fees, and more, follow the link to get the agenda packet and meeting details. https://lnkd.in/gHk88Ptk #housingforbellingham #bellinghamwa #whatcomcounty

Oh the irony in saying planning for high population growth leads to sprawl and negatively impacts the environment, causing more reliance on vehicles. This happens when we don't adequately plan growth— as we've experienced with the high rate of growth that occurred outside of Whatcom County's UGAs. Under planning leads to sprawl, negative environmental impacts, housing shortages, and affordability issues. When it comes to the well-being of our community, there's no such thing as over-planning. #comprehensiveplanning #housing #housingforbellingham #whatcomcounty #bellinghamwa #NIMBYism #NIMBY

Now that the 2045 Comprehensive Plan is focused on employment and population projections, anti-growth advocates are speaking out for low-growth planning in the name of environmental protection, and pointing towards Boulder, CO. as an example for future policy decisions. But Boulder’s housing crisis is worse than Bellingham’s with the median cost of a home about $1 million and with 62% of residents cost-burdened. It’s important to remember that the people advocating for low growth already own their homes and have an incentive to protect their property values. That said, housing and the environment are not mutually exclusive, they’re interrelated. When we don’t plan for enough housing it results in sprawl which damages the environment, increasing VMT and run-off pollution impacting the health of our air, land and water. Lack of housing also leads to a cascade of social and economic impacts that are expensive and difficult to fix. Bellingham has strong environmental policies in place for our future. And our city is home to a wide-range of extremely talented and environmentally-responsible builders who are continually modifying the way they build homes and integrate infrastructure into our living environment. When planning for 2045, we can and should take a page from Boulder to learn what NOT to do so that in 20 years we’re not desperate for essential workers and young talent to keep our community economically viable. . . . #NIMBY #comprehensiveplan #landuseplanning #greenbuilding #housing #housingpolicy #housingforbellingham #bellinghamwa #whatcomcounty

Tonight the Whatcom County Planning Commission meeting begins at 6:30pm. The work session this evening will focus on population and employment projections for the 2045 Comprehensive Plan. Find the agenda packet in the link below. https://lnkd.in/gsGTBwMe . . . #housingforbellingham #bellinghamwa #whatcomcounty

To learn how we got into this housing crisis, we only need to look back and read through the documents submitted by special interest groups opposing sustainable growth strategies for Bellingham and Whatcom County during past comprehensive planning cycles. Groups like Futurewise have a long history of trying to limit growth in Whatcom County for the sake of the environment. Yet, the result of their efforts to limit growth within Bellingham and its designated growth areas has caused people to sprawl in unincorporated areas of Whatcom County. Sprawl increases greenhouse gas emissions and contributes to air and water pollution because of vehicle use. It’s inefficient and costly, but it naturally happens when there aren’t enough affordable homes for people who need them. In one 2009 memo submitted to Whatcom County, Futurewise argued to slow growth in our community because “slower population growth contributes to a better quality of life and preserves the diversity of lifestyles Whatcom residents value.” A better quality of life for who? There are many homeowners who have a vested interest in slowing growth to preserve their neighborhoods and property values, but there are real social, economic and environmental impacts that happen when we don’t proactively plan for realistic future population increases— as we are experiencing with the alarming rates of homelessness and off-the-charts home prices. These groups are currently trying to influence City and County Council decisions during our 2045 comprehensive planning cycle using the same talking points as they have in the past. What they don’t understand is if we only plan for baseline population projections, only the wealthy will be able to afford to live in Bellingham— not the essential workers like nurses, law enforcement, firefighters, and the working-class people who also need to afford to live in Bellingham. Read the history by following the link to “Planning for Growth in Bellingham.” It looks at the past decisions that contributed to our present day reality. https://lnkd.in/dhH7ZUhF . . . #housingforbellingham #bellinghamwa #whatcomcounty #housingcrisis #housingforeveryone #housing #landuseplanning #comprehensiveplanning

We’ve seen what happens when we underplan— we’re living through the consequences of it now. There is no reason that we can’t plan for a medium-high to high OFM population projection for 2045. If and when the growth occurs, we’ll be prepared and able to effectively respond to the increase in population versus reacting to it. The kids we’re raising today deserve to be able to afford to live here in the future. . . . #housingforbellingham #bellinghamwa #comprehensiveplanning #landuseplanning #whatcomcounty

When it comes to housing and economic development, there’s no such thing as too much planning. Cheers to City staff who put a lot of thought and effort into crafting the Draft Growth Strategy to create a realistic and sustainable vision that our community can grow into. There are people who openly outright oppose any new growth and then there are those who use the environment as a veil for their anti-growth beliefs. However, the majority of our community (likely many of the people who are impacted by high housing costs and high costs of living) understand the importance of having the necessary buildable land and infrastructure ready to support the influx of population as it occurs over the next 20 years. . . . #housingforbellingham #bellinghamwa #whatcomcounty #comprehensiveplanning #nimby #landuse #landuseplanning #sustainabledevelopment