Bellingham City Planning Commission
The Bellingham City Planning Commission met on May 21, 2026, for a work session focused on residential zoning strategy. The meeting had no formal action items and no public hearing. The session was led by Commissioner Claire Swingle, who filled in for both the absent chair and vice chair. The primary purpose of the evening was a staff-led presentation by Chris Behee, Long Range Division Manager, with support from planner Chris Cook, framing the conceptual foundations for a major overhaul of Bellingham's residential zoning code. The presentation traced the decades-long evolution of Bellingham's land use planning — from the city's first zoning ordinance in the 1940s through 25 neighborhood plans developed in the 1980s, the 1995 Growth Management Act comprehensive plan, updates in 2006 and 2016, and most recently the Bellingham Plan adopted in December 2025. Staff situated current zoning reform work as the direct implementation phase following that comp plan adoption. Staff identified four key state bills driving the current reform: House Bill 1110 (middle housing), House Bill 1337 (accessory dwelling units), House Bill 1998 (co-living housing), and House Bill 1293 (design review and permit streamlining). These bills, passed by the Legislature in 2023 and 2024, were addressed through interim and permanent measures adopted by the City alongside the Bellingham Plan. The work session marked the beginning of a deeper public process that staff said would continue over the next year, ultimately resulting in a formal Type 6 legislative process to adopt new residential zoning regulations. Staff also explained why Bellingham's 25 legacy neighborhood plans were not re-adopted as part of the December 2025 comprehensive plan update, citing conflicts with new middle housing requirements, outdated regulations, and administrative complexity. The goal going forward is a simplified, citywide residential zoning framework with approximately four zone types replacing hundreds of sub-ar
There were no formal votes, motions, or binding actions taken at this meeting. This was a work session designated as Information/Discussion only. **Work Session Item 1 — Framing Concepts for Residential Zoning** - **Type:** Information/Discussion - **Staff Recommendation:** No recommendation; the item was framed as an opportun…
- **June 4, 2026:** Next scheduled Planning Commission meeting - **Over the next year (ongoing):** Staff will return to the Planning Commission multiple times for additional work sessions and feedback on specific elements of new residential zoning regulations - **Later in 2026 (timeline unspecified):** Staff will bring draft new residential zoning regulations forward for Commission consideration - **Formal Type 6 process (timing unspecified):** A legislative public process will ultimately be initiated to adopt new residential zoning code - **Internal sta…