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Bellingham · BEL-CP-2006 · Pages 1-145

Chapter 5: Capital Facilities Element

This is the sole chapter of the 2005 Bellingham Comprehensive Plan Capital Facilities Element (Chapter 5), covering the full range of GMA-required capital facility planning for the City of Bellingham and its Urban Growth Areas. It inventories existing facilities and projects needed over the 20-year planning period (2004-2022) for water, sewer, stormwater, fire/EMS, law enforcement, schools, parks, libraries, museums, parking, and waterfront redevelopment, establishes levels of service standards for each system, and presents mitigating measures and policies. The element includes a 6-year Capital Facilities Plan (2006-2011) with funded and unfunded project tables totaling over $218 million in funded expenditures, along with 73 numbered capital facility goals and policies governing how the city will prioritize, fund, and coordinate capital investments to support growth management concurrency requirements.

Capital Facilities Governance Economy Environment Safety Social

“Only 4 of 73 Chapter 5: Capital Facilities Element policies (5%) include a concrete, measurable commitment.” Real Record SAY vs DO analysis · Bellingham Comprehensive Plan

About this analysis

Real Record applies the SAY vs DO accountability framework to every chapter of every Washington comprehensive plan we publish. Each policy in the chapter is read individually and scored into one of four buckets:

  • Measurable — the policy names a specific target, deadline, dollar amount, or action that can be verified later.
  • Strong — binding action language (“shall,” “will adopt,” “require”) without a measurable threshold.
  • Aspirational — encouraging or supportive language (“encourage,” “support,” “consider”) with no enforcement.
  • Monitor only — policies that commit to tracking or reporting but not to action.

The accountability score shown in the sidebar is the share of policies in the chapter that landed in the “Measurable” bucket. A score of 0–19 (red) indicates most policies use aspirational language without concrete accountability; 20–49 (orange) is mixed; 50 or higher (green) means the chapter is dominated by measurable commitments.

The underlying text comes from the official adopted comprehensive plan published by the Bellingham planning department. Scoring is performed by Real Record analysts using a structured rubric; the raw policy text and bucket assignments are archived in the Real Record civic data warehouse.

Read the full methodology, sources, and rubric at Real Record · About.

What the Plan Promises
Formal targets adopted in the Bellingham Comprehensive Plan.
Water treatment plant expansion to 32 mgd capacity; sewer treatment plant hydraulic capacity increase by 2009-2010; Post Point peak capacity 55 mgd serving projected population of 113,055 to 2022; 1 patrol officer per 750 calls for service; 1 investigative officer per 5 patrol officers; school impact fees of $1,481 per single-family unit and $164 per multi-family unit; parks LOS 1.6 acres neighborhood parks per 1,000 people, 10 acres community parks per 1,000 people, 24 acres open space per 1,000 people; 6-year CFP 2006-2011 total funded $218,273,000; minimum security jail 150 beds by beginning of 2007; new Art and Children's Museum construction completion 2008
Goals (31 total)
  • CFV-1: Community enriched by thriving downtown arts center, restored Mt. Baker Theater, expanded museum and library
  • CFV-2: Trained professionals in police and fire departments contribute to community security and safety
  • CFV-3: Support highest possible educational quality for children
  • CFV-4: City and school district obtain private sector contributions for new residential development to meet enrollment demands
  • CFV-5: Neighborhood schools retained and new schools located consistent with infill and compact growth
  • CFV-6: Bellingham water quality improved through Lake Whatcom Watershed Agreement and stormwater control
  • CFV-7: Residents benefit from access to quality health and child care through public and private programs
  • CFV-8: Parking improvements downtown emphasize support for redevelopment, pedestrian friendly and adaptive
  • CFV-9: Developed parks and trails integrated into open space system with adequate neighborhood service
  • CFV-10: Parks and recreation facilities serve all ages with indoor and outdoor activities, safe and well maintained
  • CFG-1: Provide and maintain adequate public facilities to protect investments, maximize use, and promote compact urban growth
  • CFG-2: Ensure adequate public facilities and community gathering spaces within master-planned urban villages
  • CFG-3: Provide good low cost public utility service to users within the city
  • CFG-4: Provide public utility service appropriate to designated land uses throughout the city
  • CFG-5: Encourage education, resources, and incentives for homeowners to retrofit with innovative on-site storm drainage and LID techniques
  • CFG-6: Minimize conventional storm drainage and rely on alternative LID approaches recognizing natural watercourses and wetlands
  • CFG-7: Manage stormwater in concert with State and Federal plans to improve quality of streams and marine waters
  • CFG-8: Manage stormwater to be protective of fishery resources
  • CFG-9: Minimize volume and rate of runoff associated with land development
  • CFG-10: Minimize erosion and sedimentation of watercourses
  • CFG-11: Encourage design of systems to minimize potential pollution from surface drainage
  • CFG-12: Promote public health, safety, and general welfare; minimize flood losses and promote wise use of floodplain
  • CFG-13: Encourage continuous improvement of regulatory practices regarding drainage-related control
  • CFG-14: Provide necessary drainage-related capital improvements consistent with the comprehensive plan
  • CFG-15: Encourage design of systems to reduce capital improvement costs to the City
  • CFG-16: Continue support for Bellingham library system and its important community role
  • CFG-17: Provide adequate facilities to serve growing population and increasing demand for library services
  • CFG-18: Develop long-range Library Master Plan considering consolidation with Whatcom County library systems
  • CFG-19: Continue support for Whatcom Museum of History and Art and its collection, preservation, and exhibition programs
  • CFG-20 through CFG-25: Public parking goals addressing downtown parking supply, demand, revenue, and planning for urban villages
  • CFG-26 through CFG-31: Lake Whatcom Watershed goals protecting drinking water quality, managing water quantity, ensuring public participation and research
Stronger Policy Language (38 policies in this chapter)
  • CFP-1: Bellingham and Whatcom County shall coordinate drainage, stormwater management and flood control in Urban Growth Areas and work toward the development of common standards.
  • CFP-4: Within Bellingham's Urban Growth Areas, water and sewer utilities shall not be extended without an adopted program for annexation and an adopted Capital Facilities Plan.
  • CFP-17: Public facilities and services necessary to support development should be adequate to serve the development at the time the development is available for occupancy and use without decreasing current service levels below locally established minimum standards.
  • CFP-39: The City shall operate under the policy of no net loss of wetland and stream functions as outlined in the Wetland and Stream Protection Ordinance 10267.
  • CFP-43: All arterial street improvements should include enclosed storm drains.
  • CFP-53: Water utility fees should be assessed at a rate adequate to fund the maintenance of water lines as they deteriorate.
  • CFP-62: Through effective management of the wastewater collection system, continue the infiltration/inflow abatement program set up throughout the City.
  • CFP-26: Develop a concurrency management system to assure that adequate fire protection and emergency medical facilities and services are provided to serve new growth at the time of development impact or within a reasonable time.
Show all 38 stronger policies
The four examples above are a representative sample. The remaining 34 stronger policies are catalogued in the Real Record civic data warehouse and indexed by policy number against the adopted plan text. See how policies are scored →
Aspirational / Monitoring Language (31 policies in this chapter)
  • CFP-3: Work to reduce the amount of water pollutants from stormwater runoff and combined sewer overflows.
  • CFP-23: Encourage continued coordination between the City Fire Department and Whatcom County Fire Districts.
  • CFP-25: Encourage the appropriate use of design and materials for individual buildings to help minimize the loss of life or property in the case of fire or other emergency.
  • CFP-28: Encourage continued coordination between the City's Police Department and Whatcom County's Sheriffs Department.
  • CFP-30: Encourage crime prevention through the use of environmental design. Techniques should be utilized that minimize the possible locations for crime in new developments...
  • CFP-33: Encourage the continued collection of impact fee program by the Bellingham School District to collect funds from new development to help offset costs of new facilities.
  • CFP-35: Encourage school districts to plan, purchase sites, construct, and preserve small neighborhood-oriented schools rather than large regional schools at edges of urban area.
  • CFP-41: The City shall promote, encourage, and support low-impact development techniques for stormwater collection, detention, and treatment that comply with the most current DOE stormwater regulations.
  • CFP-50: The use of Low Impact Development techniques should be considered in the management of stormwater for all types of development.
  • CFP-72: Encourage government and/or private development and major downtown and urban village employers to increase the parking supply in specific need areas.
Show all 31 aspirational / monitoring policies
The four examples above are a representative sample. The remaining 27 policies in this bucket use language like “encourage,” “support,” “consider,” or “monitor” — phrasing that does not create an enforceable commitment. See how policies are scored →

SAY vs DISCUSS: Did this come up in meetings?

Real Record has not yet indexed any Bellingham briefings tagged to this chapter’s topics. Browse all Bellingham council and planning briefings to see related discussions in context.

View Bellingham Briefings →

SAY vs DO: Where the Money Goes

Departments related to Chapter 5: Capital Facilities Element in Bellingham — what the city actually funds, year over year.

Budget analysis for this chapter is in progress. Real Record has mapped 1 Bellingham department to this chapter, but the FY2006 / FY2025 line-item totals are not yet loaded into our civic data warehouse. In the meantime, browse the city-wide budget comparison on the index page.