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Bellingham · BEL-CP-2016 · Pages 56-72

Community Design Chapter

The Community Design Chapter shapes the physical form and character of Bellingham through policies on streetscapes, building and site design, urban village aesthetics, historic preservation, and public spaces. It promotes pedestrian-friendly environments, contextually appropriate infill, and the integration of arts and culture into public spaces. Though not a GMA-required element, the chapter plays a central role in maintaining neighborhood livability and supporting economic vitality through quality urban design.

Community Design Economy Social Environment Governance

“Only 2 of 52 Community Design Chapter policies (4%) 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.

Goals (8 total)
  • GOAL CD-1: Promote streetscapes that enhance the economic vitality and overall visual quality of the City, support the circulation network, and support pedestrian-scale streets and patterns of activity.
  • GOAL CD-2: Express the City's distinct community identity and sense of place through improvements to the appearance of new development, commercial centers, urban villages, transit corridors and streetscapes.
  • GOAL CD-3: Establish and reinforce district and neighborhood characteristics recognized both within the community and throughout the region.
  • GOAL CD-4: Provide a well-designed, pedestrian-friendly, and community-oriented environment.
  • GOAL CD-5: Ensure that the design and development of urban villages and transit corridors convey a positive image of the district they are located within.
  • GOAL CD-6: Encourage contextually-appropriate infill development projects and property renovations.
  • GOAL CD-7: Preserve historic and cultural resources.
  • GOAL CD-8: Interconnect parks and natural features by establishing an integrated network of trails, parks and open spaces.
Stronger Policy Language (21 policies in this chapter)
  • Policy CD-21: Maintain a system of design review that applies more intense levels of review where the scope of the project has greater potential impacts to the community.
  • Policy CD-25: Apply CPTED principles in the review process for development proposals.
  • Policy CD-46: Require developers to provide and maintain publicly-accessible, privately-maintained open spaces that are proportionate to the scale and impact of the subject project in commercial zones.
Show all 21 stronger policies
The four examples above are a representative sample. The remaining 17 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 (29 policies in this chapter)
  • Policy CD-8: Discourage future extension of linear auto-oriented commercial development along rights-of-way in areas already developed.
  • Policy CD-11: Encourage the incorporation of public art features with new development.
  • Policy CD-19: Foster placemaking by reinforcing key design themes in building facades, public spaces, streetscapes and other built elements within the visual public realm.
  • Policy CD-45: Provide incentives to create neighborhood parks, green spaces, and other public or private open spaces throughout the City, particularly within commercial areas, urban villages, and transit corridors.
  • Policy CD-51: Encourage the use of native plantings throughout the City.
Show all 29 aspirational / monitoring policies
The four examples above are a representative sample. The remaining 25 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 Community Design Chapter 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.