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Bellingham · BEL-CP-2025 · Pages 48-59

Community Design

The Community Design chapter guides how the city looks, feels, and functions by establishing policies for building design, streetscapes, open spaces, and historic preservation. It promotes pedestrian-oriented, human-scale environments that enhance community identity, economic vitality, and livability across neighborhoods and urban villages. The chapter also emphasizes integration of natural features, public art, and preservation of historic and cultural resources as foundational elements of Bellingham's unique character.

Community Design Economy Social Environment Governance

“Only 1 of 46 Community Design policies (2%) 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 (5 total)
  • CD-A: Community Identity and Sense of Place – Express community identity through improvements to appearance, function, and design of new development and public realm
  • CD-B: Streets as Places – Promote streetscapes that enhance economic vitality, visual quality, and support pedestrian-scale activity
  • CD-C: Site and Building Design – Provide a built environment of well-designed, pedestrian-friendly and community-oriented sites and buildings
  • CD-D: Natural Features and Open Space – Integrate and emphasize natural features and open space in community design and new development
  • CD-E: Historic and Cultural Resources – Preserve Bellingham's heritage and diverse identities through preservation of historic buildings, sites, and cultural resources
Stronger Policy Language (19 policies in this chapter)
  • CD-15: Install, protect and maintain curbside street trees in the public right-of-way.
  • CD-16: Require new and retrofitted sidewalks to be set back from the curb and designed to include curbside street trees.
  • CD-37: Require the installation and maintenance of adequate landscaping throughout the city and in development projects, prohibiting invasive plant species.
  • CD-19: Establish and maintain a predictable, clear and objective set of design standards and review processes for development.
Show all 19 stronger policies
The four examples above are a representative sample. The remaining 15 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 (26 policies in this chapter)
  • CD-10: Foster placemaking by supporting unique design themes in building facades, public spaces, streetscapes and other built elements within the visual public realm.
  • CD-11: Encourage the incorporation of creativity, culture and public art features with new and existing development.
  • CD-33: Identify and strive to preserve scenic vistas of important natural features from public spaces such as the Cascade Mountains, Lake Whatcom, Bellingham Bay.
  • CD-41: Promote the many benefits of historic preservation beyond the aesthetic and expand historic preservation to embrace tangible and intangible cultural heritage.
Show all 26 aspirational / monitoring policies
The four examples above are a representative sample. The remaining 22 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 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.