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Bellingham · BEL-CP-2025 · Pages 18-33

Land Use

The Land Use chapter establishes a framework for guiding growth over the next 20 years, targeting specific population, housing, and employment figures for 2045. It directs compact, transit-oriented development in urban villages and along transit corridors while protecting natural resources and agricultural lands. It also defines specific land use designations and policies to ensure a balanced mix of residential, commercial, industrial, and public uses across Bellingham.

Land Use Economy Housing Environment Governance

“Only 1 of 55 Land Use 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.

What the Plan Promises
Formal targets adopted in the Bellingham Comprehensive Plan.
135,829 total population by 2045; 66,109 housing units by 2045; 89,768 jobs by 2045
Goals (6 total)
  • LU-A: Clustering Growth – Limit urban sprawl, encouraging sustainable growth in compact, walkable and transitable areas
  • LU-B: Urban Growth Area – Manage long-term community needs through effective and sustainable UGA planning and annexation
  • LU-C: Urban Villages – Foster vibrant urban villages
  • LU-D: Transit Corridors – Encourage growth in proximity to transit and support increased transit service as areas grow
  • LU-E: Land Use Designations – Ensure a mix of land uses across the city with capacity to meet future needs
  • LU-F: Complete Neighborhoods – Promote neighborhood resilience and vibrancy through support and development of mixed neighborhoods
Stronger Policy Language (24 policies in this chapter)
  • LU-1: Provide sufficient land area and densities to meet Bellingham's projected needs for housing, employment and public facilities.
  • LU-11: Utilize and periodically update an annexation plan that includes for each area of the UGA and UGA Reserve identification and assignment of future land use and zoning designations.
  • LU-31: Regularly monitor land use capacity, especially during rezone discussions, to assess the available supply, adequacy and serviceability of developable land.
  • LU-43: Separate heavy industrial uses from incompatible land uses such as housing or schools.
Show all 24 stronger policies
The four examples above are a representative sample. The remaining 20 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 (30 policies in this chapter)
  • LU-4: Encourage design flexibility (e.g. clustering) to preserve existing site features, including trees, wetlands, streams, natural topography and similar features.
  • LU-6: Encourage the assembly and redevelopment of underdeveloped parcels through incentives and public/private partnerships.
  • LU-30: Identify opportunities and encourage action to redevelop auto-oriented commercial areas into more compact, pedestrian-oriented, mixed-use nodes of activity.
  • LU-50: Promote small-scale commercial uses (e.g. corner stores) within neighborhoods to encourage walkability and provide opportunities for employment.
Show all 30 aspirational / monitoring policies
The four examples above are a representative sample. The remaining 26 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 Land Use 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.