Phase 4 Legislative Process and Plan Adoption

Phase 4 of the Bellingham Plan (plan adoption) follows a more formal process than the previous phases. Public engagement will still be a key element, and will occur in alignment with Planning Commission and City Council comment periods.

On this page, you'll see Planning Commission meeting dates and links to meeting materials, and can learn more about the adoption process.

>> Find opportunities for commenting on materials for each chapter on our Bellingham Plan Chapters page.

This phase starts with City Council and Planning Commission discussions.

Community members are welcome to attend these discussions, which will occur before the draft plan is brought forward for adoption.

City Council Discussion Dates

• January 27: Project Overview and Countywide Process (see meeting materials)
• March 10: Discuss Topics Related to Land Use and Housing

Planning Commission Discussion Dates

The Planning Commission meets on the first and third Thursday of each month, with occasional special meetings.

• February 6: Project Overview (see meeting materials)
• February 20 - March 26: Land Use; Housing; and Community Design (see meeting materials)
• April 3: Climate; Environment
• April 17 - May 1: Civic Practices; Community Wellbeing; and Economic Development
• May 15 - May 29: Capital Facilities and Urban Services; Transportation; and Parks, Recreation, and Open Space

Before beginning the formal adoption process, Planning Commission will discuss each draft chapter. Schedule, materials, and process information is available on the Planning Commission website.

• Staff have developed four packages of chapter groupings for Planning Commission discussion that closely relate to the four themes identified in this Summary of Proposed Updates document.
• Each package will be released to the public on the Bellingham Plan Chapters page for comment around three weeks prior to the first Planning Commission discussion on that package. Additionally, other boards and commissions will review relevant materials prior to Planning Commission discussions.
• Staff will then summarize public comments ahead of each Planning Commission meeting.
• Planning Commission will have the opportunity to identify questions that need to be answered by the final environmental impact statement (EIS) and City environmental review. They will also inform the selection of a preferred land use alternative for that final analysis.

After that, we move into the adoption process.

Following Planning Commission discussions, the adoption process will begin. Because of the complexity of this periodic update, each step of this process will take considerable time and discussion.

Updating any element of the Comprehensive Plan requires a Type VI process (BMC 21.10.150). This means that there are several steps, including environmental review, Planning Commission recommendation, and City Council decision.

1. Environmental Review - This process will take place at the Countywide level through an environmental impact statement (EIS) that provides important information related to transportation, greenhouse gas emissions, wildlife, and other environmental impacts. This analysis will cover several alternatives, allowing consideration of a range of approaches to growth. These alternatives will be compared to a baseline that represents the current unaltered regulations in order to understand the impacts associated with each alternative considered. The draft EIS is anticipated to be released in March and will include analysis of these alternatives. Following a public comment period and additional discussions, a preferred alternative will be selected and analyzed in the final EIS. This preferred alternative will represent the anticipated land use and policy changes anticipated for the Bellingham Plan. The EIS will provide estimates on what the impacts of these decisions may be.
2. Planning Commission Review - Once the final EIS is delivered this summer and city environmental review is complete, that analysis will inform the Planning Commission’s recommendation to City Council and plan adoption. This analysis as well as a Public Hearing held by Planning Commission will inform any additional updates to the draft goals and policies, land use map, and other material to inform. The Commission will make a recommendation to the City Council regarding which updates should be adopted.
3. City Council Decision - This process will begin with the recommendation from the Planning Commission and will rely heavily on it to inform City Council discussion. The process is anticipated to follow this approximate schedule.
   • July: Discussion
   • August: Public Hearing
   • September: Decision