Economic Development

Economic Development: Existing chapter

A strong and diverse local economy is important to the City of Bellingham. Economic development means creating jobs and wealth and improving the quality of life for everyone. It also means influencing the growth and restructuring of the economy to make the community better off economically – for people, businesses, and government. There are many ways to achieve successful economic development, and various factors involved in this process. One example of what the City can do is to make Bellingham attractive to employers and workers through targeted Economic development goals and policies.

What changes will happen in the Bellingham Plan?

Since the 2016 Comprehensive Plan was adopted, the global economy has changed. We need to review our economic development goals and policies to make sure they are still relevant in a post-pandemic world. For example, many people can take advantage of broadened opportunities to work from home. This means that a portion of Bellingham’s workforce currently works remotely for both local and remote employers. We need to acknowledge and reflect these changes in the Bellingham Plan. These must be considered simultaneously with larger land use and housing topics, especially as housing cost and its relationship to local wages continues to be central to planning issues in Bellingham.

This chapter of the Bellingham Plan will continue to focus on the City’s main roles in economic development. These roles include: 1) creating a supportive environment for businesses, 2) accommodating expected job growth, and 3) providing services to help businesses grow and stay in Bellingham.

Related Events:

The topic of economic development is relevant to big picture ideas discussed at the “Community Vision” event. We touch on the changing economy and the increase in remote work in Bellingham. The “Economic Vitality” session takes a deeper look at the state of our local economy and explores changes that are on the horizon.

• Community Vision – February 22, 5-7 p.m., Sehome High School
• Economic Vitality – May 15, 5-7 p.m., Squalicum High School