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Whatcom County

We are monitoring the Whatcom County Council and Whatcom County Planning Commission. For development projects, we also monitor the Hearing Examiner agendas.

Meeting Update Reports

5/30/24

The County Council meetings on June 4th included a presentation on the Population and Employment Growth Projections and the Public Participation Plan for the 2025 Comprehensive Plan Update at the Council Planning and Development Committee (1 p.m.). 

5/17/24

The Planning Commission and County Council meetings included a work session on appropriate uses for the heavy industrial zone near Bellingham, which included the proposed metal shredder. Link to county council agenda here and planning commission here. 

2025 Comprehensive Plan Update
(General Overview)

The Washington State Growth Management Act (GMA) requires Whatcom County to review and revise its comprehensive plan and development regulations by December 31, 2025 (RCW 36.70A.130).  Additionally, the GMA requires review of urban growth areas (UGAs) under RCW 36.70A.130(3). The UGAs must be able to accommodate housing and employment growth projected for the 20-year planning period. 

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Washington State Department of commerce has a "Growth Management Act Periodic Update website found here.

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Whatcom County and the cities will be doing an Environmental Impact Statement on the Comprehensive Plan update. The final scoping document for that EIS can be found by here. 

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The following are critical issues in the Comprehensive Plan Update process that Whatcom Environmental Council will be monitoring:

  • Climate change and resiliency (new GMA requirement)

  • Population and employment projections and allocations 

  • Proposed changes to Urban Growth Area (UGA) boundaries

  • Resource Lands (Agricultural, Forests and Mineral Resources)

  • Protection of critical areas (wetlands, wildlife habitat, water bodies)

Population and Employment Projections-Allocations

Whatcom County and the cities are required by the Growth Management Act to accommodate the population and employment projected to occur within the next 20 years (2045). Washington State provides a range of population projections from Low to High, with the "Medium" forecast identified by the State as "most likely". Whatcom County is required to select a projection, after consultation with cities, within that range. The next step is to allocate the population and employment projections to Urban Growth Areas (UGAs) and other parts of Whatcom County. 

 

The technical analysis was completed on May 22nd and now the cities and counties are discussing which projection to recommend and how the growth will be allocated. These initial decisions will then be put into an Environmental Impact Statement, expected to be completed in Fall 2024.

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To see the position from Whatcom Environmental Council on growth projections and allocations, please see our Advocacy page. 

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Links: 

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