Bellingham Comprehensive Plan - City of Bellingham

Bellingham Comprehensive Plan - City of Bellingham
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The Bellingham Plan – Bellingham’s Comprehensive Plan for Growth
Approved in 2025, this plan guides how our city will grow as we work together to implement the community’s vision for 2045.
You can view the full plan in your web browser or download and view in your preferred pdf viewer. Interactive capabilities of pdf are dependent on your specific pdf viewer.
Goals & Policies Search Tool
View a searchable list of goals and policies by chapter.
Print View
Formatted version of the Bellingham Plan for 8.5″ x 11″
Screen Reader Accessible
Introductory narrative and full list of goals and policies.
Bellingham is growing, and our comprehensive plan – The Bellingham Plan – will guide how our city grows over the next 20 years, including how we plan intentionally for more housing, jobs and services. The plan includes goals and policies that help city leaders make decisions that support our community’s vision of a more sustainable, equitable, and healthier Bellingham.
Since 1980, Bellingham’s comprehensive plan has guided growth and development here. Washington’s Growth Management Act (GMA) requires cities and counties of a certain size to develop a comprehensive plan and to update their plans at least every ten years. The most recent version of Bellingham’s plan was adopted by Bellingham City Council on December 15, 2025, via
Ordinance 2025-12-039
. Additional amendments to the plan are allowed once a year through the establishment of an
annual docket
>> Learn about the 2025 periodic update process
>> View the previous Comprehensive Plan (2016)
The below documents are adopted as part of the Bellingham Plan. Documents that are adopted as part of the plan are essential to putting the Comprehensive Plan into action. These types of documents can be more detailed and technical than the visionary goals and policies in the Bellingham Plan. When these documents are updated, the Bellingham Plan must be amended (through a Type VI process) to incorporate that new version as part of the plan.
Downtown Urban Village Plan
Waterfront District Urban Village Plan
Fairhaven Urban Village Plan
Fountain District Urban Village Plan
Samish Way Urban Village Plan
Old Town Urban Village Plan
Barkley Urban Village Plan
Western Washington University Institutional Master Plan
St. Joseph’s Hospital (North Campus) Institutional Master Plan
Whatcom Community College Institutional Master Plan
Consolidated Plan
Shoreline Master Program
Surface and Stormwater Comprehensive Plan
Comprehensive Sewer Plan
Wastewater Conveyance Plan –
Volume I
and
Volume II
Comprehensive Water System Plan
Water System Plan Update
Capital Facilities Plan
Bellingham Public Library Facilities Master Plan
Multimodal Transportation Plan
Pedestrian Master Plan
Bicycle Master Plan
ADA Transition Plan
Parks, Recreation and Open Space (PROs) Plan
Data and Resources
Below, explore supplemental information for each chapter.
How to Use the Bellingham Plan
2025 Periodic Update Process
Washington State Growth Management Act
Annual Docket
– General process and current information for annual amendments to the Bellingham Plan
Bellingham Population Demographics
WA Department of Commerce Resources
What is a Comp Plan?
Graphic Short Story
– Why we plan for growth in Washington State
Whatcom County 2025 Environmental Impact Statement
CityIQ interactive web map
Development Codes and Incentives
Land Use Capacity
– How the City estimates what can be built in the future within existing rules and regulations
Annexations
– How the city grows geographically
Permit Activity Dashboard
Archived Neighborhood Plans
– Historic planning by neighborhood
Historic Land Use Segregation
– Historic examples of how land use policy has segregated the population
Assessment of Fair Housing
– Survey, progress assessment, and goals for Fair Housing issues
Housing for all Incomes
Whatcom County Housing Needs Analysis (
Coming Soon
Housing Statistics Dashboard
– Up-to-date data on housing development in Bellingham
Middle Housing
– Current and upcoming work related to middle-scale housing reform in Bellingham
Short Term Rental Regulations
Displacement Risk Analysis
– Mapping risk factors for displacement, or the need for people to involuntarily move out of their home, neighborhood, or city due to economic, cultural, or other pressures
Racially Disparate Impact Analysis
Manufactured Home Park Preservation
Housing and Human Services
Affordable Housing
– What it is and how it functions
Housing FAQs
Urban Village Design Guidelines
Infill Housing Toolkit
– Development and design standards for infill housing – to be updated concurrent with middle housing implementation
Historic Preservation Resources
Historic Register Sites and Districts
Maritime Washington National Heritage Area
Bellingham Annexation Strategy
– Information about the areas the city could grow into and how
Public Utility Planning
Annexations
– How the city grows geographically
2020 Surplus Lands Assessment
– Information about unused City-owned properties
Improvements Funding
– How development funds local street, parks, and other improvements
Public Facilities Funding
– Primary funding sources for local government services
Green Infrastructure Map
Note: Several implementation plans provide details on facility and service planning in Bellingham. Many of the Washington State Growth Management Act (GMA) requirements can be found in these plans, including specific utility planning (water, sewer, stormwater plans), transportation planning (Multimodal Transportation Plan and Ped/Bike Master Plans), parks and open space planning (PRO Plan), green infrastructure planning (PRO Plan and Stormwater plan, and other inventories (Capital Facility Plan).
Transportation Planning
Whatcom Transportation Authority (WTA) Resources – WTA is the primary public transit provider throughout Bellingham and Whatcom County
Whatcom Transit Authority (WTA) 2040 Long Range Plan
Whatcom Transit Authority (WTA) High Frequency Routes
Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) Resources
WSDOT Complete Streets
WSDOT Safe Routes to School
Parks and Recreation Services
Greenways Strategic Plan
– Guides the expenditure of property tax levys for acquisitions, projects and ongoing stewardship and maintenance
Greenways Story Map
– The legacy of Greenways in Bellingham
Park & Trail Design Standards
Climate Action Research Project
(CARP) – To accelerate Bellingham’s climate actions, this 2024 report recommends a focus on building electrification and energy efficiency, low emissions transportation, and renewable energy. These actions became the core of the Climate Mitigation element of the 2025 Bellingham Plan.
Climate Action Plan
Whatcom County Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan
Climate Action Strategies
Climate Emissions Inventories and Goals
Climate Projects and Programs
Lake Whatcom Management Program Work Plan
Critical Areas Ordinance
Fish Passage Improvements Information
WRIA 1 Website
– Watershed Management Project and other programs
Urban Forest Plan
– Status of the City’s ongoing effort to create an Urban Forest Plan, along with other related resources
City of Bellingham Economic Development Information
Community Business Resources
Port of Bellingham Regional Economic Partnership
Whatcom County Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS)
Downtown Forward
– The City’s plan to ensure a thriving future for downtown Bellingham
Potential Future High Speed Rail Study (WSDOT)
Tourism Resources – The City’s Tourism Plans
Tourism Commission Strategic Plan
Cultural Heritage Tourism Strategic Plan
Whatcom County Community Health and Safety Resources
Whatcom County Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP)
Whatcom County Food Systems Plan
Whatcom County Justice Project Needs Assessment Implementation Plan (JPIP)
Whatcom County Community Health and Safety
Reports and services related to community health, safety and wellbeing
Alice Report
– ALICE describes those who earn above the Federal Poverty Level, but do not earn enough to afford all of life’s necessities like childcare, food, and transportation
Aging Well Whatcom Report
Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Services (DVSAS)
Bellingham-Whatcom County Commission on Sexual and Domestic Violence
Substance Abuse and Mental Services Administration (SAMHSA)
All Hands Whatcom
The Importance of Social Connection
Racial Equity and Social Justice
Racial History Timeline (WWU)
Land Use and Zoning – Historic Segregation
City Supported Arts, Culture, and Personal Enrichment Facilities
Bellingham Library
Whatcom Museum
Mount Baker Theatre
City of Bellingham Boards and Commissions
Tribal Resources – Information on Local Tribes and State Resources
Lummi Nation
Nooksack Indian Tribe
Tribal Planning (WA Department of Commerce)
Local Childcare Support and Initiatives
Search for Bellingham Plan Goals and Policies
Use this tool to look up policies related to each goal in the Bellingham Plan.
Looking for the Neighborhood Plans?
Access them here:
Archived Neighborhood Plans
Please contact the Planning & Community Development Department for questions or more information.
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The City of Bellingham is introducing a new way to view PDFs on our website. Many documents now include an accessible, mobile-friendly version that is easier to read and navigate.
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