Local government is not acting fast enough to relieve the affordable housing shortage that continues to strain families and workers while threatening the long-term health of our economy.
We see the results in long-vacant lots, slow planning processes and ever-rising home prices. One missed opportunity is particularly striking: Whatcom County is sitting on millions in taxpayer dollars warehoused in an economic development program that could accelerate affordable home construction — if only county leaders would use it.
Kulshan Community Land Trust is growing a project development pipeline to match the scale of the affordability crisis, with more than 100 homes currently planned in Bellingham, Ferndale and Blaine.
But delivering homes at the needed scale requires overcoming regulatory barriers and managing multiple large developments simultaneously with a small staff. Fortunately, both of these challenges are solvable by local governments. Frustratingly, our leaders have correctly diagnosed the causes but have so far stopped short of remedying them.
Kulshan CLT’s next project will redevelop a vacant 3-acre parcel in the Birchwood neighborhood, removing a dilapidated structure and constructing 18 permanently affordable, energy-efficient townhomes while preserving 1 acre of land for City Sprouts Farm. It even includes a small commercial space to serve other neighborhood needs, like child care. But this idyllic, sustainable urban in-fill, less than one block from Birchwood Elementary School, is not currently legal to build — even though it comprehensively addresses Bellingham’s stated affordable housing priorities.
Last summer, city leadership visited the property and expressed support of the project and their desire to fix the policies that are blocking its progress. But in the nine months since our elected representatives voiced their unanimous support, nothing has changed. Now, Kulshan CLT faces deadlines to use federal and state funds and begin development — or it will be forced to sell the property and abandon the project. Good intentions alone don’t build homes.
City leadership is well aware of the structural issues driving the affordability crisis: Bellingham’s draft 2023–27 Consolidated Plan rightly identifies “single-family zoning, minimum lot size requirements, and restrictions on infill development” as policies limiting the supply of new affordable homes, also noting that “the private market does not (and arguably cannot) provide housing that is affordable to below-median income earners.”
Similarly, Whatcom County’s Comprehensive Plan promotes affordable housing as a “fundamental building block in the development of strong communities.” State officials say the county needs 34,377 new homes by 2044, 18,000 of which need to be affordable to residents earning less than 50% of Area Median Income. Yet county officials have hoarded funding that could spur an affordable home construction boom and rein in skyrocketing housing costs.
State law permits Whatcom and other rural counties to collect a 0.09% sales tax for economic development purposes, “including affordable workforce housing infrastructure or facilities.” In the last five years, as the Economic Development Investment (EDI) fund raised more than $24 million in new tax revenue, it provided a meager $1.25 million in loans (not grants!) to pay for city impact fees and utility hookup charges connected to affordable housing developments.
The hardest part of policymaking is finding new money, which usually requires raising taxes or cutting other programs. But Whatcom County sits on more than $20 million explicitly intended — at least in part — for affordable housing so that the workforce powering the local economy can afford to live here.
Our community has no shortage of knowledgeable housing professionals and organizations with decades of experience creating affordable homes for various segments of the population. In addition to Kulshan Community Land Trust, the housing authorities, the Opportunity Council, Catholic Housing Services, Mercy Housing and others have managed to build affordable homes despite a challenging economic and regulatory environment.
These organizations have proven that they have the expertise to deliver affordable homes at a scale that meets the needs of our community. What they lack is funding — the kind of funding sitting idle on the county’s balance sheet.
Developing complex projects on a larger scale requires project managers; EDI funds are explicitly allowed to support personnel costs. The county should also be using EDI funds to buy vacant land (especially urban infill), and provide low-interest, forgivable loans for pre-development planning and groundwork. These funds could additionally support the development of not-for-profit rental housing to compete with fast-rising market-rate rentals to serve the entire spectrum of our local workforce.
Our community has a wealth of expertise, along with the necessary policy tools to alleviate our housing crisis. We only need our government leaders to act urgently to overcome the barriers we can all plainly see.
Eamonn Collins is a chemistry and physics teacher at Lummi Nation School, a trustee of Kulshan Community Land Trust and a former U.S. Senate staffer. He recently filed for election to the Bellingham City Council’s Ward 1 seat.
Local expertise on affordable housing should be matched by funding urgency
Whatcom County 'sitting on millions'
Local government is not acting fast enough to relieve the affordable housing shortage that continues to strain families and workers while threatening the long-term health of our economy.
We see the results in long-vacant lots, slow planning processes and ever-rising home prices. One missed opportunity is particularly striking: Whatcom County is sitting on millions in taxpayer dollars warehoused in an economic development program that could accelerate affordable home construction — if only county leaders would use it.
Kulshan Community Land Trust is growing a project development pipeline to match the scale of the affordability crisis, with more than 100 homes currently planned in Bellingham, Ferndale and Blaine.
But delivering homes at the needed scale requires overcoming regulatory barriers and managing multiple large developments simultaneously with a small staff. Fortunately, both of these challenges are solvable by local governments. Frustratingly, our leaders have correctly diagnosed the causes but have so far stopped short of remedying them.
Kulshan CLT’s next project will redevelop a vacant 3-acre parcel in the Birchwood neighborhood, removing a dilapidated structure and constructing 18 permanently affordable, energy-efficient townhomes while preserving 1 acre of land for City Sprouts Farm. It even includes a small commercial space to serve other neighborhood needs, like child care. But this idyllic, sustainable urban in-fill, less than one block from Birchwood Elementary School, is not currently legal to build — even though it comprehensively addresses Bellingham’s stated affordable housing priorities.
Last summer, city leadership visited the property and expressed support of the project and their desire to fix the policies that are blocking its progress. But in the nine months since our elected representatives voiced their unanimous support, nothing has changed. Now, Kulshan CLT faces deadlines to use federal and state funds and begin development — or it will be forced to sell the property and abandon the project. Good intentions alone don’t build homes.
City leadership is well aware of the structural issues driving the affordability crisis: Bellingham’s draft 2023–27 Consolidated Plan rightly identifies “single-family zoning, minimum lot size requirements, and restrictions on infill development” as policies limiting the supply of new affordable homes, also noting that “the private market does not (and arguably cannot) provide housing that is affordable to below-median income earners.”
Similarly, Whatcom County’s Comprehensive Plan promotes affordable housing as a “fundamental building block in the development of strong communities.” State officials say the county needs 34,377 new homes by 2044, 18,000 of which need to be affordable to residents earning less than 50% of Area Median Income. Yet county officials have hoarded funding that could spur an affordable home construction boom and rein in skyrocketing housing costs.
State law permits Whatcom and other rural counties to collect a 0.09% sales tax for economic development purposes, “including affordable workforce housing infrastructure or facilities.” In the last five years, as the Economic Development Investment (EDI) fund raised more than $24 million in new tax revenue, it provided a meager $1.25 million in loans (not grants!) to pay for city impact fees and utility hookup charges connected to affordable housing developments.
The hardest part of policymaking is finding new money, which usually requires raising taxes or cutting other programs. But Whatcom County sits on more than $20 million explicitly intended — at least in part — for affordable housing so that the workforce powering the local economy can afford to live here.
Our community has no shortage of knowledgeable housing professionals and organizations with decades of experience creating affordable homes for various segments of the population. In addition to Kulshan Community Land Trust, the housing authorities, the Opportunity Council, Catholic Housing Services, Mercy Housing and others have managed to build affordable homes despite a challenging economic and regulatory environment.
These organizations have proven that they have the expertise to deliver affordable homes at a scale that meets the needs of our community. What they lack is funding — the kind of funding sitting idle on the county’s balance sheet.
Developing complex projects on a larger scale requires project managers; EDI funds are explicitly allowed to support personnel costs. The county should also be using EDI funds to buy vacant land (especially urban infill), and provide low-interest, forgivable loans for pre-development planning and groundwork. These funds could additionally support the development of not-for-profit rental housing to compete with fast-rising market-rate rentals to serve the entire spectrum of our local workforce.
Our community has a wealth of expertise, along with the necessary policy tools to alleviate our housing crisis. We only need our government leaders to act urgently to overcome the barriers we can all plainly see.
Eamonn Collins is a chemistry and physics teacher at Lummi Nation School, a trustee of Kulshan Community Land Trust and a former U.S. Senate staffer. He recently filed for election to the Bellingham City Council’s Ward 1 seat.
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