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Developers in Bellingham won’t face parking mandates for the next year 

City council's measure intended to boost housing production by eliminating minimums

By Charlotte Alden General Assignment/Enterprise Reporter

The City of Bellingham has joined dozens of cities across the U.S., and many in Washington, in eliminating parking minimums for new developments, after a lively public hearing on Monday, Jan. 13. 

For at least the next year, starting at the end of the month, developers will no longer have to adhere to city code requirements for how much parking they need to build (1.5 spaces per one- or two-bedroom unit, two parking spaces for single-family residences, etc.); they will now be able to decide how much to build.  

The interim ordinance is intended to boost housing production, reduce costs associated with building and maintaining parking spaces, and contribute to the city’s climate goals, Planning and Community Development Director Blake Lyon told Bellingham City Council. Going into effect on Jan. 28, the ordinance will stay in place for a year while city staff develop final rules on parking mandates. 

“A crisis situation causes for urgent and drastic measures,” council President Hollie Huthman said, referring to the housing crisis. “[But] I don’t see this as a drastic measure. This is a reform that has been tested and researched.” 

Mayor Kim Lund labeled this move a priority in an executive order on housing issued in November to encourage housing development in the city. Two more interim ordinances on housing are coming this year: to promote middle housing development and streamline design review. 

The ordinance also establishes standards for bike parking in new developments. 

It was a rare public hearing in which most speakers agreed on the concept of parking reform, aligning developers, climate advocates, transit advocates and housing advocates. 

Ben Besley, CEO of the Talbot Group, speaks during public comment in favor of the elimination of parking minimums to promote housing development. (Hailey Hoffman/Cascadia Daily News)

But members of the public diverged on how that parking reform should look. 

Many community members argued that parking should be used as a tool to encourage developers to build affordable housing — a perspective shared by council members Lisa Anderson and Michael Lilliquist, who ended up voting no on the ordinance.  


Anderson argued that the city does not have the needed infrastructure in all neighborhoods; she said she wanted to see this ordinance focused on “high transportation corridors or urban villages.” Lilliquist said he worried about equity issues in the future as a result of this, where parking becomes a “pay-to-play situation.”

Developers, realtors and property managers who spoke agreed on eliminating minimums. Ben Besley, the CEO of the Talbot Group who owns and manages most properties in Barkley Village, said this would benefit a new 142-unit the group is developing. Pete Dawson of Dawson Construction argued against the idea of requiring affordability in exchange for parking waivers.

“Affordable housing is a specialty,” he said. “Private developers are not good at affordable housing.”

Kyann Flint speaks about parking minimums and their relationship to accessibility for the disabled community. (Hailey Hoffman/Cascadia Daily News)

A few community members spoke against the ordinance on the basis of accessibility. Community member Kyann Flint argued that most disabled people have to drive regularly and that this could “discriminate” against them. 

The interim ordinance requires a certain number of ADA parking spaces when a developer builds parking, but council eliminated an earlier addition of a requirement for one ADA parking stall regardless of whether a developer builds parking. 

Council member Jace Cotton described the change to eliminate the required ADA parking stall as reflecting reality, as the requirement would be infeasible for many properties downtown. He said the city has “other on-street parking management strategies” to promote accessibility.  

However, Cotton said he will be pushing for a higher percentage of accessible parking in developments that do construct parking in the final ordinance.

The Legislature may consider the issue of parking mandates this session: Sen. Jessica Bateman (D-Olympia) introduced a bill to cap minimum parking requirements for residential and commercial developments across the state. 

Charlotte Alden is CDN’s general assignment/enterprise reporter; reach her at charlottealden@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 123.

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