Whatcom County considers 10th renewal of ban on subdivisions

Other planned rezones could make another extension after this moot

JARED PABEN - THE BELLINGHAM HERALD

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County leaders will consider renewing yet again a temporary ban on some subdivisions in the Lake Whatcom watershed, but this time other planned rezones could make moot another extension after that.

The County Council on Tuesday, Sept. 15, will consider approving a six-month extension of the ban on subdivisions resulting in housing lots smaller than five acres. It applies to all unincorporated land in the watershed.

The council first passed the ban in February 2005, and it has renewed it nine times since then. If approved after the public hearing on Tuesday, this would be the 10th renewal.

The moratorium has blocked the subdivision of about 100 parcels, and it has prevented construction of roughly 79 homes in Geneva, 19 homes in the Hillsdale area, 32 homes in Sudden Valley and 54 homes throughout the remaining unincorporated watershed.

If the council decides to renew the ban for another six months, there may not be a point to doing so again in March 2010, when it would expire. That's because the county is working on two separate planning projects that could result in removing development potential in the watershed.

Those include:

Urban growth area update: The county is working to update urban growth areas countywide to accommodate the next two decades of growth. A state growth board has ordered the county to complete the update by Dec. 1. As part of that, County Executive Pete Kremen has proposed removing Geneva and Hillsdale from Bellingham's urban growth area. Those areas would be rezoned to allow, at most, one house per five acres.

Rural element update: The county is working to update zoning in rural areas to ensure sprawl isn't occurring there. The review has been ordered by a state growth board and a state appeals court, although the state Supreme Court has agreed to hear the case.

As part of the update, the county is looking at rural areas where development density is higher than what state law considers "rural," which is one house per five acres. The county will draw boundaries around some of those areas, allowing development inside to continue generally as it currently is. But outside the boundary, land generally gets rezoned to allow only one house per 10 acres, under the proposal.

Sudden Valley would be rezoned to various types of zoning.

The following areas would be rezoned to one house per 10 acres:

• Along Northshore Road, on the north and east sides of the lake.

• Along Lake Whatcom Boulevard between Geneva and Sudden Valley.

• Along Lake Whatcom Boulevard at the southwest side of the lake.

• Along South Bay Drive at the southern end of the lake.

• Along Blue Canyon Road, at the southeast side of the lake.

The County Council must still consider the urban growth areas and rural changes, but both are scheduled to be completed by the end of the year, wrote Rebecca Craven, council planning and policy analyst, in a memo.

ATTEND THE HEARING

What: The County Council will hold a hearing on whether to extend a temporary ban on some subdivisions in the Lake Whatcom watershed for a 10th time. The ban blocks the creation of housing lots smaller than five acres.

When: 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 15.

Where: County Council Chambers, 311 Grand Ave. in Bellingham.

More information: Click here.