Bellingham Planning Commission to study Samish Way urban village plan

JARED PABEN - THE BELLINGHAM HERALD

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BELLINGHAM - A city plan that aims to transform a stretch of Samish Way into a walkable, mixed-use urban village will come before the Planning Commission for a public hearing this week.

The Samish Way Urban Village plan would set development rules that encourage a dense urban environment with buildings up to 75 feet high. Planners estimate that the area could accommodate 1,295 housing units and more than 600,000 square feet of commercial space by 2022. That would equal 29 housing units per acre.

As far as transportation, the plan calls for transforming Samish Way by installing traffic lights or roundabouts, slowing the speed limit, building a median traffic island, and putting in metered street parking. New streets would be built to break up the "superblocks" between Consolidation Avenue and Abbott Street.

The plan affects land along Samish Way from Bill McDonald Parkway north to Maple and Ellis streets.

"This is a long-term vision," City Planner Darby Galligan said. In some cases, it could take many years for properties to redevelop, but the plan provides predictability for neighbors, investors and property owners, she said.

Planners expect little to happen even in the first five years, according to the draft plan.

Under the plan, existing drive-throughs, gas stations, a mini-storage, a mobile home park and multiple multifamily buildings would become "nonconforming" to the new zoning below them.

They could continue operating, but if they became vacant for more than a year and later wanted to operate again, they'd then have to get a special permit from the city's hearing examiner. Otherwise, they'd have to follow the new plan's design guidelines.

On properties near the existing residential neighborhoods, landowners could build either single-family homes up to 35 feet high or build homes out of the 'infill toolkit,' a collection of smaller, denser home types that have yet to be approved by the City Council. Those types, which include townhomes and cottage houses among others, would be limited to 25 feet tall.

Planners unveiled the draft concepts in February. Since then, little has changed, Galligan said. After talking with property owners, city planners are proposing to remove the designation of 60-foot-wide new streets breaking up the blocks between Consolidation Avenue and Abbott Street. Instead, the plan calls for public accesses there, but the width and type of street won't be determined until later, and they could even turn into alleys, she said.

"We're not going to design that right now," she said.

Staff will take the plan to the commission for a recommendation. They estimate bringing it to the City Council for approval by September.

ATTEND THE MEETING

What: Bellingham Planning Commission hearing on proposed new plan guiding redevelopment of Samish Way.

When: 7 p.m. Thursday, June 18.

Where: City Council Chambers, 210 Lottie St.

For more information: Go to cob.org and type "Samish Way urban village" into the search bar. The first link takes you to the project Web page.