News Update

POSTED: Sunday, Jun. 28, 2009

Whatcom County planners propose rural areas for less allowed growth

A package of proposed changes would reduce development potential in dozens of rural areas throughout Whatcom County, but it would still allow some rural centers to continue moderate growth.

If the changes are approved, property owners in affected areas who plan to subdivide could lose land value.

New maps released by county planners show where they're proposing to change zoning to allow only one house per 10 acres in various areas where more development than that is currently allowed.

The changes came after anti-sprawl group Futurewise challenged the county and won in court. The group said various zones outside urban areas were allowing sprawl.

The rezones will reduce rural growth potential, but planners don't yet know by how much. They haven't finished an analysis of how many housing units are prevented by the rezoning, but they're trying to have the analysis done in time for upcoming public meetings, planner Gary Davis said. Abut 20,000 acres were looked at in the analysis.

Planners are using various criteria to decide which areas get labeled rural centers and rural business centers and which don't. If they find a spot that qualifies as a rural center (typically a crossroads place with things like schools, churches, small businesses), then they use the criteria to draw a boundary around the area. Land outside the boundary must be returned to a rural density, which is, at most, one house per five acres. The Whatcom County Planning Commission wanted, in this case, to use zoning that allows only one house per 10 acres, Davis said.

Whenever land is rezoned to allow one house per 10 acres, that doesn't mean existing smaller lots can't continue to build, he said. The county is not eliminating existing lots. It is proposing to make it so larger properties can't be subdivided into parcels smaller than 10 acres, which would each allow one house.

"A lot of these areas have been split down already," Davis said, adding that "there are parcels that haven't been split down that would potentially be affected by this."

Meanwhile, land inside the boundary can continue to be subdivided as the existing zoning allows. In some cases, that zoning allows one or two houses per acre, for example

In other areas, planners are proposing to rezone the entire area to allow only rural development.

? These areas fall into the rural center classification: Acme, Custer, Deming, Diablo, Glacier, Hinotes Corner, Kendall, Laurel, Maple Falls, Newhalem, Point Roberts and Sudden Valley. In some cases, like Sudden Valley, the boundary is extremely small, and most of the community will be rezoned to allow only one house per 10 acres.

? These are among the areas that fall into the rural business center classification, where there aren't homes but some commercial and industrial development could continue inside the boundaries: Gooseberry Point, Guide Meridian border crossing, Nugents Corner, Smith and Guide Meridian roads, Van Wyck, Axton and Guide Meridian, Birch Bay-Lynden Road and Interstate 5, North Lake Samish and I-5, Pole and Guide Meridian, Van Zandt, Welcome and Wiser Lake.

? These are some of the areas that will be rezoned to allow only rural densities: Cain Lake, East Lynden, Eliza Island, Emerald Lake, Fort Bellingham, Glacier Springs, Glen at Maple Falls, Lake Samish, Lummi peninsula, North Shore, Sandy Point and Wickersham.

Staff plans to hold four public meetings before bringing the changes to the Planning Commission for a hearing and recommendation. Then, they'll go to the County Council for a decision.

GET INVOLVED

Informational meetings

? 1 to 3 p.m. Tuesday, June 30, Fire Station 61, 9408 Odell Road, Blaine.

? 6 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 30, Mount Baker High School, 4936 Deming Road.

? 9 to 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, July 1, County Council Chambers, 311 Grand Ave. in Bellingham.

? 6 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 1, Meridian High School, 194 W. Laurel Road.

Planning Commission public hearing

? 6:30 p.m. Thursday, July 9, County Council Chambers.

More information

? Go to Whatcomcounty.us/pds and click on "Rural Element Updates." To see maps of the affected areas, click on the "Proposed" link.