Action on Housing
THERE IS NO ONE SINGLE ANSWER TO FIX AFFORDABLE HOUSING, BUT WORKING TOWARD THIS GOAL IS OF GREAT BENEFIT FOR OUR COMMUNITY AND ONE OF MY TOP PRIORITIES.
1. Add resources and empower staff. We have great people working in city planning so let’s keep investing in our planning department to add additional resources – increased staffing leads to decreased permitting times which means less building expenses, more incentive to build and adds more housing supply across the entire continuum. More staff can also lead to increased renter protections and enforcement against bad landlords.
2. Look outside of Bellingham for ways to innovate. We can look at cities that are doing this work well – many cities have expedited and streamlined permitting processes, like “Shot Clock” or “Q Teams”. These practices eliminate unnecessary red tape and identify clear approval timelines.
Other cities are making significant investments in partnerships with local land trusts, exploring public development models or have an inventory of pre-approved designs for middle housing options like townhomes, duplexes and cottage coutyard concepts. Public housing has evolved and pension fund investments are also creating affordable housing and union job opportunities in other communities – ideas that we should bring here.
3. Think critically about incentives and fees. As mayor, I want to ensure our building fees and incentives are working to support our infill, climate and affordability goals – I believe there is opportunity to rethink our current park impact fees, parking requirements and the structure of our multi-family tax exemption program. I know that Bellingham can do more to increase affordability as we grow while preserving and nurturing the things that make our community special.
4. Strengthen renter protections. We can hold bad landlords accountable. Within Bellingham’s Rental Registration and Safety program, lets fix the private inspector loophole with audits and public disclosure of all inspections. Allow tenants to request inspections to ensure access to safe, healthy housing. Look to cap Move-In fees and application fees. We can also end the outdated ‘rule of three’ that prohibits more than 3 unrelated people from living together in single-family residential zoning. Family should include families of adults, friends, elderly and young people, couples, and other “non-traditional” families.
By streamlining the regulatory and permitting processes, home builders can save time and money and our community benefits by increasing affordable housing supply. We can grow while we protect and nuture what makes Bellingham special.