Affordable Housing

Affordable housing needs:

to be recognized as a key component in Protecting What’s Best In Bellingham.
to be a part of the solutions to increase density in areas like the waterfront, downtown, Fairhaven, through infill and to move forward with the planning and development of urban villages in existing neighborhoods
to allow increased density as a part of several different unit sizes and options in a large area of planned development. This would allow for smaller scale lots and should include affordable housing in a planned way
to ensure good design making this mix attractive for all buyers in all of our neighborhoods

Part of the efforts at controlling growth and containing growth issues centers around meeting the needs for affordable housing in all parts of our County, the small cities and the City of Bellingham. This issue needs special attention to make sure solutions are included when we address the overall growth issues in our County. The County-Wide Housing Affordability Taskforce (CHAT) is made up of representatives of both the building community and the government. They meet weekly and are working through a long list of proposals for how to bring affordable housing to fruition in our community. I applaud this effort and look forward to their recommendations when they come to the City Council.

Affordable housing is a very complex issue that offers different solutions for different income levels. When this important issue is next addressed in our community, governments must utilize the expertise and ideas that CHAT brings forward in drafting policy. As a City Council member I will look forward to their recommendations.