POSTED: Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2009
JARED PABEN - THE BELLINGHAM HERALD
The Whatcom County Planning Commission will continue reviewing a controversial proposal to draw lines around certain rural centers and trim development potential outside those lines.
The proposal by county planners would designate areas throughout rural Whatcom County as rural centers, where either housing or business development has been clustered historically and is higher in density than state law now considers "rural."
Planners have drawn boundaries around these areas. They're proposing to change zoning inside the boundaries to allow development to continue with the same uses, sizes and densities as was there in 1990. Outside of the boundaries, zoning would be changed to allow only rural growth.
In many cases, that means land currently zoned to allow one or two houses per acre, as examples, would be rezoned to allow only one house per 10 acres. Also, some areas outside the boundaries zoned for commercial or industrial development would be rezoned to one house per 10 acres.
The proposal has been met with fierce opposition by some county residents, who are calling it a government land grab, while others support protecting rural farmland.
The review of rural zoning was ordered by a state growth board, a decision that was later upheld by a state appeals court. The county must rezone areas that allow more development than one house per five acres, which is what state law considers "rural," according to a county planner staff report.
While most areas outside of the rural center boundaries would be rezoned to allow only one house per 10 acres, many of those areas have lots smaller than 10 acres.
"Relatively few lots larger than five or ten acres still exist," according to the report by planners Wain Harrison and Gary Davis.
Lots of 10 acres or larger could have only one house and couldn't be subdivided to allow for more homes. But owners of smaller vacant lots could still legally build a house or an addition or remodel to an existing house, the report states.
People opposed to the change have posted signs throughout rural areas against zoning changes. Between June 23 and July 23, county planners received about 240 comments from the public about the proposed changes. Whatcom County's Web site has about 300 letters and e-mails scanned and posted.
Comments have ranged from the formal resolution approved by the Whatcom Republicans, which called the proposal "a 'taking' of private property from the citizens of Whatcom County," to a hand-written letter from Lynden resident Sylviana Gilfillan.
"The rights of private property owners are being trampled as county planners push through sweeping regulations without fully informing landowners of the negative impact on their property," Luanne Van Werven, chairwoman of Whatcom Republicans, stated in a press release sent to the county.
Gilfillan wrote in support of protecting farmland at Interstate 5 and Birch Bay-Lynden Road.
"Rural business centers are a bad idea!" Gilfillan wrote. "Birch Bay-Lynden Road at I-5 - is someone crazy? This is some of the finest farmland in the county. We need the open space to grow food, pasture, beef or cows. Towns and B'Ham need to stay with current borders. We have too much sprawl as is."
The Planning Commission is scheduled to hold a work session Aug. 13, and staff has reserved the County Council Chambers Sept. 8 for a commission public hearing.
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ATTEND THE MEETING
What: Planning Commission work session on a proposal that would designate some areas as rural centers and rezone land to allow less development outside those centers.
When: 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 13.
Where: County Council Chambers, 311 Grand Ave. in Bellingham.
For more information: Click here to see the county's Web page on rural development.
Reach JARED PABEN at jared.paben@bellinghamherald.com or call 715-2289.
JARED PABEN - THE BELLINGHAM HERALD
The Whatcom County Planning Commission will continue reviewing a controversial proposal to draw lines around certain rural centers and trim development potential outside those lines.
The proposal by county planners would designate areas throughout rural Whatcom County as rural centers, where either housing or business development has been clustered historically and is higher in density than state law now considers "rural."
Planners have drawn boundaries around these areas. They're proposing to change zoning inside the boundaries to allow development to continue with the same uses, sizes and densities as was there in 1990. Outside of the boundaries, zoning would be changed to allow only rural growth.
In many cases, that means land currently zoned to allow one or two houses per acre, as examples, would be rezoned to allow only one house per 10 acres. Also, some areas outside the boundaries zoned for commercial or industrial development would be rezoned to one house per 10 acres.
The proposal has been met with fierce opposition by some county residents, who are calling it a government land grab, while others support protecting rural farmland.
The review of rural zoning was ordered by a state growth board, a decision that was later upheld by a state appeals court. The county must rezone areas that allow more development than one house per five acres, which is what state law considers "rural," according to a county planner staff report.
While most areas outside of the rural center boundaries would be rezoned to allow only one house per 10 acres, many of those areas have lots smaller than 10 acres.
"Relatively few lots larger than five or ten acres still exist," according to the report by planners Wain Harrison and Gary Davis.
Lots of 10 acres or larger could have only one house and couldn't be subdivided to allow for more homes. But owners of smaller vacant lots could still legally build a house or an addition or remodel to an existing house, the report states.
People opposed to the change have posted signs throughout rural areas against zoning changes. Between June 23 and July 23, county planners received about 240 comments from the public about the proposed changes. Whatcom County's Web site has about 300 letters and e-mails scanned and posted.
Comments have ranged from the formal resolution approved by the Whatcom Republicans, which called the proposal "a 'taking' of private property from the citizens of Whatcom County," to a hand-written letter from Lynden resident Sylviana Gilfillan.
"The rights of private property owners are being trampled as county planners push through sweeping regulations without fully informing landowners of the negative impact on their property," Luanne Van Werven, chairwoman of Whatcom Republicans, stated in a press release sent to the county.
Gilfillan wrote in support of protecting farmland at Interstate 5 and Birch Bay-Lynden Road.
"Rural business centers are a bad idea!" Gilfillan wrote. "Birch Bay-Lynden Road at I-5 - is someone crazy? This is some of the finest farmland in the county. We need the open space to grow food, pasture, beef or cows. Towns and B'Ham need to stay with current borders. We have too much sprawl as is."
The Planning Commission is scheduled to hold a work session Aug. 13, and staff has reserved the County Council Chambers Sept. 8 for a commission public hearing.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ATTEND THE MEETING
What: Planning Commission work session on a proposal that would designate some areas as rural centers and rezone land to allow less development outside those centers.
When: 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 13.
Where: County Council Chambers, 311 Grand Ave. in Bellingham.
For more information: Click here to see the county's Web page on rural development.
Reach JARED PABEN at jared.paben@bellinghamherald.com or call 715-2289.
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