Whatcom Democrats proposal on housing
– for City of Bellingham

Andrew RedingHousing and Homelessness, Monthly General Membership Meeting, News, Platform & Resolutions -- May 2018

Online at:

The following draft resolution is the fruit of eight months of extensive research and collaborative drafting by the dozen active members of the Issues & Advocacy Committee. At its May 10 meeting the committee voted unanimously to recommend this draft to the Whatcom County Democrats.

It will be the lead item on the May 24 General Membership Meeting, to be held at 7 pm at Squalicum Yacht Club (not to be confused with Squalicum Boathouse).

The results of our extensive research are summarized in the Whereas clauses. We are posting this information-rich document online so that members will have two weeks to preview it before the meeting. Please submit any proposed amendments/modifications ahead of time to .

Our bylaws specify that if a vote on a resolution is held on first reading, it requires two-thirds to pass; if held on second reading, it passes by majority vote. Only members in good standing who joined at least 14 days prior to the meeting may vote (those whose membership lapsed within the prior six months may still vote by renewing their membership).

Resolution on Improving Bellingham Housing Choice, Availability, and Affordability

(Please Note: We intend to address homelessness in a separate resolution)

WHEREAS, everyone should be able to live in a safe, healthy, and affordable home;

WHEREAS, children deserve a chance to succeed in school and in life, which begins with their families being able to afford a decent place to live;

WHEREAS, working people, seniors, youth, and persons with disabilities should be able to afford housing and still have enough money for groceries, health care, and transportation;

WHEREAS, housing is considered affordable when a household pays no more than 30% of its total income for housing costs, which helps ensure that enough income is left over for food, transportation, medical care, and other basic necessities. Yet in 2016:

  • Almost half (43%) of all Bellingham households were cost-burdened or severely cost-burdened, well above the average for the U.S. (33%) and Washington State (34%);
  • Over half (54%) of Bellingham renters spent over a third of their income for housing;
  • Almost a third (30%) of Bellingham renters were “severely cost-burdened”, spending 50 percent or more of their income on rent (Bellingham Herald, Nov. 11, 2017);

WHEREAS, people who live and work in Bellingham are having difficulty purchasing a home because median home prices are well above what median incomes can afford:

  • Bellingham’s median home price in March 2018 was about $370,000, up almost 50% from five years earlier, and up more than 10% from a year ago (Zillow);
  • Bellingham households needed to make $76,000/year to buy a median-priced home in 2016 (City of Bellingham, hereafter COB);
  • Excluding the age brackets of college students, Bellingham’s 2016 median household income was $53,675 for ages 25-44, $57,848 for ages 45-64, and $39,524 for 65+ (Census Bureau). Many essential workers make less than that, e.g. administrative assistants $36,900, construction laborers $48,290, food service workers $23,000, and preschool teachers $31,840 (COB, Info Sheet, “Working Hard, But It’s Not Enough”).

WHEREAS, people who live and work in Bellingham are having difficulty finding affordable housing to rent:

  • Bellingham’s rental vacancy rate is 1.8% (COB), well below the national rate of 9% (Census Bureau);
  • Renters’ median household income for 2015 was $28,000 (Census Bureau);
  • Bellingham’s median gross rent is $902 (Census ACS). Using a maximum of 30% for housing + utility costs, families with a median income can afford $700/month;
  • Every $100 rent increase is associated with a 6% increase in homelessness in urban areas (Tedd Kelleher, WA Dept. of Commerce, City Council Town Hall, June 13, 2017);

WHEREAS, college students are not a significant factor driving steep rent and home price increases. Since 2009, the proportion of 20 to 24-year-olds in Bellingham has declined from 20% to 18%. Meanwhile, other cities in our region which lack a significant student population have seen rents and home prices rise at a similar rate (2010 Census, ACS 5-year estimates, from COB presentation to Whatcom Democrats, April 24, 2018).

WHEREAS, it is a “core belief” of the Bellingham Public Schools that “Diversity enhances a strong and healthy community” (part of the Bellingham Promise);

WHEREAS, current zoning creates strong differentials in housing type and affordability:

WHEREAS, this pattern inevitably results in de facto neighborhood segregation by income and wealth, which is intertwined with race and ethnicity, which is in turn segregating our schools:

WHEREAS, poverty is unevenly distributed across the city, as reflected by percentage of free/reduced meals:

WHEREAS, moving to a mixed class neighborhood when young (before age 13) increases college attendance and earnings and reduces single parenthood rates (“The Effects of Exposure to Better Neighborhoods on Children,” American Economic Review 2016, 106(4): 855–902). The study concludes: “efforts to integrate disadvantaged families into mixed-income communities are likely to reduce the persistence of poverty across generations.”

WHEREAS, fair housing is defined as allowing all people to choose where they live without discrimination based on race, color, national origin, sex, family status or disability – these are the protected classes under state and federal law. Cities may not make zoning or land use decisions or implement policies that exclude or otherwise discriminate against protected classes (Bellingham Comp Plan, Housing Chapter, p. 4). Yet current zoning indirectly segregates our community by class and race.

WHEREAS, Bellingham’s 2018 Consolidated Plan Update calls for increasing neighborhood equity: “Concentrating any single type of housing in a neighborhood limits economic diversity and housing choice. For families to achieve financial stability and economic independence, they need to all have access to good schools and affordable housing which is located near their place of work. In keeping with HUD’s goal to provide affordable housing that is accessible to job opportunities and the City’s strategic commitment to equity and social justice, the City should promote affordable housing options within all neighborhoods. This would help disburse [sic] low-income and minority populations proportionately throughout the City, and help avoid problems that can come with high concentrations of poverty” (COB p. 50).

WHEREAS, Bellingham’s zoning changed after the 1940s to exclude more affordable traditional forms of housing – duplexes, triplexes, backyard cottages, as well as neighborhood shops.

WHEREAS, increased housing choices can help meet the needs of an increasingly diverse population and smaller household sizes. Seventy percent of Bellingham households are now occupied by one to two people (B’ham Comp Plan, Housing Chapter, p. 4);

WHEREAS, providing a variety of housing options for all ages and incomes within the city:

  • Helps families reduce transportation expenses;
  • Increases freedom and independence of non-drivers, including children;
  • Reduces greenhouse gas emissions from motorized transportation;
  • Reduces fatal crashes & serious injuries by reducing miles driven;
  • Reduces taxpayer dollars spent on infrastructure going to less populated areas;
  • Preserves farmland (Whatcom County lost 32,196 acres (22%) of farmland between 2002 and 2012 (USDA Census of Agriculture);

WHEREAS, plans for urban villages require developers with deep pockets to pay related costs for larger structures, such as: excavation, elevators, fire exits, parking minimums, and buy-outs of existing businesses.

WHEREAS, federal housing grant funds are insufficient to address current needs. There were 3,240 households on the Bellingham Housing Authority (BHA) waiting lists as of January 2018 before the lists were closed. That is itself less than half the number of households paying over 50% of income for housing. There were 500 on the BHA’s waiting list for disabled or supportive housing, with an estimated wait time of five years (Consolidated Plan, 22, 40).

WHEREAS, we support housing strategies to provide housing for the people who work here.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that we, the Whatcom Democrats, support policies that increase the stock of more affordable housing, decrease de facto segregation by neighborhood, expand housing choices, limit rent increases, and build a walkable, compact, and connected community. Specifically, we urge the City of Bellingham and City Council to:

  1. Return to traditional forms of affordable & unsubsidized housing that typically use less square footage, cost less to build, use less energy, and are more affordable, on average, than single detached homes. Allow these Missing Middle housing choices, provided by the Infill Toolkit, in all single-detached (single-family) zoned areas. Forms include:Cottages;Carriage houses over existing garages; Townhouses; Duplexes;Triplexes;Small or smaller lot detached, single-family houses;Detached accessory dwelling units;Courtyard housing: shared or garden
  2. Use evidence based inclusionary zoning for housing developments, which requires that some of the homes be affordable for low and moderate-income households. Such a policy must be implemented to increase the overall availability of affordable housing. Where necessary, provide homebuilders the option of paying a fee that contributes to the Bellingham Home Fund and permanently affordable housing.
  3. Increase the development of permanently affordable Missing Middle homes by developing partnerships to fund affordable housing. Renew the successful Bellingham Home Fund levy with an increased level of funding.
  4. Continue to develop partnerships to assist low-income homeowners to retain housing (e.g. Opportunity Council repairs and weatherization funded by Bellingham Home Fund).
  5. Promote permanent affordability and community ownership of housing and land by Community Land Trusts and other nonprofits. Pass zoning amendments to allow these nonprofits to build six-plexes and eight-plexes in all residential areas, providing affordable homes to more families. Reduce or eliminate permitting fees and other cost barriers to these essential community organizations.
  6. All of these options should be carried out in a manner that enhances rather than detracts from the neighborhood aesthetic (“Smart Infill”). That includes proper scale, complete streets incorporating trees and safe walking and bicycling options, transit access, parks, services (e.g. daycare, libraries, senior centers) that will make neighborhoods both more attractive and functional.
  7. Passrent stabilization policies to protect against surprise spikes in rent and unaffordableincreases. Allow rents to be pegged to the rate of inflation plus increased costs, such as for maintenance.
  8. Regulate short term businesses (such as Airbnb). Establish a tax on such rentals, with proceeds dedicated to the Bellingham Home Fund.