Bellingham City Council will host a Town Hall Meeting on Housing at 6:30-8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 13 in the Bellingham High School Auditorium, 2020 Cornwall Avenue. Doors will open at 6:00 p.m. The event is an opportunity for community members to learn more about the current housing crisis that is affecting cities throughout the I-5 corridor, including Bellingham, and to share their concerns, ideas and potential solutions.
The City Council has invited a panel of professionals and City of Bellingham staff to frame the issues around the current housing crisis. The first hour will be a panel discussion answering questions received prior to the event. The second hour will be an opportunity for attendees to share their concerns, ideas and potential solutions through public comment.
Housing Affordability has become a growing challenge for many cities in Western Washington, including Bellingham. According to the 2016 Bellingham Residential Survey conducted by the Center for Economic and Business Research, Housing Affordability is rated as the second most important challenge facing Bellingham. Homelessness is rated the leading issue for households that were polled.
“The Town Hall format is an historically important venue for hearing the public's voice on issues that affect them directly,” said City Council President Michael Lilliquist. “The City Council wants to reintroduce the Town Hall to help reinvigorate democracy locally and encourage people to get involved in the political process.”
Community members may sign up for an opportunity to speak when doors open at 6:00 p.m. The public is welcome to send questions to the City Council ahead of time for the panel to address. Questions can be posted on the City Council's Facebook Page www.facebook.com/bellinghamcitycouncil, emailed to ccmail@cob.org, or mailed to 210 Lottie Street, Bellingham, WA 98225, before noon on Wednesday, June 7.
The event will be recorded and broadcast later on BTV Comcast Channel 10.
