Bellingham Comprehensive Plan

The Bellingham Plan – Bellingham’s Comprehensive Plan for Growth

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Formatted version of the Bellingham Plan for 8.5″ x 11″

Goals & Policies Search Tool

View a searchable list of goals and policies by chapter.

Bellingham is growing, and our comprehensive plan – The Bellingham Plan – will guide how our city grows over the next 20 years, including how we plan intentionally for more housing, jobs and services. The plan includes goals and policies that help city leaders make decisions that support our community’s vision of a more sustainable, equitable, and healthier Bellingham.

Since 1980, Bellingham’s comprehensive plan has guided growth and development here. Washington’s Growth Management Act (GMA) requires cities and counties of a certain size to develop a comprehensive plan and to update their plans at least every ten years. The most recent version of Bellingham’s plan was adopted by Bellingham City Council on December 15, 2025, via Ordinance 2025-12-039. Additional amendments to the plan are allowed once a year through the establishment of an annual docket.

>> Learn about engagement that helped shape updates to the plan

>> View the previous Comprehensive Plan (2016)

The below documents are adopted as part of the Bellingham Plan. Documents that are adopted as part of the plan are essential to putting the Comprehensive Plan into action. These types of documents can be more detailed and technical than the visionary goals and policies in the Bellingham Plan. When these documents are updated, the Bellingham Plan must be amended (through a Type VI process) to incorporate that new version as part of the plan.

Data and Resources

Below, explore supplemental information for each chapter.

How to Use the Bellingham Plan
2025 Periodic Update Process
Washington State Growth Management Act
Annual Docket – General process and current information for annual amendments to the Bellingham Plan
Bellingham Population Demographics
WA Department of Commerce Resources
- What is a Comp Plan?
- Graphic Short Story – Why we plan for growth in Washington State

Whatcom County 2025 Environmental Impact Statement
CityIQ interactive web map
Development Codes and Incentives
Land Use Capacity – How the City estimates what can be built in the future within existing rules and regulations
Annexations – How the city grows geographically
Permit Activity Dashboard
Archived Neighborhood Plans – Historic planning by neighborhood
Historic Land Use Segregation – Historic examples of how land use policy has segregated the population

Assessment of Fair Housing – Survey, progress assessment, and goals for Fair Housing issues
Housing for all Incomes
Whatcom County Housing Needs Analysis (Coming Soon)
Housing Statistics Dashboard – Up-to-date data on housing development in Bellingham
Middle Housing – Current and upcoming work related to middle-scale housing reform in Bellingham
Short Term Rental Regulations
Displacement Risk Analysis – Mapping risk factors for displacement, or the need for people to involuntarily move out of their home, neighborhood, or city due to economic, cultural, or other pressures
Racially Disparate Impact Analysis
Manufactured Home Park Preservation
Housing and Human Services
Affordable Housing – What it is and how it functions
Housing FAQs

Urban Village Design Guidelines
Infill Housing Toolkit – Development and design standards for infill housing – to be updated concurrent with middle housing implementation
Historic Preservation Resources
Historic Register Sites and Districts
Maritime Washington National Heritage Area

Bellingham Annexation Strategy – Information about the areas the city could grow into and how
Public Utility Planning
Annexations – How the city grows geographically
2020 Surplus Lands Assessment – Information about unused City-owned properties
Improvements Funding – How development funds local street, parks, and other improvements
Public Facilities Funding – Primary funding sources for local government services
Green Infrastructure Map

Note: Several implementation plans provide details on facility and service planning in Bellingham. Many of the Washington State Growth Management Act (GMA) requirements can be found in these plans, including specific utility planning (water, sewer, stormwater plans), transportation planning (Multimodal Transportation Plan and Ped/Bike Master Plans), parks and open space planning (PRO Plan), green infrastructure planning (PRO Plan and Stormwater plan, and other inventories (Capital Facility Plan).

Transportation Planning
Whatcom Transportation Authority (WTA) Resources – WTA is the primary public transit provider throughout Bellingham and Whatcom County
- Whatcom Transit Authority (WTA) 2040 Long Range Plan
- Whatcom Transit Authority (WTA) High Frequency Routes
Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) Resources
- WSDOT Complete Streets
- WSDOT Safe Routes to School

Parks and Recreation Services
Greenways Strategic Plan – Guides the expenditure of property tax levys for acquisitions, projects and ongoing stewardship and maintenance
Greenways Story Map – The legacy of Greenways in Bellingham
Park & Trail Design Standards

Lake Whatcom Management Program Work Plan
Critical Areas Ordinance
Fish Passage Improvements Information
WRIA 1 Website – Watershed Management Project and other programs
Urban Forest Plan – Status of the City’s ongoing effort to create an Urban Forest Plan, along with other related resources

City of Bellingham Economic Development Information
Community Business Resources
Port of Bellingham Regional Economic Partnership
Whatcom County Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS)
Downtown Forward – The City’s plan to ensure a thriving future for downtown Bellingham
Potential Future High Speed Rail Study (WSDOT)
Tourism Resources – The City’s Tourism Plans
- Tourism Commission Strategic Plan
- Cultural Heritage Tourism Strategic Plan

Whatcom County Community Health and Safety Resources
Reports and services related to community health, safety and wellbeing
- Alice Report – ALICE describes those who earn above the Federal Poverty Level, but do not earn enough to afford all of life’s necessities like childcare, food, and transportation
- Aging Well Whatcom Report
- Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Services (DVSAS)
- Bellingham-Whatcom County Commission on Sexual and Domestic Violence
- Substance Abuse and Mental Services Administration (SAMHSA)
- All Hands Whatcom
- The Importance of Social Connection
Racial Equity and Social Justice
- Racial History Timeline (WWU)
- Land Use and Zoning – Historic Segregation
City Supported Arts, Culture, and Personal Enrichment Facilities
City of Bellingham Boards and Commissions
Tribal Resources – Information on Local Tribes and State Resources
Local Childcare Support and Initiatives

Search for Bellingham Plan Goals and Policies

Use this tool to look up policies related to each goal in the Bellingham Plan.

Looking for the Neighborhood Plans?

Access them here: Archived Neighborhood Plans

Contact Us

Please contact the Planning & Community Development Department for questions or more information.