This page provides additional information related to topics covered by the Bellingham Plan.
Comprehensive plans are used by communities to establish a vision for the future and provide a framework for building toward that vision. The Comprehensive Plan, known as the Bellingham Plan, is the City’s guiding community plan, providing direction on a range of topics to guide growth over the next twenty years.
Each chapter of the plan includes narrative text to set the context of the chapter and a set of goals and policies.
- Goals provide broad vision statements of intention, defining what the City would like to achieve over time. Policies are high-level statements of how the City aspires to achieve a stated goal.
- Policies are not actions that can be checked off once complete but rather describe ongoing, general approaches that could be achieved through any of several unique actions.
These goals and policies guide development, capital investments, city programs, and other actions across the myriad of topics covered by the plan. The Land Use Chapter includes a land use map that generalizes intended land uses across the city.
Functional plans, or shorter-term plans that often include specific action lists on topics like transportation or schools, are adopted by reference within the Comprehensive Plan. These plans are listed on the first page of each chapter in the vertical blue column. Subarea plans are also adopted by reference, providing additional policies and maps for each Urban Village within the City. These plans are guided by the citywide goals and policies and are updated on an as-needed basis through the annual amendment process.
See a complete list of all documents adopted by reference, listed by relevant chapter.
The Growth Management Act (GMA) allows the plan to be updated once annually through the docketing process. The Docket is set by the City Council and determines which proposed amendments will be brought forward for consideration in the following calendar year. These amendments often include map changes requested by property owners, but they can include either privately or staff-initiated map or policy amendments. Each amendment through this annual process is constrained to a specific topic with a limited scope. Larger or more complex amendments are generally covered through the Periodic Update process.
While the Comprehensive Plan is a twenty-year document, it goes through a major update each decade to ensure its guidance remains relevant and responds to changing conditions in the community and region. The next periodic update will begin in 2033, with anticipated adoption in 2035.
View information related to the Bellingham Plan, 2025 Periodic Update.
