Washington’s Growth Management Act (GMA) requires that cities and counties significantly update their comprehensive plans at least every 10 years in what’s known as a periodic update. Bellingham’s most recent periodic update was adopted in 2025. Community engagement is a critical part of the periodic update process. You can learn more about engagement that influenced our most recent periodic update on this page.
How community engagement shaped the Bellingham Plan
Bellingham’s 2025 periodic update process included two years of engagement with community members, local organizations, and boards and commissions. We wanted to understand their values, concerns, and hopes for the future. That engagement informed updates to the Bellingham Plan. It also helped inform the public of relevant changes in state law, local regulations and new proposed concepts in the plan.
Thousands of residents, students, workers and visitors shaped the Bellingham Plan. Engagement took many forms including open houses, presentations, surveys, a community workgroup, focus groups, tabling at community events and more. Some of what we learned during this engagement is informing regulatory updates underway today. Other engagement results incorporated into the plan will continue to guide our work over the next decade as we implement Bellingham’s community vision.
