Fixing our Housing Crisis

Bellingham now has the 4th most unaffordable housing (relative to median income) of any city of any size in the US.

This is the root cause of our most pressing crises — from rising inequality and homelessness to unsustainable city budgets and climate change. To fix this we must stop costly sprawl and provide more housing choices near jobs, schools, neighborhood businesses, and transit.

Skyrocketing Housing Costs Are Squeezing Families. We must lift restrictions preventing more affordable home choices. This will also allow us to build more permanently affordable housing.

Here’s why new construction benefits everyone: “Can luxury housing do anything for homelessness?”

The Wealth Gap Is Widening. Research shows housing costs are the single biggest driver of rising inequality.

Housing Shortages Are Fueling Homelessness. This humanitarian crisis is also a fiscal disaster, straining emergency services, public spaces, and local businesses.

Housing Policy Is Climate Policy. Restrictive zoning forces sprawl, increasing reliance on cars — one of the largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions.

Stronger Public Transit Needs Smarter Growth. Transit systems thrive on density.

Rising Utility Costs Hurt Everyone. Sprawl drives up the per-person cost of essential services like sewer, water, waste disposal, and electricity.

Fiscal Responsibility Demands Smarter Housing Policy. Sprawl forces cities to spend more on roads, emergency services, and utilities, deepening deficits and draining reserves. Without action, we face higher taxes or service cuts — neither of which is acceptable.

For 16 years, the incumbent has slowed housing reform – advocating for extended public process, for limiting reforms to pilot projects, for exempting most of the city – while housing costs skyrocketed.

Between 2014 and 2024, Bellingham’s median home price more than doubled. We are now the most unaffordable small city in the U.S., and the fourth most unaffordable city of any size (see spreadsheet graphic).

The incumbent’s collaboration with anti-housing activists who are financing his reelection campaign contributed to this outcome. Now he’s asking for a fifth term while families struggle to find affordable homes or rents.

The incumbent says he’s been talking about housing reform for years. That’s the problem. He talks reform, and acts to slow it down. If you’re ready for action instead of excuses, vote for change.

I will fight alongside Mayor Kim Lund and my fellow council members to enact citywide housing reforms.

Bellingham’s expanded public engagement with over 10,000 inputs found preferences for:

* changing zoning in all neighborhoods for greater housing choice including more affordable small-scale housing

* neighborhood businesses such as coffee shops and groceries.

* increasing residential densities to meet climate action goals

Unlike my opponent, I’m a doer, not a talker.

Where he has acted as a brake on reform, I will be an accelerator, supporting 1) immediate reforms wherever possible through interim ordinances, and 2) citywide reforms residents have asked for through public engagement.

Bellingham’s old zoning laws create sprawl, raise housing costs, and prevent walkable neighborhoods by keeping homes and businesses separate. 

Form-based codes control building exteriors and public space interactions, maintaining neighborhood character while allowing flexible internal uses. This promotes greater housing choice at a variety of sizes and price points, supports local businesses, and reduces sprawl.

Implementing a version of the SmartCode — an adaptable, open-source zoning system — could streamline regulations, cut permitting delays, and enable more affordable housing choices in walkable neighborhoods while preserving natural and agricultural areas. 

· Bellingham currently has 25 zoning tables with 430 unique subareas, a complexity requiring hired consultants to navigate. The SmartCode would cut that number to six zones and a few special districts.

· Long permitting times increase costs to individuals, builders, and businesses. The SmartCode would enable people to build by right within the range of forms allowed in each zone.

· Current zoning restricts half of Bellingham to the most expensive housing: single detached, often with large minimum lot sizes. Originally intended to separate people by income and race, it clusters multifamily housing in north Bellingham, where public schools now serve a majority-minority population.

· Current zoning restrictions more than double the cost of housing, and require reliance on automobiles for most trips.

· If adopted regionally by Whatcom County and other municipalities, the SmartCode could simplify and coordinate regional planning.