February 11th, 2025
Councilmembers,
When you hear from lobby groups about fully funded Inclusionary Zoning please keep in mind
Sightline and the Whatcom Housing Alliance focuses first and foremost (only, actually) on market rate housing and increasing density. They will manipulate the information as to make it seem they would be in support of inclusionary zoning, and helping Affordability for work force residents, but will find every reason why market rate density should continue unencumbered. Look at any of their articles with a keen eye, or an upcoming talk, and you will see the same.
Bellingham’s housing market is a perfect model for Inclusionary Zoning, and any argument against looking into its future plausibility would be disingenuous. The ‘missing middle’ demographic of Bellingham’s work force residents who make 30-50% AMI are suffering. They make enough to not be considered for publicly subsidized housing, but they don’t come close to being able to afford market rate housing that WHA and Sightline focus their lobbying efforts on.
Tens of thousands of Bellingham residents are forgotten, and when homelessness is on the horizon that could be deadly. They deserve better. Inclusionary Zoning costs multiples less than subsidized housing, saving tax payers millions. Developers have the expertise and infrastructure to add units efficiently, and the City has the Zoning levers (Inclusionary Zoning) to help make any development pencil out, for little in tax payer dollars.
These lobbying organizations will also say that interest rates and costs are too high. Were they too high back in 2019 when Planning Commissioners and City Council asked for its consideration and the City did not act? Will they always be too high? Or will we act now to plan for when costs are not as high and be ready for when Inclusionary Zoning pencils out as it has for hundreds of communities who took action to take care of their work force residents?
Its not ok for our tens of thousands of work force residents to struggle, especially when you have the tools to make it happen. Developers need the money to make it happen, and you have it. Not in the way of funds, but in zoning. When you decide to reduce or negate costly requirements for parking, you take away a cost and increase a development’s profitability, allowing Inclusionary Zoning (unfunded) to pencil out. When you decide to decrease the costs of a development with nothing in return for residents who suffer? That’s a lost opportunity.
Bellingham has fewer and fewer tools at their disposal to create housing for their work force, as you give them away. Inclusionary Zoning only sounds divisive, if you listen to lobby groups who don’t want it. The rest of the world already knows it as a solution. Its time Bellingham made it happen.
Thank you,
Scott Jones
[email protected]
www.helpinghousing.org
