Editing Bellingham, Washington (section)

===Future development===
[[File:Bellingham City Hall with a homeless camp around it. December 2020. (50693543996).jpg|thumb|Homeless encampment around Bellingham City Hall, 2020]]

Bellingham saw apartment vacancy hit 0.6% in 2016, and plans to use multi-family housing to accommodate more than 50% of the projected growth in housing units (16,525 units by 2036).<ref name="inside-shortage">{{cite news|last1=Hamann|first1=Emily|title=Inside Bellingham's housing shortage|url=http://bbjtoday.com/blog/inside-bellinghams-housing-shortage/33727/|access-date=June 19, 2017|work=The Bellingham Business Journal|date=May 2, 2016}}</ref> According to Aaron Terrazas, senior economist at Zillow, "Given the area's pace of growth, it would require very aggressive building to keep rent affordability in check."<ref>{{cite news|last1=Gallagher|first1=Dave|title=Ever wonder why rent continues to go up in Bellingham? Just look at the factors at play|url=http://www.bellinghamherald.com/news/local/article142981649.html|access-date=June 19, 2017|work=The Bellingham Herald|date=April 6, 2017}}</ref>

The city has resisted expanding the Urban Growth Area for many years,<ref>{{cite web|last1=Way|first1=Rebekah|title=Pushing City Limits|url=https://theplanetmagazine.net/pushing-city-limits-99f37d65d281|publisher=The Planet Magazine|access-date=June 19, 2017|date=March 6, 2015}}{{Dead link|date=October 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> and hopes to fit both multi-family and single-family growth within the city limits.<ref name="inside-shortage" /> Builders counter that even City planners acknowledge that the city is "largely built out" and that the remaining land is difficult or expensive to build on.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Twitchell|first1=Linda|title=Should cities expand boundaries to encourage affordable housing?|url=http://www.bellinghamherald.com/opinion/op-ed/article108265807.html|access-date=June 19, 2017|work=The Bellingham Herald|date=October 16, 2016}}</ref> Attempts to increase density, ease restrictions on 'accessory dwelling units',<ref>{{cite news|last1=Wohlfeil|first1=Samantha|title=Bellingham looks to tackle illegal housing after months of public input|url=http://www.bellinghamherald.com/news/local/article120077083.html|access-date=June 19, 2017|work=The Bellingham Herald|date=December 11, 2016}}</ref> or even to develop land already zoned residential, are regularly met with fierce neighborhood opposition: Padden Trails was opposed by the Samish Neighborhood Association;<ref>{{cite news|last1=Johnson|first1=Tim|title=Another Southside development proposal draws fire|url=http://www.cascadiaweekly.com/cw/currents/6540|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201024195634/http://www.cascadiaweekly.com/cw/currents/6540|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 24, 2020|access-date=June 19, 2017|work=The Cascadia Weekly|date=December 7, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Carpenter|first1=Joseph|title=SNA position on Padden Trails|url=http://samishneighborhood.org/sna-position-on-padden-trails|website=Samish Neighborhood Association|access-date=June 19, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180123073826/http://samishneighborhood.org/sna-position-on-padden-trails|archive-date=January 23, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> a dense development at the Sunnyland D.O.T. site was scaled-down;<ref>{{cite news|last1=Johnson|first1=Tim|title=On the Spectrum|url=http://www.cascadiaweekly.com/cw/currents/17505|access-date=June 19, 2017|work=The Cascadia Weekly|date=August 20, 2014|archive-date=January 23, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180123092441/http://www.cascadiaweekly.com/cw/currents/17505|url-status=dead}}</ref> Fairhaven neighbors led the effort to prevent the development of Fairhaven Highlands,<ref>{{cite web|title=Case Study: Solving problems with an opposition group.|url=http://masterplanning.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/FairhavenHighlands_casestudy.pdf|access-date=June 19, 2017|archive-date=July 31, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160731213549/http://masterplanning.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/FairhavenHighlands_casestudy.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> (now Chuckanut Ridge), which the City ended up purchasing for $8.2 million,<ref>{{cite web|last1=Servais|first1=John|title=City to buy Chuckanut Ridge for $8.2 million|url=http://nwcitizen.com/entry/city-to-buy-chuckanut-ridge-for-8.2-million|website=Northwest Citizen|access-date=June 19, 2017|date=August 16, 2011}}</ref> preventing more than 700 new housing units;<ref>{{cite web|title=Fairhaven's Hundred Acre Wood Wildlife Habitat or 1,464 Unit Planned Community|url=http://whatcomwatch.org/index.php/article/fairhavens-hundred-acre-wood-wildlife-habitat-or-1464-unit-planned-community/|website=Whatcom Watch|access-date=June 19, 2017|date=August 16, 2011}}</ref> neighborhood groups pressured the City Council to go against staff recommendation to rezone Squalicum Lofts for residential development.<ref>{{cite news|title=Allsop applies for industrial Squalicum Lofts project|url=http://bbjtoday.com/blog/allsop-applies-for-industrial-squalicum-lofts-project/1388/|access-date=June 19, 2017|work=The Bellingham Business Journal|date=January 31, 2008}}</ref>

In 2017, the Bellingham City Council began acknowledging housing affordability as a critical issue,<ref>{{cite news|last1=Mittendorf|first1=Robert|title=First-timers: It's getting harder to find affordable housing in Bellingham. Just look at what you're up against|url=http://www.bellinghamherald.com/news/local/article152902544.html|access-date=June 19, 2017|work=The Bellingham Herald|date=May 27, 2017}}</ref> and hosted a town hall meeting on housing affordability and homelessness.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Mittendorf|first1=Robert|title=They talked about 'income discrimination.' What does that mean?|url=http://www.bellinghamherald.com/news/local/article156255959.html|access-date=June 19, 2017|work=The Bellingham Herald|date=June 14, 2017}}</ref>