People need places to live. Send a public comment for backyard cottages!

Providing homes for people in an equitable manner.

A backyard cottage.

A small group of privileged homeowners are organizing to exclude backyard cottages, like the one above, from their neighborhoods. We can’t let their voice dominate this discussion.

As a community, we make the rules together that shape our neighborhoods and what homes are available. The Planning Commission has been working on a new backyard cottage (ADU) ordinance and are taking written public comments until September 4th.

This is a very modest step, and won’t solve the housing challenge. We need to ask for this and more.

Unsheltered people are literally dying on our streets every winter. The most vulnerable in our community, working class families, immigrants, people with disabilities, youth, and others are being priced out of Bellingham because of skyrocketing rents and home values. Unsustainable housing policy leads to urban sprawl, car dependency and climate injustices like Hurricane Harvey.

Now is the time for housing solutions and inclusive, healthier, and happier city.

(If the link above isn’t for you, the email is planningcommission@cob.org)

Written comments are due September 4th. Don’t wait that long — just do it now. Do it now. Do itttt.

(Don’t forget to CC the City Council, ccmail@cob.org).

To have the most impact on the Planning Commission and City Council, craft your own comment. While this takes a little longer than a copy and paste comment, it is well worth it and far more powerful. Sharing your own story, values, and reasons why you support housing justice is helpful.

Here are five talking points that you can use as a resource:

1. If we live up to our progressive values as a community, we need equitable neighborhoods. Every neighborhood should allow for a diversity of housing types to support economically and culturally diverse communities. (Note: if you want a really excellent resource on housing in Bellingham, our schools, and equity, read City Councilmember April Barker’s latest blog post!). 2. Excluding people is not who we are. We need to tear down the walls and laws that segregate our community by class, and because class and race are intertwined, race too. 3. Allowing backyard cottages to be built easily in every neighborhood is a good first step, but it isn’t anywhere near enough. Our community needs the infill toolkit applied to every neighborhood, to increase the availability of affordable homes, like duplexes and row houses, in an equitable manner. 4. Economically-mixed neighborhoods will improve education for all our kids in Bellingham and help close the opportunity gap, instead of having ‘good’ and ‘bad’ schools that concentrate wealth and poverty. 5. Our community values the beauty of the outdoors and protecting the climate. By building homes in existing neighborhoods, we can prevent urban sprawl and enhance walkability, and the efficiency of public transit. Also, by increasing affordability, workers can live here and don’t have to commute from Ferndale or Mount Vernon. Note: For a more in-depth overview of current policy surrounding backyard cottages, check out the city’s overview. Backyard cottages (aka. DADUs or detached accessory dwelling units) are illegal in areas zoned single family, which covers a huge amount of land in Bellingham — all the white areas on this map besides the areas marked industrial (grey). HUD, the top federal housing agency, also published a report about backyard cottages with case studies. They concluded, “ In addition to providing practical housing options for the elderly, disabled, empty nesters, and young workers, ADUs can provide additional rental income for homeowners. ADUs are smaller in size, do not require the extra expense of purchasing land, can be developed by converting existing structures, and do not require additional infrastructure.”

Hope that helped! We got this.

Backyard cottages/infill is one solution of many for a better housing system, such as tenant protections, community land trusts, and alternative models of development and ownership. All of these solutions are needed and build off each other.

Lastly, mark your calendars for the public meeting on September 7th. The planning commission is hosting a work session on the ADU ordinance and is taking public comment.

Planning Commission Work Session on Backyard Cottages September 7th, 2017 at 7:00 PM City Council Chambers, 210 Lottie St

Thanks for your support of housing justice in Bellingham,

Galen