Four public workshops will be held on a proposal to create urban village regulations for the Fountain District.

The workshops will be held at Fountain Community Church, 2100 Broadway.

Each will run 6 to 8 p.m. on these dates:

April 1 — Topics: introduction, district character, urban village boundary.

April 15 — Topics: streets, neighborhood connections, public spaces.

April 22 — Topics: land uses, design, scale, neighborhood transitions.

May 6 — Topics: summary of input and discussion of alternatives.

If the project stays on schedule, urban village details will be unveiled at a neighborhood meeting in early fall, with Planning Commission hearings in late fall and City Council hearings early in 2010.

Information on the effort will soon be posted at the city of Bellingham’s Web site. Go to cob.org and search for “urban village planning.”

For more details, contact city planner Katie Franks at 778-8388 or kfranks@cob.org.

Retired WWU prof Bert Webber is featured in a lengthy article that recently appeard on Crosscut, the online site of Northwest news and opinion.

The piece by Knute Berger discusses Webber’s proposal to apply the name “Salish Sea” to the great inland sea shared by Washington and British Columbia — roughly from Desolation Sound south to Georgia Strait, from the Gulf Islands to the Strait of Juan de Fuca, plus the San Juan Islands and Puget Sound.

Salish Sea wouldn’t replace any existing names — it would be an extra name for the broad, cross-border expanse of interconnected waters.

I wrote about Webber’s proposal last May. To read that story, click here.

Webber has submitted his proposal to Washington’s State Board of Geographic Names, which will take up the idea at its spring meeting this May.

For now, Webber is rounding up Canadian support for the idea.

If the Washington board is at least intrigued by his idea, and if there is apparent Canadian support, then Webber’s proposal will be circulated for full, public comment.

To read Berger’s nicely written piece, click here.

Today, Jan. 12, marks the anniversary of a major bit of crime history in Whatcom County.

It was on Jan. 12, 1979, that police arrested Kenneth Bianchi – L.A.’s “Hillside Strangler” – for the strangulation murder of two WWU students in Bellingham.

For a synopsis of the case – certainly one of the biggest crimes in local history – click here.

The story is courtesy of HistoryLink.org – the online encyclodepia of Washington history.

A friend I was talking to says Western Washington University is rare in that there is no commercial area close by, one that caters to the college crowd with restaurants, coffee shops and other services.

For now, Western students and staff must travel to Samish Way and Sehome Village, or to downtown, if they have tired of the bookstore and cafes on campus.

My friend says Indian Street, from campus to Holly Street, should be rezoned to allow small-scale commercial establishments.

What do you think of that idea?

An interesting article in Vancouver Magazine looks at why Vancouver, B.C., a city known for its high-rise approach to dense urban development, doesn’t rate high on the “happiness” scale.

Bellingham, of course, is a long way from Vancouver’s density levels, and the article’s author says the links between happiness and urban density are complex.

Still, it never hurts to think about these things as Bellingham grows.

Here’s the story.

People can attend a public meeting Monday, Oct. 20, to learn about developer Ralph Black’s plans for a building at 12th Street and Harris Avenue, at the crossroads of Fairhaven.

The meeting, which starts at 7 p.m. in the fireplace room at Fairhaven Library, is required by city law before a developer can apply for land-use permits.

The location is the corner occupied by a former gas station and railroad cars. Further back in time, the corner was home to the historic Fairhaven Hotel.

To see reporter Jared Paben’s earlier story on the project, click here.

For details, contact Ralph Black at 733-7515.

Rock and soil studies suggest that tall buildings and underground parking garages are feasible in the proposed Samish Way urban village area — maybe.

That’s the tentative conclusion of a geotechnical study recently done by Merit Engineering Inc. for the city of Bellingham.

The firm reviewed existing studies on soils, groundwater and bedrock in the Samish Way strip from Bill McDonald Parkway north to the vicinity of Ellis Street.

Merit also drilled five test pits.

The review and test drills were a first-blush look at whether the area could be redeveloped into a high-density urban village, possibly with underground parking.

Merit concluded that more investigations and more test drills are needed to be certain the underground scene is friendly where underground parking might go, and where stormwater ponds might be installed next to the freeway.

To see the full report, and for other info on the Samish Way urban village project, click here.

In related news:

City staff have consulted with single-family property owners along Edwards Street and 34th Street to discuss whether those properties should be included in the urban village boundary.

Property owners have been surveyed about their future plans for their properties.

RMC Architects of Bellingham has been hired to conduct a sample “highest and best use” development study based on preliminary assumptions for the project. The study will be sent to an economist in November to determine whether the initial development assumptions for the urban village are feasible.

City staff met with officials from Whatcom Transportation Authority, Western Washington University, the state Department of Transportation, the Bellingham Fire Department and interested neighbors to discuss potential problems and ideas.

A team of city staff and local professionals met to discuss how “low-impact” development concepts might be incorporated into the plan.

A public meeting planned for January will review those efforts and present draft ideas for the urban village master plan and related development regulations.

If you have questions, contact city development specialist Darby Galligan at 778-8389.

To see my latest story on the urban village project, click here.

Dan Burden — the executive director of Walkable Communities Inc. and an expert on creating pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly communities — will speak at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 14, at Bellingham City Hall, in the City Council chambers.

In August, Burden led more than 30 growth experts and innovators from across the globe through Bellingham as part of a four-day regional tour.

In his City Hall presentation, Burden will describe ideas and impressions the group of experts gained while touring the area.

He also will offer his perspective on what steps communities should take to achieve people-oriented streets, neighborhoods and downtown centers.

During the August tour and in subsequent publications, Burden has highlighted Bellingham’s waterfront as having the potential to become one of North America’s best new places.

On Tuesday, Oct. 7, Bellingham tree-expert John Wesselink will present “This Old Tree: Bellingham’s Heritage Trees” — an illustrated survey of many of the city’s oldest, finest and most interesting trees.

His free presentation starts at 12:30 p.m. in Whatcom Museum’s Old City Hall Building.

A public reception and short film celebrating the renewal of downtown Bellingham will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. this Thursday, Sept. 18, in the Harold and Irene Walton Theatre, formerly the Studio Theatre, at Mount Baker Theatre.

The event is being hosted by the city of Bellingham and by Downtown Renaissance Network.

Renewal projects downtown include:

Redevelopment of the intersection of Railroad Avenue and Holly Street.

Development of Depot Market Square.

New businesses and facade improvements.

Historic renovations.

Affordable housing.

Public art.

Street and landscaping improvements.

The restoration of Maritime Heritage Park and Whatcom Creek.

If you have an interest in building design and in the look of downtown, I have just the ticket for you.

There’s a vacancy on the Bellingham Design Review Board in the community-at-large slot.

The slot can’t be filled by anyone working in construction, design, urban planning or architecture, but the person must be able to read architectural plans and needs some knowledge of building and design.

The basic duty is to review development projects in Bellingham’s City Center Design Review District for consistency with city design standards for the district.

The Design Review Board meets the third Tuesday of every month at 3 p.m. in City Hall. The vacancy is for a four-year term.

To apply, fill out the application form on the Mayor’s Board and Commission Web page and include a letter highlighting your skills and experience.
Here’s the link.

Submit your application by Sept. 12 to the Mayor’s Office, 210 Lottie St., Bellingham, WA 98225, Attn: Design Review Board.

The staff contact is Marilyn Vogel, 778-8361 or mvogel@cob.org.

The initial draft of new standards and regulations for “infill housing” in Bellingham has been released and members of the public can comment on what they like and don’t like in the document.

The so-called “infill toolkit” has been posted on the city’s Web site for reviewing and printing. It’s 36 pages long.

To view the toolkit, click here.

The document outlines 13 forms of housing, including standards and regs for how those forms need to fit on a site, how much open space is required, and how large they can be.

The forms range from lower-density types such as carriage houses and small lots, up to higher-density townhouses and multi-story buildings.

The forms were developed with help from a Seattle consulting firm, LMN Architects, and were initially presented at four public workshops last spring collectively called “Planning Academy II: Achieving Infill; Enhancing Character.”

The toolkit proposes rules for the new housing forms, but doesn’t specify where they could be built in the city.

City planning director Tim Stewart has said the issue of where the various new housing forms might go — in which neighbhorhoods and which zoning areas — will be decided later after consultation with neighborhoods and city staff, and after public hearings.

“Creating opportunities for infill inside the city limits is the key to preventing sprawl,” Stewart said in a news release. “We are very enthusiastic about these new forms and look forward to working with neighborhoods to identify appropriate areas where these forms should be allowed.”

Under the city’s schedule, a final draft of the document will be ready for the Planning Commission packet in the middle of September for its public hearing on Oct. 16.

To comment on the initial draft, contact city planner Christopher Koch at 778-8349 or ckoch@cob.org.

For all the driving that we do, the subject of driving and traffic still raises as many questions as answers for most people.

Some intriguing answers appear in a new book by Tom Vanderbilt, “Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do (and What It Says About Us).”

I came across a review of the book in the online version of Metropolis Magazine.

From the review I learned answers to such questions as:

Why are pedestrians hit by cars more often while in crosswalks than while jaywalking? (A personal question for me.)

Should you merge quickly when you see a sign that your lane will close a mile ahead?

What the heck is “psychological traffic calming.”

To check out the review, click here.

The folks at Sustainable Connections are organizing a Sept. 4 conference called “Smart Growth for Sustainable Communities.”

The event will run from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Bellingham Cruise Terminal, and you have until Aug. 21 to register at the early-bird rate.

General admission costs $99 if you register before Aug. 22, and $119 thereafter.

Admission for Sustainable Connections members is $79 early, $99 late.

Guest speaker will be Gordon Harris, an award-winning urban planner and the creator of UniverCity, a sustainable urban community on Burnaby Mountain, B.C.

Jeff Pavey, from Cascade Land Conservancy, will discuss ways to foster vibrant communities while conserving rural lands.

And Mark Huppert, a Northwest developer and consultant, will discuss the economics of successsful urban developments.

There also will be conference time to review local programs and to discuss ways to bring smart growth to Whatcom County.

To register, go to www.sustainableconnections.org, or call 647-7093.

Today, Aug. 1, is the sad anniversary of the death of Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Theodore Roethke in 1963.

I mention Roethke because his demise is linked to a well-known Whatcom County native.

Roethke was found dead in a swimming pool on Bainbridge Island, where he was visiting friends, Prentice and Virginia Bloedel.

Prentice was born in Bellingham in 1900. He was a son of Julius Harold Bloedel, the logging pioneer in this area who donated land to the city of Bellingham for the Lake Whatcom park that carries his name.

Prentice followed his father’s path into the timber industry, and founded the Canadian timber giant MacMillan Bloedel Ltd.

He and his wife were major supporters of the arts in the Seattle area.

When Roethke died at their home, they had the pool filled with earth the next day and converted it into a Zen rock garden as a memorial to their poet friend.

For more details, courtesy of HistoryLink.org, click here and also here.