City Council members voted 5-2 last night to reject the 303-acre Dewey Valley annexation.
Council members Terry Bornemann and Louise Bjornson voted against it. I’m somewhat caught off guard by Bornemann’s vote, and I have a call into him to find out why he was opposed to rejecting the petition to annex.
Meanwhile, in a less shocking vote, the council approved a “first step” in the transfer of development rights/purchase of development rights program that will let builders purchase more density for projects in the urban growth area.
Developers are still skeptical of such programs and say that land they own in much of those areas can’t built more densely due to a variety of restrictions for wetlands, other critical areas ordinance issues and park lands. Thus, there’s no point to purchase more density they simply can’t use.
City officials believe the program is at least a starting point, and appeared to indicate last night that it will be years before developers will be able to take advantage of this program in a way that will boost the city’s watershed land acquisition fund.
If you buy density in Bellingham, and can’t build out… build up.
Could you imagine the penthouse view from a 100 story skyscraper near Barkely Financial District?
You could see all the San Juan Islands, Vancouver Island and possibly the Pacific Ocean on a clear day…