Protect Lake Whatcom -
it's our drinking water!
it's our drinking water!
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Protect Lake Whatcom -
it's our drinking water! |
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Lake Whatcom downzone OK'd by County Council Katie N. Johannes, The Bellingham Herald About 1,400 houses can never be built around Lake Whatcom after a decision Tuesday by the Whatcom County Council. In a 5-2 vote, the council changed the zoning around the lake, reducing the number of homes that could be built in an effort to protect the lake, which is a drinking water reservoir for about 85,700 people in Bellingham and the county. The vote was the culmination of almost three years of studies, meetings and public discussions, and the public testimony Tuesday revisited some familiar arguments. "Houses that have not yet been built are not polluting the lake," said Mary Dickinson, governmental affairs director for the Building Industry Association of Whatcom County. The line has become the group's mantra. Of the 20 people who spoke during the hearing, Dickinson was the only one who expressed outright opposition to the zoning change. She questioned whether the zone change violates state Growth Management Act requirements and elements of the Whatcom County Charter. She also said the new zoning would increase the cost of housing at the lake, and that she wasn't convinced that building was the primary cause of the lake's degradation. Two people said they favored the zone change, but only if it was passed with a system that would allow property owners to sell their right to develop on their land to someone who would develop in a place zoned for greater building density. "This council has taken the attitude that fairness is not a requirement ... that you only need to do what will keep you from being sued." said watershed resident Jim Trowbridge. The 17 other people who spoke praised the zone change, some saying it didn't go far enough, and some requesting assurance that a program to transfer development rights would not be attached to the zoning regulations. "I'm concerned that if you link it (the zone change) to a TDR program, it will burden it and bring it down," said Seth Cool, 26. Council members Ward Nelson and Sam Crawford cast the two dissenting votes. Council member Barbara Brenner attempted to amend the zoning ordinance to give property owners hope that they might be able to take advantage of a transfer of development rights program in the future. Council member Seth Fleetwood argued that Brenner's proposed language would not accomplish anything since those property owners would be able to use any viable program anyway. Crawford expressed some reservations about the legal validity of the zone change, saying that the council had not proven that building was the source of the lake's pollution, or that a zone change would adequately protect the water from degradation. |
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Information on this group: People for Lake Whatcom P O Box 2242 Bellingham WA 98227 email: info@pflw.org |
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