Editor’s note: Story updated at 3:06 pm on 8/11/26 to correct the final vote count after getting clarification from council office.
BELLINGHAM, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – Parking minimums are officially a thing of the past in Bellingham.
The Bellingham City Council voted 5-1 with one absence Monday night, Aug. 10 to approve an ordinance that permanently removes minimum parking requirements.
City code previously required developers to include a certain amount of parking spaces based on how many people live at a residence or by square footage for non-residential buildings. But an interim ordinance has allowed developers to choose how much parking they deem necessary for new projects for the past year and a half.
This latest ordinance makes those changes permanent, which include new minimum parking requirements for bicycles that vary based on location.
It’s part of an executive order aimed at expediting the addition of affordable housing by Mayor Kim Lund, who says the move will support the city’s most essential workers.
“Underbuilding housing affects all of us,” Lund said at a July 27 council meeting. “Our teachers, our childcare workers, our maintenance technicians; the people who make Bellingham work are struggling to find homes and afford rents in the community that they serve.”
According to the city, each parking space generally costs more than $20,000 in Bellingham, an expense that can make some projects unfeasible for developers. City staff have cited an example of eliminated parking requirements in Old Town leading to renewed development interest, with plans now in place to build at least 500 new residential units in the coming years.
The parking minimums ordinance has been subject to several public hearings at past council meetings.
Proponents cite studies that find making off-street parking optional can lead to significant growth in housing availability. Critics argue it focuses too much on apartment complexes and larger apartments while not addressing the need for dedicated parking at residential homes.
According to the city, it’s the first time Bellingham’s parking requirements have been substantially updated since the 1960s.
