No response as of October 14 - we will post late responses within one business day of receiving them.

No response as of October 14 - we will post late responses within one business day of receiving them.

Yes, because as housing prices increase, those with lower incomes move further from population and employment centers. That is the "drive til you qualify" effect, and it is not a sustainable solution. We want to encourage less driving and less conversion of our rural and resource lands - those are serious environmental issues. We have to provide affordable housing options within our existing urban areas, near employment, shopping, entertainment, and schools.

No response as of October 14 - we will post late responses within one business day of receiving them.

Our environment is everything around us so yes, it is an environmental issue. Further, without decent housing our community will have increases in stress, crime, and disease. That is environmental!

Yes. It's important that we ensure a supply of affordable homes close to work and services. Commuting has significant environmental impacts and the financial and time costs associated with commuting offsets whatever savings may have been gained.

There is an unfortunate tendency to pigeonhole issues; in the end such an approach is almost always counterproductive. Housing affordability versus the environment is a good example of this. There are many connections between affordability and environmental issues. For example, a central environmental issue for me is sprawl. Sprawl occurs in large measure because some the full costs of development are transferred from the developer and buyer to the City and society at large. By charging appropriate fees, and by having in place appropriate regulations to assess costs at the development level, infill development becomes more attractive compared to the current pattern of wanting to develop the next cow pasture north of Bellingham. The challenge is to assess appropriate development charges, while also investing developers and the community with the tools needed to provide a full range of housing cost options, so that the costs of not sprawling are not left on the shoulders of those who are on the cusp of affording a home of their own--and who therefore frequently 'drive to qualify.' In the end, such an approach is more humane, better for the environment, and better for our collective pocketbook, as development occurs in a manner which does not penalize current taxpayers, while providing affordable choices for new homebuyers and creating greater efficiencies in our existing infrastructure. This pattern also enables transportation choices--making some trips by transit, walking, or biking--which have considerable environmental benefits. A more compact development pattern also addresses the aesthetic issue of not wanting another Lynnwood here in Bellingham, avoiding the ongoing encroachment into more and more undeveloped areas.

Yes. All social issues are environmental issues - how can we take care of other aspects of our environment if we cannot take care of our own population? Do the homeless make the choice to respect the earth when their survival is at stake? Does the air get any cleaner by people making false choices that it is better to buy/rent in the County and commute to the City? A solution to affordable housing is efficient and properly sized housing. This style of housing is less expensive, uses less energy to maintain, and uses the minimal amount of resources.

The environment is impacted by every home and if we choose to build green and efficient homes there is an increased cost. Yes, it can become an environmental issue - depending on:

• Location - cost of land and environmental impact
• Design - efficiency
• Government requirements
• Infrastructure costs - cheaper land often has higher costs associated with it
• Our desire to be a green community

Yes. All economic activity has an effect on the environment. As a rule, affordable units house residents that would be more likely to use public transportation or walk or ride bicycles.

In addition, it can also spark a general shift of thinking in the development community that can lead to affordable projects that have an emphasis on conservation.

Not directly, however, there is no doubt that environmental concerns contribute to an increase in housing costs. Building in environmentally friendly ways is not inexpensive, but the costs of not doing so could be incalculable down the road.

I'm not sure what is meant by "environmental" in this context. As the taskforce is finding, it's a very complex issue and will take a range of solutions to be recommended.

We can provide affordable housing without sacrificing the environmental quality all Bellingham residents cherish. Reforming City development codes will permit more efficient design so we can provide more affordable housing units on our limited land supply. For example, small cottage homes or condominiums with reduced road sizes and parking have a greater emphasis on bikes and walking communities, which allows more land for open space. Unfortunately, the current City ordinances do not provide a definition for townhouses or other alternate housing types. As the new 5th Ward City Councilor, I will lead the reform to re-write our development code to ensure affordable housing can be built. The code revisions should reflect our 21st Century need for energy efficiency and wise land utilization instead of advocating development patterns dominated by larger lots. Alternate housing types coupled with neighborhood sensitive design will gracefully produce a housing stock that can be affordable and accepted by the existing neighbors.

Yes I do. We live in an incredible beautiful but environmentally sensitive area. As we work to protect our environment we also limit the amount of available building land. With limited building lots and continued high demand prices increase. In order to protect our area and try to keep housing options affordable, we need to work to create creative development options.

Housing does have an impact on environmental issues largely based on where it is located. One of the harmful dynamics now is that land is cheaper at the edge of the city which causes people to locate further and further away from the urban core where jobs and services are. They are then forced to commute long distances causing traffic congestion and pollution.

That is why it is important to have higher density housing, both affordable and market rate, near the urban center or in the Bellingham mixed use centers.

Housing affordability is an environmental issue because high housing costs within the city can push people further and further outside city limits in the search for cheaper land and an affordable home. This sprawling form of growth takes up natural (undeveloped) and agricultural land, with more roads as well as more houses, and contributes to a reliance on fuel-consuming and pollution-producing forms of transportation. Affordability-driven sprawl also has negative social consequences, by contributing to separation of housing based upon income level, and by reducing the proximity and the amount of social time with neighbors and fellow residents.

No response as of October 14 - we will post late responses within one business day of receiving them.

No response as of October 14 - we will post late responses within one business day of receiving them.