Bellingham Mayoral Candidate Forum
Name:
Bellingham Mayoral Candidate Forum
Date:
July 18, 2019
Time:
5:30 PM - 7:00 PM PDT
Event Description:
The Bellingham Regional Chamber of Commerce is partnering with (AGC) Association of General Contractors and (BIAWC) Building Industry Association of Whatcom County for a Bellingham Mayoral Candidate Forum.
The forum will offer candidates the opportunity to share their plans to resolve the housing crisis in Bellingham, plus address challenges facing the construction industry. Local industry experts will share their experiences interfacing with the City of Bellingham in areas of buildable lands, consumer and commercial finance and lending, public systems, city administration and operations, public works contracts, workforce development, and more.
It is estimated Bellingham lacks 30% of the housing supply needed to effectively house citizens, with a rental vacancy rate of less than 1%. In February 2019, Bellingham was ranked 8th in most unaffordable housing markets nationwide (Realtor.com). In June 2019, the average selling price of a single-family Bellingham home was $563,931 and $404,000 throughout the county (NWMLS.com).
Excessive government regulation accounts for 25% of the cost of a home in Bellingham, WA (NAHB). For every $1,000 increase in construction cost—through impact fees and other government mandates and restrictions—85 families are priced out of the market. Bellingham charges some of the highest fees in the nation, with $31,171 total building permit fees assigned to a single-family home (cob.org).
Thank you to BIAWC and AGC for organizing this important forum.
The forum will offer candidates the opportunity to share their plans to resolve the housing crisis in Bellingham, plus address challenges facing the construction industry. Local industry experts will share their experiences interfacing with the City of Bellingham in areas of buildable lands, consumer and commercial finance and lending, public systems, city administration and operations, public works contracts, workforce development, and more.
It is estimated Bellingham lacks 30% of the housing supply needed to effectively house citizens, with a rental vacancy rate of less than 1%. In February 2019, Bellingham was ranked 8th in most unaffordable housing markets nationwide (Realtor.com). In June 2019, the average selling price of a single-family Bellingham home was $563,931 and $404,000 throughout the county (NWMLS.com).
Excessive government regulation accounts for 25% of the cost of a home in Bellingham, WA (NAHB). For every $1,000 increase in construction cost—through impact fees and other government mandates and restrictions—85 families are priced out of the market. Bellingham charges some of the highest fees in the nation, with $31,171 total building permit fees assigned to a single-family home (cob.org).
Thank you to BIAWC and AGC for organizing this important forum.
