Blaine UGA land swap
3/28/25 letter to Whatcom County Planning Commission: As noted in this article in The Northern Light, there are limitations to the number of new homes Blaine's sewer treatment plant can handle, and that the upgrades to the sewer system that would be required for the 1,000 new homes on the Semiahmoo peninsula (proposed by Blaine Community Development Services director Alex Wenger) would require a substantial increase in utility bills city wide. While it is advisable to reduce the Urban Growth Area (UGA) in East Blaine due to its unlawful location over the Critical Aquifer Recharge Area (CARA) for the City of Blaine drinking water, designating a new UGA on the Semiahmoo peninsula threatens Drayton Harbor, endangered chinook salmon, and the natural/cultural resources of Lummi Nation--including their ancient village site and burial ground on Semiahmoo spit.