Councilman Hill's Self-Dealing

2/27/25 letter to City of Blaine:

The Central Business District (CBD) up-zoning amendments to the Blaine Municipal Code regarding parking requirements and building heights were both voted on by Councilman Hill, who was a very vocal supporter of the recommendations of the conflicted Downtown Advisory Committee (DAC) to reduce parking requirements and increase building heights. 

DAC member Gurdeep Bains voted for both despite him owning properties in the CBD, as does Councilman Hill. The CBD properties owned by Councilman Hill include the Chevron station, Blaine Visitors Center, Bordertown Mexican Grill, Starbuck's, and the vacant property behind them that extends all the way to 3rd Street behind Whatcom Physical Therapy.

This is where Hill could build condos, and indeed at the June 10, 2024 Blaine City Council meeting, Community Development Services director Alex Wenger used an aerial photo and map of Hill's property there to illustrate the financial benefit to developers of reducing parking requirements. Wenger did not identify the property in his slideshow as Councilman Hill's, and Hill voted yes without saying a word.

The CBD up-zoning that financially benefits Councilman Hill applies to a much greater area than just the petrochemically contaminated condominium site across Peace Portal Drive from Hill's Chevron, which he does not own. The hazardous materials cleanup there as part of Councilman Hill's toxic waste site under his Peace Portal Drive properties has yet to begin.

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