NO TO BIRCH POINT UGA

October 10, 2025, letter to City of Blaine:

Resolution 1984-25, directing city staff to revise the preferred Urban Growth Area alternative as expressed in the Request for Council Action on October 13, 2025, removes the 299 acre Urban Growth Reserve Area at Birch Point until after the November 4 election, in which Blaine voters will vote on the fraudulent city-sponsored Proposition 2025-07, the title of which (Reduction of City Limits) misleads voters, since the stated intent of the proposition according to the city is to convince the county to let Blaine annex 460 acres at Birch Point as an Urban Growth Area.

The concerns by Whatcom County Planning are not addressed by this last-minute city maneuver to salvage annexation of 460 acres at Birch Point while under fire from Birch Bay and Blaine residents who would be required to foot the bill for traffic improvements, stormwater treatment, and sewer system expansion in the form of significantly increased utility bills and taxes.

On October 3, 2025, Whatcom County Planning sent the following email to Blaine Community Development Services director Alex Wenger [edited for brevity]:

Hi Alex: 

County Planning has several concerns about the updated City of Blaine UGA/UGA Reserve Proposal (September 29, 2025), including:

LAND CAPACITY

"The land capacity surpluses cause concern relating to compliance with this requirement of the Growth Management Act."

CAPITAL FACILITIES

"Blaine’s UGA proposal indicates that City water and sewer plans will be updated in 2026 following adoption of the Comp Plan (pp. 15 and 18). Additionally, the North Whatcom Fire & Rescue Capital Facilities Plan update has not been completed. This causes concern that the capital facility information required by RCW 36.70A.070(3), relating to capital facility planning for the two new UGAs for the 20-year planning year (through 2045), will not be provided in a timely manner."

"The Growth Management Hearings Board has required adopted capital facility plans for UGA expansions. Draft capital facility plans are not sufficient."

CRITICAL AREAS

"For UGA Swaps, the GMA requires that “Less than 15 percent of the areas added to the urban growth area are critical areas” (RCW 36.70A.130(3)(c)(iii)). Critical Areas include Critical Aquifer Recharge Areas. Blaine’s proposal includes a written description addressing this criterion (p. 21). Blaine’s Proposal indicates less than 15% of the UGA expansion areas are mapped as Critical Areas by the City (Blaine’s mapping does not show any Critical Aquifer Recharge Areas in the proposed UGA expansions). However, County’s mapping includes Critical Aquifer Recharge Areas covering the entire proposed UGA expansion areas."

 
Jay Taber, Blaine Water Coalition

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