Executive’s UGA Proposal Update

Upon review of the UGA data released on Wednesday, August 19th, and published on the Whatcom County web site, Everson City Planner, Rollin Harper, discovered that lands the city proposed to be removed from Everson’s Urban Growth Area and placed into agricultural designation were not included in the summary tables of Executive’s Kremen’s proposal.  

Whatcom County Planning and Development Services staff reviewed its data and discovered that a 33 acre parcel on Van Buren Road that Everson had proposed removing from the Urban Growth Area was not accounted for. The tables affecting agricultural land have been updated and the result is a 5 acre net gain of land designated as agricultural lands due to the Urban Growth Area designations.

Executive Kremen’s proposal for Lynden conditionally allows for the expansion into agricultural lands.  An area has been set aside as an Urban Growth Area Reserve, which would require a future comprehensive plan amendment to re-designate as an Urban Growth Area.  The Urban Growth Area Reserve is specifically conditioned on the City of Lynden and Whatcom County working on strategies and plans to ensure protection of at least 100,000 acres of agricultural land in Whatcom County, thus preserving the land base of this industry for future generations.

Table 8, Agricultural Lands in Urban Growth Area (gross acres)

 Executive Kremen’s proposal allows for small cities to become their own economic centers.  Kremen noted that the Fiscal Impact Assessment of the UGA alternatives prepared by Berk and Associates shows that additional growth to the small cities provides for the greatest governmental efficiency gains.  “Providing for balanced growth that doesn’t impact other industries is a win-win situation” says Kremen, “My proposal accomplishes that.”

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