Bellingham Planning Board Continues 850-Unit Age-Restricted Housing Hearing to February

BELLINGHAM -- January 15, 2026, Bellingham planners continued an 850-unit age-restricted housing hearing on Payne Street after a night of dense traffic testimony. The Planning Board voted 5-0 to move the 180 Payne Street NECC project hearing to February 12, where the fire chief, police chief, and DPW director are expected to testify on public safety and utility concerns. Applicant consultant Robert Misho of MDM Transportation Consultants presented a December 16 memorandum arguing that rephasing the Pulaski Boulevard signal cluster could cut evening peak-hour queue lengths by up to 11 vehicles, a finding the town's peer reviewer, TEC, largely concurred with. The peer reviewer pressed for either a road safety audit before approval or a town-controlled fund for post-approval improvements, warning that an unreviewed intersection "with pedestrian islands at some obscure angles with slip lanes" carries real risk. Members raised pointed questions about whether the study's background growth rate captured a coming retail resurgence at Diamond Hill Plaza, where a new supermarket is expected to open this spring. The board also voted 5-0 to approve a $418,792 road bond for the Snettrail subdivision, against a full road-construction estimate of approximately $2.4 million, after DPW discovered no bond had been posted despite the project being underway.