Don Keenan joins Sehome Neighborhood Association Board

We're pleased to announce that at the June 24 meeting of the SNA, former City Deputy Administrator and long time Sehome resident Don Keenan was elected to the board. Don's proven committment to civic issues and leadership in Bellingham make him a a tremendous asset to Sehome, and his board participation is greatly appreciated. Board members Ray Nelson, Dick McCollum, and Jon Shaughnessy were re-elected to the board, and Elliott Hindeman was elected to the Student Representative position.

Neighborhood Plan and Samish Way urban village master plan to move forward together

Planning and community development director Tim Stewart announced in late February that he would endorse the Sehome Neighborhood Plan and commit significant departmental resources to creating a master plan for the Samish Way urban village.
The plan should go before City Council for approval soon, and if approved, becomes part of the city Comprehensive Plan, and official city policy.

"Two neighborhoods have really advanced to a high level of neighborhood planning,” said Stewart. “The Sehome and Samish neighborhoods have worked very hard and are ready to tackle our toughest planning challenge: How do we infill and enhance our neighborhood character?”

The neighborhood plan, and its acceptance by the City, is a testament to what a group of motivated neighbors can accomplish to take the reins in determining our own future. Many thanks to the board members and many neighbors who made it possible!

Still time to comment

In April, the Department of Planning and Community Development announced that the Neighborhood Plan update and Samish Way master plan would be finalized together and submitted to the City Council for approval in 2009. Postponing the submission of the Neighborhood Plan gives us an opportunity to make any changes that may hav been overlooked in the crunch to finish the plan at the end of last year.

Some important comments have already been received since the 1.0 plan was submitted. (They aren't included in the version here; we will be reviewing all comments and incorporating them as appropriate into a 1.1 version.) You can download a Microsoft Word or Adobe Acrobat (PDF) version of the plan below. Please submit any comments to president@sehome.org at your earliest convenience. It would be great to have all neighborhood input solidified before the end of this year.

Meanwhile, the plan is not without impact, even in draft form. Last year we saw at least one developer-submitted proposal postponed by the City on the grounds that the neighborhood plan was nearly complete, and should be considered prior to approving any privately sponsored rezones. Though the plan doesn't have the same legal authority it will when it is added to the Comprehensive Plan, it represents a clear statement of neighborhood vision on the record, and is likely to be weighed heavily in any City decisions.

Update: v1.0 draft plan

Sehome Neighborhood Plan (Microsoft Word)

Sehome Neighborhood Plan (PDF)

About the Neighborhood Plan update

This year , you will have the opportunity to set the official policy of Sehome's future. Residents, businesses, property owners - if you have a stake in the quality of life here, this is your chance to make yourself heard.

In our spring meeting, we took Step 1, to find out what you want. In Step 2, committees worked to incorporate the input into draft proposals. Step 3 had you let us know what you thought of the draft. Back to committees for Step 4, where all the ideas are put into a real live draft plan. Now, it's your chance again in Step 5 - Please let us know what you think!

Questions or comments? Please with your name, address, and any other contact info you wish to share. YOUR INFORMATION WILL BE KEPT STRICTLY PRIVATE, and will not be shared with anyone without your explicit permission.