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Birch Bay Commercial Design Standards and Guidelines
The community of Birch Bay is in the northwestern portion of Whatcom County, southwest of the City of Blaine. Historically, the small shoreline community was a resort area, serving both Canadians and Washington residents. The area is currently experiencing a tremendous amount of growth, requiring more intensive planning than the area has received in the past.
The 1997 Whatcom County Comprehensive Plan recommends Subarea Plans to guide development that occurs within the distinct geographic areas of the County. Birch Bay‘s Subarea Plan was adopted in 2004 and recommends that the County address design issues in Birch Bay.
As a result, Whatcom County Planning and Development Services applied for and received a grant from the State of Washington Office of Community, Trade, and Economic Development to hire a consultant to develop design standards and guidelines for the commercial zones within the Birch Bay Urban Growth Area (UGA). Commercial zones are defined in the Birch Bay Community Plan as either:
- Resort Commercial -accommodates single family dwelling units, multi-family dwelling unite, mobile home and recreational vehicle parks, hotel, motel, and time-share condominiums. Limited commercial development is permitted (Birch Bay waterfront).
- Neighborhood Commercial - provides small, concentrated land areas intended for retail sales of convenience goods and services to person residing within a neighborhood trade or service area (Harbor View Road, north of Anderson Road).
- General Commercial - allows most commercial establishments, namely retail, service, office and hotel/motel uses. Residential is also allowed (Blaine Road and Alderson Road, Lincoln Road and Shintaffer Road, Blaine Road and Birch Bay Lynden Road, and Selder and Birch Bay Drive).
Whatcom County, along with members of the Birch Bay Community, selected A Northwest Collaborative (ANC) to develop design guidelines for the Commercial zones of Birch Bay.
The ANC Team consists of: Davidya Kasperzyk whose town planning work includes "Imagine Shelton", and numerous Seattle neighborhoods; Don Carlson FAIA, an award winning architect and urban designer who created Bellingham's Bellwether buildings; Greg Waddell, former Bellingham Planning Director; and Pam Beyette, a renowned public artist.
ANC produced a number of products throughout their work with the Birch Bay community and Whatcom County. They are available for download in .pdf format.
- Town Center Recommendations
- Commercial Zoning Recommendations
- Power Point Presentations at Various Public Events
-Presentation 1, given during Fall 2006 Workshops
-Presentation 2, given during Fall 2006 Workshops
-Presentation 3, given during Winter 2007 Workshop
-Presentation 4, given during Winter 2007 Workshop
-Presentation 5, given during County Council meeting in June 2007
- Birch Bay GIS Visualization
- Proposed Design Guidelines for Commercial Development
- ANC Final Report
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