Futurewise Whatcom: Serving the Public Interest

Megan Claflin is an environmental journalism student at Western Washington University.

In 1990, Washington’s legislature adopted a new Growth Management Act (GMA), and set into motion an arduous series of decisions that would place the diverse, colorful communities of Whatcom County beneath the scrupulous eyes of various state and local planning and development organizations. Today, as one of the fastest growing counties in Washington, Whatcom County, its citizens and governments must allow for growth while protecting agricultural lands, natural resources and critical community green spaces.

As the Whatcom County Council and the various cities planning departments debated policy reform and new directions for growth, a variety of public interest groups emerged to act as a voice for the community. One committee, eight members strong, stepped in to fill the void, as ProWatch, an environmental public interest group headed by Western Washington University professor Dan Warner.

This committee was determined to develop an able public group, capable of monitoring the balance of development and conservation within Whatcom County. With an immediate focus on fundraising and assembling a steering committee, the group’s call for comrades attracted the attention of Futurewise, a larger organization active in the county. ProWatch eventually disbanded and Futurewise stepped in.

Futurewise is a statewide, nonprofit, public interest group, formed in Seattle, Wash., in 1990. On a mission to promote healthy communities and cities, while protecting farmlands, forests and shorelines, Futurewise provides citizens with the legal tools necessary to question the development decisions of their local government and to participate in the creation of planning strategies adapted to match a community’s long-term vision and statewide GMA goals.

Prior to designating Futurewise Whatcom as its advocate for the county, Futurewise successfully protected Point Whitehorn and Birch Point from development, two areas now designated as sensitive parts of Puget Sound. The organization also won legal disputes over the zoning of sensitive rural areas and convinced the County Council to adopt ordinances to increase wetlands buffers.

In April 2007, Futurewise Whatcom opened up shop in Bellingham. Preliminary members quickly focused their attentions on acquiring funds to hire a fill-time director, recruiting additional members and activists and identifying critical growth management issues within Whatcom.

Three short months later, assisted by generous donations from local businesses, Futurewise Whatcom welcomed Cathy Lehman as the chapter director. Lehman, Western Washington University alum, graduated in 1998 and made her debut in planning and development as the sustainable business development manager for Sustainable Connections, a position she held for five years.

Now with Lehman at the helm, the steering committee, consisting of President Eric Hirst, Vice President Dan Warner, Treasurer Charlie Maliszewski, Secretary Lynnea Flarry, and Rick Dubrow, Michael Lilliquist and Tris Shirley, was ready for business.

To the naked eye, Futurewise’s form and function resemble that of Sustainable Connections, the well-known nonprofit organization stationed in Bellingham, but these two organizations are addressing similar issues in different ways.

Sustainable Connections is a network of independent businesses focused on transforming the local economy to rely on sustainable business practices. Simply put, Sustainable Connections is effecting change from the bottom up, encouraging the market to demand environmentally and socially responsible business ethics and assisting local businesses in evolving to new standards.

Futurewise, on the other hand, acts as a watchdog, working from the top down to ensure local policies are adhering to the Washington GMA and that local government is enforcing restrictions on frivolous development.

Futurewise Whatcom affects public policy with a two-pronged strategy, approaching issues from both political and legal angles. In order to gain political sway the group is focused on gaining a broad base of public support. Already the committee has met with a variety of public figures including city and county council members, planning and development officials, Whatcom County Planning Commission, Whatcom County Department of Parks and Recreation, as well as establishing connections with other public interest groups.

Through open discourse, Futurewise is affirming its understanding of local issues and their effectiveness in addressing them. Also legally competent, the group is utilizing access to the Western Washington Growth Management Hearings Board (WWGMHB), which hears allegations of a city or county failing to comply with the goals and requirements of the state GMA. A strong relationship with the WWGMHB solidifies Futurewise’s position as an influential public servant.

Strengthened by public participation and economic generosity, Futurewise Whatcom can already boast a variety of accomplishments. The groups’ testimony before the Whatcom County Council clarified their opposition of proposals to expand Bellingham’s urban growth area (UGA) by roughly 2,000 acres. With encouragement from Futurewise, about 70 citizens wrote letters to the council expressing their disapproval.

Futurewise also addressed similar UGA expansion proposals in Blaine, Birch Bay and other areas of the county in January 2008. These cases are now before the WWGMHB with Futurewise acting as an intervener.

Continued success will depend on public support, so Futurewise Whatcom is launching a public education program, a combined effort of e-mail alerts, newsletters and public meetings to assist citizens in understanding the complicated legal jargon and mechanics of the GMA. It is Futurewise’s stance that citizens with a strong understanding of their community’s legal obligations to comply with state regulations will participate in the areas of planning and development.

Learning from their first-year successes, Futurewise Whatcom adopted two goals for the coming year. Protection of rural county areas against unnecessary expansion of urban areas is a top priority. Reducing unwarranted sprawl will maintain natural-resource-based industries and open areas serving as wildlife habitat and recreational areas.

In addition, the group aims to create compact, livable cities. By focusing development inside existing city boundaries, the infrastructure required to maintain urban areas, including water, sewer and electric services, as well as transportation services, does not need to suffer from overextension into rural areas.

Futurewise will work for higher impact fees, requiring developers, not taxpayers, to foot the bill for the extension of public services into rural developments. Higher impact fees will increase builder incentives to develop new residential and commercial areas within the city limits.

Futurewise Whatcom will continue to actively participate in the state hearing boards and in preparations for the 2011 Comprehensive Plan update for Whatcom County. The group aims to encourage public participation in the process and to adopt a 20-year population forecast for the county. Futurewise and its dedicated team will continue to network with other local activist groups to work toward a more sustainable and progressive Whatcom County. §

• Cathy Lehman, Chapter Director, Cathy@Fturewise.org

• Eric Hirst, Chapter Chair, EricHirst@comcast.net

• http://www.futurewise.org/whatcom

• Growth Management Hearing Boards: http://www.gmhb.wa.gov/gma