City fails to protect the public’s interest by refusing to require an Environmental Impact Statement

Jul 26

As PMBC anticipated, the City of Bellingham issued a Mitigated Determination of Nonsignificance (MDNS) for the proposed Woods at Viewcrest development on July 25, 2025. This determination means that an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) will not be required for the project to move forward. Links to the city’s MDNS and Environmental Record (SEPA) Report are provided below. If you requested updates from the city, you should have received a notice of this determination via an email from Senior Planner Kathy Bell.

In response, PMBC will file a formal written appeal of the city’s SEPA threshold determination before the August 8th deadline. (For more information on the SEPA determination, see PMBC’s Urgent Appeal Update from 6/30/25.) PMBC is currently working with our attorney to prepare the appeal, which will demonstrate how the Woods at Viewcrest development is likely to impose a significant adverse impact on the environment and jeopardize public safety.

In addition to filing the written appeal, PMBC will make the case at a future public hearing before the city’s Hearing Examiner that an EIS must be completed as part of the planning process. The public hearing has yet to be scheduled, but will likely take place in the fall.

Thanks to committed supporters, PMBC has already raised 60% of the $50,000 it needs to fund this appeal. Now that the city has issued an MDNS and is not requiring an EIS, time is of the essence. If you have been waiting for the city to issue a SEPA threshold determination before supporting PMBC, that time is now.

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