A Proven Model for Affordable, Sustainable Housing

For more than two decades, Caitac USA and Larrabee Springs, Inc. have been committed to building communities that reflect Bellingham’s values. The work completed at Larrabee Springs demonstrates that it is possible to build housing that is environmentally responsible, financially attainable for local families, and integrated with open space and community amenities.

We believe there is a unique opportunity to extend this proven model into North Bellingham. Bringing the North Bellingham Urban Growth Area (UGA) reserve into Bellingham’s UGA would not only provide much-needed housing, but would align with the broader vision for a more affordable and climate resilient Bellingham.

A Proven Model for Affordable, Sustainable Housing

What sets Larrabee Springs apart is its commitment affordability and environmental values. Since the late 1990’s, Caitac USA and Larrabee Springs, Inc. pursued a vision of building a sustainable community featuring a mixed-use neighborhood center, pedestrian-friendly villages, and a variety of housing types for all income levels. Today Larrabee Springs and Alex Wynstra, owner of AJW Builders, have built over 400 high-quality homes for Bellingham’s working-class residents, resulting in the creation of the largest green-built, solar-powered community in Washington with 85% of sales to local homebuyers from Whatcom County.

The Larrabee Springs building model has successfully yielded a variety of housing types including growing family-sized homes, senior housing, and middle housing types including duplexes, townhomes, and small single-story homes. House Bill 1220, adopted by the Legislature in 2021, amended the Growth Management Act to require cities to “plan for and accommodate” housing affordable to all income levels. Over the past several years, homes sold in Larrabee Springs have been some of the most affordable new housing available in Bellingham with over 69% of homes ranging from 80% to 120% AMI including the cost of utilities[1].

---

[1] Utility allowances gathered from the Bellingham-Whatcom Housing Authority Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) each year for two-, three-, and four-bedroom homes categorized as single-family. Interest rates are based on the annual average of a 30-year fixed rate mortgage gathered from Freddie Mac. Full affordability analysis available upon request.

Table 1: Number of new Larrabee Springs homes sold by AMI bracket, 2020-2025

Closing Year	>120% AMI	100-120% AMI	80-100% AMI	50-80% AMI
2020			16	10
2021		9	23	2
2022	23	21
2023	11	14
2024		1	12
2025	2	5	10

 

Since 2016, the emission of approximately 78 tons of CO2 has been avoided with installation of nearly 2,500 solar panels. These solar panels, which are included with the sale of each home and belong to the homeowners outright, have provided over 7800 KW of clean, reliable energy to date. Following the latest green building practices, all homes include energy recovery ventilators (ERV), heat recovery ventilators (HRV), heat pump water heaters, and ductless mini splits. The property’s envelope is sealed with an Aerobarrier system, and each home includes electric car charging outlets in the garage. This community exemplifies a balance of environmental responsibility and thoughtful design.

With over 40 local business partners, including HighCraft Cabinets, Mt. Baker Roofing and Stremler Gravel, most labor and building materials have been sourced right here in Whatcom County. As a family-owned company, AJW Builders recognizes the importance of keeping investment in the local economy. Supporting small business is a core value of Larrabee Springs and through each home is a thoughtful and delicate balance of the importance of affordability without the sacrifice of quality green building.

Community engagement has been central to the development of Larrabee Springs and has fostered creation of shared spaces that bring neighbors together. Community involvement during the design and development process resulted in the creation of the Cordata Community Garden as well as public trails and open spaces throughout the neighborhood. Since 2009, Caitac has made land available for the Cordata Community Garden, which is ran by neighborhood association and offers 54 garden beds where neighbors grow and harvest organic fruits and vegetables.

With environmental sustainability at the forefront, Larrabee Springs has restored over 23 acres of habitat including the creation and enhancement of wetland areas, buffers and stream corridors. Larrabee Springs was thoughtfully planned around existing wetlands to both preserve them and restore pasture wetlands to forested wetlands, featuring carefully designed fish passage culverts and a focus on planting of native species. To date, more than 30,000 native plants have been planted, including nine thousand trees since 2014. The wetland areas include native species such as Spruce, Douglas fir, Birch, Red cedar, Maple, Willow, and Cottonwood. Included within these communities are plantings of thousands of native shrubs including Nootka rose, Dogwood, Salmonberry, Oceanspray, Snowberry and Elderberry.

These efforts have supported the thriving system of streams and wetlands set in the upper reaches of Bear and Silver creeks. Over the past several years the restored habitat system has become home to numerous species of birds and mammals, providing shelter, shade and hydrologic retention set in an engaging and peaceful setting The stream and wetland program, which has been one of Whatcom County’s largest (privately managed) projects,  serves as a model for how we can carefully integrate sustainable housing development into the natural environment. In future phases, Larrabee Springs will continue to restore and create high quality habitat to the north through wetland creation, buffers and riparian enhancement.

Vision for the Future

Larrabee Springs holds the philosophy of what it means to be a responsible neighbor. Ongoing conversations with the Cordata Neighborhood Association have highlighted the pressing needs of North Bellingham residents, and insights from these discussions have guided a development plan for Larrabee Springs to serve future community needs beyond housing alone. To meet these community needs, Larrabee Springs’ development plan incorporates a variety of thoughtfully designed elements, including:

• A neighborhood center, featuring a plaza and village green, to provide opportunity for community events, services, shops, restaurants, and space for seasonal activities for children and families to gather.
• Opportunities for mixed use buildings to allow both commercial and residential uses and reduce automobile dependence.
• Public open spaces strategically located throughout the neighborhoods to give everyone a chance to get outside and hold events and mingle with neighbors.
• Community gardens to support climate resiliency and foster community building.
• Garden courts, duplexes, alley homes, four-plex villa clusters, grouped townhomes, and plaza apartments to offer middle-scale housing types for a range of demographics and income levels.
• Recreational opportunities through utilization of the North Bellingham Golf Course as a space for family events, wine tasting, weddings, restaurants, live music, and golf camps.
• Parks and trails that connect to Bellingham’s network of nature reserves, parks, trails and open spaces through the potential to connect to Cordata Park and Julianna Park.
• Roads designed to be shared between pedestrians, bikes, buses, and cars with a goal to reduce automobile dependence.
• A festival square in North Cordata to provide a central hub for all to safely gather by foot and bike, calm traffic, and encourages shared use for pedestrians, bicyclists, and low-speed motor vehicles.
• Implementation of Rain Gardens and bioswales, which use natural plants and soils to filter and treat run off, to create a passive stormwater treatment system.

The future of Larrabee Springs lives in the North Bellingham Urban Growth Area Reserve, currently home to the North Bellingham Golf Course. The housing diversity and community opportunities described above will be possible though UGA annexation into Bellingham. The Cordata Neighborhood will continue to thrive with a more walkable and bikeable community. We share our support for Bellingham’s staff recommendation to reconfigure the UGA to include the future of Larrabee Springs.

Realizing the Future of North Bellingham

The Bellingham Plan sets forth goals focused on housing affordability and building a sustainable community, addressing key challenges such as rising housing costs and climate change. Caitac and Larrabee Springs have a demonstrated record of delivering on these priorities in ways that support local businesses, protect natural systems, and create opportunities for families across income levels.

This letter was submitted this to the Bellingham Planning Commission on September 25, 2025 by Jones Engineers for consideration in bringing North