THE REAL BLOG

This is an excerpt from my forthcoming book, LANDLOCKED by Policy: A Lower Standard of Living, Sold as Progress. The Gospel of Growth (For Them, Not You) If you've paid attention to housing policy over the last two decades, you've heard the sermon: Growth is bad . Sprawl is wasteful . We need to live smaller, consume less, accept density. Your desire for a yard? Unsustainable. Your dream of homeownership? Outdated. Your expectation that you might afford what your parents had

TRANSACTION #1: BLAINE ROAD PROPERTIES (8358 & 8366) The Properties Two adjacent 7-acre properties on Blaine Road in Whatcom County: 8358 Blaine Road: 7.35 acres, assessed value $59,000 (2019) 8366 Blaine Road: 7 acres, assessed value $103,067 (2019) Combined assessed value: $162,067 The Purchase (April 2019) Buyers: Lara Kratzer (Mahaffie's live-in girlfriend at same home address) purchased 8358 for $70,000 Dead Goat Properties LLC (Mahaffie's company, address in Sedro Woo

How Neighbors Were Blocked, Land Was Altered Without Permits, and the Rules Quietly Changed Environmental protections only work if they are applied consistently. Wetlands either matter, or they don’t. When the same land is regulated one way for one owner and another way after ownership changes — especially when unpermitted work has already occurred — the integrity of the regulatory system itself comes into question. This article examines what happened at 9524 Freedom Place, B

Washington State faces a housing crisis manufactured by its own regulatory system. According to the Building Industry Association of Washington's 2024 study, regulations imposed at local, state, and federal levels account for approximately $204,000—or 29.5%—of the median new home sales price of $690,701 . In some counties, regulatory costs alone add over $164,000 to the cost of each new home. These aren't just abstract numbers. They represent middle-class families priced out

The evidence is overwhelming. The cover-up is documented. The threats against citizens are on the record. The County Executive's office has shown it won't take corruption seriously—it protects it. Now Whatcom County Council faces a choice: investigate this corruption properly under RCW 42.23.070, refer it to the Washington State Attorney General, and hold all complicit officials accountable—or watch as this escalates beyond their control. This investigation started with three

When citizens refused to accept the county's whitewash and continued sharing evidence of Mahaffie's corruption, prosecutors took a disturbing turn. They sent threatening letters to complainants, suggesting they could face legal consequences for "defaming" a public employee—despite the fact that sharing documentary evidence with journalists and officials is protected by the First Amendment. The message was clear: shut up, or we'll come after you. This is what accountability lo

After Haggard's whitewash investigation, Whatcom County prosecutors issued an "all-clear" letter declaring the corrupt Whatcom County Natural Resources Planner Matt Mahaffie did nothing wrong. The letter ignored conflict of interest statutes, dismissed the use of county resources for private gain, and somehow concluded that a regulator buying properties he flagged as unbuildable and then approving them for development was perfectly legal. But the letter revealed something mor

Whatcom County hired attorney outside attorney Kathleen Haggard to "investigate" the corruption allegations. But Haggard never interviewed key witnesses, lied about active county employees as being "former" staff to avoid questioning them, and concluded there was no evidence of wrongdoing—despite overwhelming documentation. One such important fact, Tom Brissenden, the second corrupt Whatcom County Natural Resources Planner was the person approving the corrupt Whatcom County N

When citizens discovered what the corrupt Whatcom County Natural Resources Planner Matt Mahaffie was doing, they didn't just complain—they built an airtight case. Attorney James Grifo submitted 120 pages of property records, permit documents, and transaction evidence directly invoking RCW 42.23.070, Washington's anti-corruption statute. The evidence included property transactions involving the corrupt Whatcom County Natural Resources Planner Matt Mahaffie's live-in girlfriend

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Throughout this story, I might refer to an "investigation" or comments related to it. Please know that we have an entire story coming up next that goes in-depth on it. I'll give you the punchline first: It was designed to protect the county and the corrupt planner, not to seek justice or to pay any attention to the VICTIMS. Planning Departments Have Far More Power Than You Think In our first article, we exposed how corrupt Whatcom County Natural Resources Plan

When the Gatekeepers Become the Profiteers There is only one entity that controls what is built, where, from whom, in what numbers, and ultimately what it will sell for—and that entity is your local planning department . Want to split your lot? Not if you don't agree with your planning department. You pay thousands for a wetlands study from a licensed company, and your planning department can simply reject it–– not because it's invalid, but because they aren't on the "approve

The Story Begins with an Elderly Property Owner An 80-year-old man and his wife owned a lot in Whatcom County for 10+ years. He'd paid $150,000 for it in 2007, paid taxes on it faithfully, and dreamed of eventually building a home there. In July 2017, in getting prepared for the building permit, the owners filed a Critical Area Review (CAR) for the property. Part of the process is to have the area reviewed by a wetlands and critical areas planner. Matt Mahaffie, a Wetlands an

A Real Issues Analysis Introduction: The Story You’ve Been Told vs. The Truth You Haven’t For years, Bellingham officials and outside advocacy groups like the Sightline Institute have pushed one message: “Density equals affordability.” It’s repeated so often that many people assume it must be true. But when you look at the data, follow the money, and compare Bellingham’s actions to its own past promises, a very different story emerges. This is not a housing strategy. It’s a r

The Untouchables: How Bellingham’s Planning Department Quietly Took Over Housing The Most Powerful Department You Never Voted For Everywhere you look, Bellingham is talking about housing. Affordability. Density. Infill. Middle housing. Climate goals. Transit corridors. But almost nobody talks about the most powerful force shaping all of this: The Planning Department The department that decides: What gets built What cannot  be built How long permits take How many homes can exi

This is what happens with the residents are not kept informed on what policy changes are happening.

Bellingham’s planners have unveiled their 2025 Comprehensive Plan draft — “The Bellingham Plan”  — forecasting a future full of new residents, new jobs, and new homes. The document projects by 2045: 135,829 residents 66,109 housing units 89,768 jobs Those numbers sound confident. But they aren’t rooted in reality — they’re recycled optimism from a city that’s already missed its targets once before. The Growth Projection That Ignores Reality Between 2005 and 2025, Bellingham’

The Data Doesn’t Lie In Bellingham's Housing Crisis

Navigating the housing market can feel like trying to read a map in a foreign language. Prices shift, policies change, and what seemed like a good deal yesterday might not hold true tomorrow. Today, I want to walk you through the latest current housing trends, especially focusing on what’s happening in Washington State and nearby areas. Whether you’re a buyer, seller, policymaker, or real estate professional, understanding these shifts can help you make smarter decisions. Und

We’re for ADUs that help real homeowners stay solvent, not for fantasy policies that no one can actually build or buy into.

“Now you see it — now you don’t.” In most magic shows, the illusionist hides a rabbit. In Bellingham’s Planning Department, they hide developable land. The Setup City planners love to talk about “limited buildable land.”They point to charts and maps that show a shrinking supply, then use that “evidence” to justify higher density, smaller lots, and new fees. But behind the curtain lies a trick that would make Houdini proud: they don’t just measure land — they make it vanish on