The Bellingham, Washington City Council and Port of
Bellingham Commissioners this week moved a big step toward redevelopment of the
city’s waterfront by adopting a package of master planning and development
agreements for the Waterfront District.
The City Council approved the Waterfront District master
plan and associated documents on Mon., Dec. 2, and the Port Commission did the
same on Tues., Dec. 3. The approved documents include a master plan,
development regulations, development agreements, planned action ordinance and a
facilities agreement that describes the investments the port and city are making
in the 237-acre waterfront site.
“I am ready to move forward and I believe the entire
community is ready to move from planning the waterfront redevelopment to
actually doing it,” Port Commission President Jim Jorgensen said.
Although environmental cleanup projects, demolition and site
preparation have been underway for years, the approval sets the stage for redevelopment
work to begin, including design and construction of early roads, parks and
trails, as well as selection of developers to begin making investments in the
property.
“Our goal is to find developers who share the community’s
vision for the waterfront and who have the ability to be long-term partners in
this important development,” port Executive Director Rob Fix said.
These redevelopment plans underwent a decade of public
participation and planning that began in January 2003, when the port and city
established the citizen-led Waterfront Futures Group. The group spent more than
a year guiding a visioning process for the 11 miles of Bellingham Bay shoreline
within the city limits.
“This plan will transform an isolated and contaminated site
into a vibrant and thriving place that is restored and accessible,” Bellingham
City Council President Seth Fleetwood said.
