Council gives OK to rezone along Cordata Parkway

JARED PABEN - THE BELLINGHAM HERALD

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BELLINGHAM - City leaders unanimously approved allowing a mixed-use urban village with an urban park on vacant property along Cordata Parkway.

The City Council on Monday, Nov. 9, voted 7-0 to direct city planners to prepare a draft law changing zoning on the 35 acres from industrial to a zoning allowing homes and commercial space. The property is east of Cordata Parkway generally between Stuart and Horton roads (a small portion is south of Stuart).

The developer, Blair Murray, is proposing to build an urban park near Cordata just north of Stuart with retail space around it. His architect likened it the Village Green in Fairhaven. It's something that Cordata badly needs, Murray said.

"It's missing a great place, a unifying element, a focal point where the entire community can come together," he told the council.

The project would remove from the city's inventory industrial-zoned land, which the city already has a lack of. A consultant working for Murray said demand for industrial space there is poor, but it's good for housing, medical offices and hotels, and it's modest for industrial/office mixed space.

Neighborhood leaders who spoke to the council said they didn't oppose the project - some said they actively supported it - but they wanted the city to ensure the amenities being offered, like trail connections, happen. They also wanted the city to plan for many more vehicles using Cordata Parkway.

The developer is proposing the main access be off of the dead-end of Stuart Road, with two other access points along Cordata Parkway. Stuart Road at the parkway is currently a two-way stop with stop signs.

"I feel that the council has a responsibility to prepare for the thousands of cars that will be involved on Cordata Parkway," said Beverly Jacobs, co-president of the Guide Meridian/Cordata Neighborhood Association. "I'm not against the development. I am asking you to plan for this development. If you all knew you were having a baby in the family, you'd have a crib, you'd have some clothes, but you can't bring this into our community without having a plan for transportation."

The council also voted 7-0 on a motion by council member Barbara Ryan to require that 10 percent of the new homes remain permanently affordable for low-income residents.

Planners will draft an ordinance and explore the low-income requirement and bring them back to the council in two weeks for discussion and consideration.

The law, which must be approved this year or else it has to wait until late 2010 for approval, would only rezone the property, not give final approval of a project. Murray said he plans to work more with the neighborhood to make minor changes before bringing his proposal to the city early next year.