Opinion - Top opinion

POSTED: Sunday, Aug. 16, 2009

Loss of NOAA chance to re-examine plans

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's decision to move its research fleet from Seattle to Newport, Ore., and not to Bellingham, was disappointing considering the efforts our community put into trying to land the facility here.

The new Marine Operations Center for NOAA will employ 78 shore-side employees and 178 researchers and on-board crew members starting in 2011. We are sad that those jobs won't be joining our economy.

But we suggest rather than spend time worrying about why the bid failed, our community take the opportunity to re-examine the future plans for the waterfront site formerly home to Georgia-Pacific Corp.

Since 2003 most of the plans proposed have included at least a mention of NOAA as a key component of the reborn waterfront. It was hoped NOAA would take up residence in the mostly quiet former shipping terminal located just south of the G-P site.

There was also talk about how well the NOAA center would combine with Western Washington University's Huxley College. University officials have labeled Huxley as the most-likely part of the university to locate at the waterfront property.

All of those possibilities will likely be looked at again, given NOAA officials' decision.

And there is nothing wrong with that. The redevelopment of the Bellingham is going to be a long process - decades long. We join with the group of leaders who hope some things start happening soon to spur future development. But anyone who thought they would see the entire 135 acre G-P site and the adjoining sites fully developed quickly was fooling themselves.

The poor economy is precluding much real estate development these days. So that kind of work isn't likely to happen today either. It's time to ask "what can we do with our shipping terminal, over the long run, that will best fit in with the community vision for the waterfront."

We encourage officials to move ahead, with haste, on efforts to clean up contamination on waterfront lands, and in the waters surrounding the old mill. That work must be done regardless of what buildings are on the future site.

We also continue to support the concept of a mixed-use waterfront with commercial, residential and light industrial uses. We believe the community also supports that concept strongly, a fact that has been born out in more than a decade of visioning and planning work through groups such as the Waterfront Futures Group.

Bellingham may have lost NOAA, but time is on our side. Bellingham is an extremely desirable community for many businesses, people and organizations - with or without NOAA. And our waterfront redevelopment still has the chance to be create a new neighborhood that better connects Bellingham and its citizens to their waterfront home.

We urge citizens and our leaders to continue working to make that dream a reality.