New building on Bellingham's waterfront could mean another fine dining option

The Granary Building is getting a neighbor that could be home to waterfront dining.

Harcourt Developments recently submitted a building permit to build a 6,000-square-foot glass-and-steel structure that could be home to a restaurant and retail businesses, said Tony Gallina, commercial manager for the company. It will be on the west side of the Granary, close to Waypoint Park. The Ireland-based Harcourt is the developer of this portion of the waterfront district.

According to drawings submitted to the city planning department, the building known as The Annex will have two levels, with potentially a restaurant on the second level along with a roof deck that would provide sweeping views of Bellingham Bay. The ground floor of the building is expected to be filled with retail businesses.

Gallina said the building should be completed this summer. Discussions with restaurant operators have been fruitful with an agreement potentially coming soon, he said.

Along with The Annex, Harcourt is working on leasing the 57,000-square-foot Granary Building. The plan is to have office space for businesses throughout the upper floors of the building and retail on the ground floor, Gallina said. The ground floor will have an open floor concept, creating an opportunity for an atmosphere similar to what's seen at Seattle's Pike Place Market, but on a smaller scale.

Gallina said interest for the space in the Granary Building has been strong so far and he is expecting businesses to be open in some of the spaces as soon as this summer.

Between the Granary Building, the restaurant space and the nearby Waypoint Park, Gallina said that spot of waterfront redevelopment will take on a look of a little village.

Also happening is construction of the district's two main roads, Granary Avenue and W. Laurel Street. The Granary Avenue portion near the Granary Building is nearly complete, while the rest of the project is expected to be done by November.

Also in the works is the $32 million residential project west of Waypoint Park. The project is scheduled to get started in August with plans to be done in October 2019. It will have 70 residential units in three buildings with about 26,000 square feet of commercial space.

This story was originally published June 8, 2018 at 5:00 AM with the headline "New building on Bellingham's waterfront could mean another fine dining option."