Bellingham mayor announces plans to reopen part of this street to vehicle traffic
A portion of Holly Street that was transformed into a public plaza will be partially reopened to vehicle traffic on Monday morning, Nov. 2.
The reopening will be for two of the three lanes, Bellingham Mayor Seth Fleetwood announced in a Bellingham Regional Chamber of Commerce zoom presentation on Friday, Oct. 30. The far left lane will remain closed and will continue to have some outdoor seating for nearby restaurants and bars.
The Holly Street Plaza was created in July as a way for businesses in that area to have expanded outdoor seating during the COVID-19 pandemic. With the arrival of cooler temperatures and rain, Fleetwood decided it was time to partially reopen the street. The closure had also created some inconvenience for drivers, since Holly Street is the main way to travel through the district.
At least one of the businesses on Holly Street, the Camber cafe, plans to continue with the reduced outdoor seating.
“We’re committed to working with the space we have, and with the help of heaters and our covered patio, we’re creating a cozy, welcoming environment for our customers to enjoy their drinks and pastries throughout the winter,” said Camber General Manager Gloria Baldwin.
The Railroad Avenue parking spaces near Champion Street will remain available for outdoor seating for now, Fleetwood said.
While the closures were part of a plan to help the businesses add more outdoor seating, Fleetwood said they discovered there is support for having a pedestrian plaza someday in the downtown district, but probably not on a main street like Holly.
