Plenty of construction work is happening around Bellingham. Here’s an update
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The construction pipeline continues to churn out more projects in Bellingham, particularly residential townhomes and apartments.
As of Monday, July 12, Bellingham had 1,490 residential units under construction and 959 units that were in the permitting process, according to data on the city’s development dashboard. The city also had about $37 million in commercial projects under construction, with another group of projects valued at about $24 million in the application approval phase.
Here’s an update of some of the proposals working through the city’s permitting process:
▪ The Whatcom Mountain Bike Coalition is proposing to expand the parking area near the Galbraith Mountain trails, creating a 143-stall lot to replace the current 30-car lot on 4980 Samish Way. The plan is to put in a crosswalk in that area on Samish Way. Comments on the project are due Friday, July 23, and can be sent to City Planner Kim Weil at kweil@cob.org.
▪ The Chalkboard Climbing Gym, a proposed four-story building that would go in at 315 W. Holly St. near the Old Town Cafe, is going through a design review. According to its website, the climbing gym is expected to be ready by 2023 and have 27,000 square feet of climbing terrain.
Comments on the project are due Tuesday, July 20, and can be sent to Planner Lindsay Kershner at lkershner@cob.org.
▪ A proposal to put a 40,000-square-foot addition to a cold storage facility is seeking a shoreline variance permit.
The proposed project is at 350 W. Orchard Drive and will alleviate a potential flood hazard in the area by putting in pilings to elevate the addition. Comments about the project are due on Friday, July 23. Comments can be sent to Senior Planner Steve Sundin at ssundin@cob.org.
▪ The development of the final division of the Village at King Mountain is making its way through the permitting process. The last phase for this project is 10 more townhouse units on the 4400 block of James Street.
▪ A new project recently introduced to the community is a proposal to build nine permanently affordable townhouse units at 2912 Birchwood Ave. The project will also retain the existing City Sprouts community farm on the property. After a public meeting was held at the end of June, the next step is applying for land use permits.
▪ Applications have been submitted to the city for review on a proposal for 37 townhouse units at 913 Nevada St. The proposed townhouse buildings will have between 2-8 units. A public hearing date on the proposal has yet to be announced.
