What does the future hold for the Hundred Acre Wood? Bellingham’s about to find out
The saga of Chuckanut Community Forest near Fairhaven continues, with the city of Bellingham officially kicking off the master planning process for the park last week.
In 2011, Bellingham bought the 82-acre natural space, affectionately referred to as the Hundred Acre Wood, to protect it from development. The city paid $8.23 million for the parcel, $3.23 million of which is currently being paid off through a tax on residents living near the park.
The citizens’ share of the cost, managed by the Chuckanut Community Forest Park District, is expected to be fully paid off by the end of this year or early next year, said Nicole Oliver, director of the city’s Parks and Recreation department. Under the terms of the conservation easement between the park district and the city, a long-term master plan for the park needs to be established before the park district is dissolved.
“This is a public space,” Oliver said. “A master plan is a really good way to make sure we understand intention and that we don’t change the intention in how we plan to use a place in the future.”
The master planning process includes public engagement to determine the community’s park use preferences, establishing an official boundary and name for the space and setting priorities for park improvements and restoration. The park’s boundaries will likely include more than the 82 acres purchased by the city in 2011, since adjacent natural spaces have been acquired by Bellingham over the past decade, Oliver said. It is, after all, called the Hundred Acre Wood.
No major development will take place at Chuckanut Community Forest, she said. Rather, the master plan will determine the main trail routes, best public access points, what kind of signage needs to be installed and public use rules, such as whether dogs can be off-leash.
The park is currently home to many redundant “social trails” running through ecologically sensitive areas, Oliver said, and those paths will probably need to be blocked off and replanted. There may also be improved parking near popular access points.
“It’s not like ‘Do you want a baseball field?’” Oliver said. “This is a very natural, pristine place.”
A master plan will also allow the Parks and Recreation department to allocate adequate funding to what the public deems to be priority projects, she said.
A public survey is available on the Engage Bellingham website through mid-September. There will be a public open house in September, followed by formal review and approval in early 2022. This process entails presentations to the Chuckanut Community Forest Park District, Parks and Recreation Advisory Board and City Council.
The steering committee for the master planning process includes neighborhood representatives, Chuckanut Community Forest Park District board members, park users and city staff.
This story was originally published August 9, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
