Bellingham waterfront developers re-apply for permits for final condos amid years-long delay
Harcourt Developments, the Ireland-based company constructing three multi-million dollar residential condo buildings along Bellingham’s waterfront, has applied for new permits for the remaining work on its projects after their previous project permits and available extensions expired.
Despite construction delays and an ongoing legal battle with the Port of Bellingham, the development company is still working to complete its final building in a project that is years behind schedule.
Harcourt previously had permits approved for its third and final condo building through Aug. 8. The new construction permits for the building were issued Sept. 30 and expire on Sept. 30, 2026.
Similar to the project’s first two buildings, the third building is a five-story mixed-use project with 36 residential units over underground parking.
The residential units in the buildings, which range in price from $550,000 to more than $3 million, were originally expected to begin housing people by the end of this year, according to previous reporting by The Bellingham Herald.
Originally selected in 2015 as the lead developer for about 19 acres of the Waterfront District, Harcourt lost the opportunity for future development in the area after it defaulted on its contract last year. The Port of Bellingham filed a lawsuit against the company, alleging Harcourt to be in eight individual contractual defaults, including failure to complete its first two residential buildings within the contract’s timeline and several violations of state and federal environmental standards.
Harcourt denied the default findings and filed a countersuit against the Port, seeking a restraining order against the Port and alleging Port officials threatened to call police and request trespassing citations be issued if Harcourt did not remove its equipment from Port property.
To date, Harcourt has expended more than $40 million on the project and accepted deposits from at least 50 people for units in all three condominiums under construction, according to previous reporting by The Herald.
The Port and the city of Bellingham have been working to redevelop a total of 237 acres on Bellingham’s central waterfront that was formerly a pulp and tissue mill. A master plan has been approved to create what the Port is calling “a vibrant, mixed-use neighborhood with new parks and trails and thousands of new jobs.”
The redevelopment is expected to occur in phases over the next several decades.
This story was originally published October 6, 2024 at 5:00 AM.
