Former Bellingham dairy building demolished to make room for six-story housing project
Crews this week demolished a former dairy building built in 1949 in downtown Bellingham to make room for a new six-story, mixed-use housing and commercial development.
The building had been occupied by other commercial businesses over the years but had been vacant for some time. It was most recently used to operate an overnight severe weather shelter last winter.
The State Street Creamery project, named for the site’s history, at 820 N. State Street is taking longer than initially expected. Construction on the project was previously expected to begin in March 2024 with an estimated completion of summer 2025.
The project is expected to include more housing than was previously planned, with 111 market-rate rental units including studios, one-bedroom units, and two-bedroom units, permit documents show.
The development will feature a small commercial space and include more than 100 parking spaces — at least 10 of which will be electrical vehicle stations. The project will also feature 68 long-term and 10 short-term bike parking spaces, according to permit documents.
No affordable housing units are planned for the project. To be considered affordable, housing costs can’t exceed 30% of a family’s gross income and must serve families making 80% or less of the area median income, according to the city of Bellingham.
The median household income in Whatcom County is about $74,884, according to the latest U.S. Census data.
The State Street Creamery project will be managed by The RJ Group, which has managed several other large housing projects in Bellingham, including The Crescent apartments in the Cordata neighborhood and the Alpen Grove townhome community located behind Costco in north Bellingham.
This story was originally published October 11, 2024 at 9:25 AM.
