Bellingham announces impending cleanup of one encampment, stricter enforcement at another
The city of Bellingham announced Thursday that crews will begin cleaning up the encampment behind Walmart off E. Stuart Road next week.
The encampment, where dozens of unhoused individuals have lived for more than a decade, has grown significantly in recent years and has been the focus of extensive litigation between the city and the property owner, Li-Ching Fang.
Nearby residents and businesses have seen significant impacts from the activities in and around the encampment, with many publicly expressing fears for their health and safety.
“We share the concerns we are hearing from community members. We are acting on the significant impacts unauthorized encampments have on area residents, businesses and people who live in or spend time in them,” Bellingham Mayor Kim Lund said in the announcement about the cleanup. “We are addressing encampments with diligence and compassion, using humane and supportive approaches, while actively pursuing enforcement, crime prevention and cleanup activities.”
Crews are expected to coordinate with the owners of the nearby Tullwood Apartments to “clean, clear and fence” the western edge of the encampment property and the northern area of the Tullwood property to help protect residents from encampment activities.
The cleanup team is also working with outreach providers to offer resources to individuals needing support, according to the announcement.
Many community service providers have been critical of the city’s efforts in the past to clear encampments without providing enough services to the impacted unhoused individuals. Many of the individuals living at the Walmart encampment relocated there from a separate camp that was cleared behind Winco in Bellingham in 2023.
“This coordinated action between the city and an adjacent private property owner is the first step in what is anticipated to be a multi-phase, multi-year effort necessary to clean up and repair environmental damage to the 20-acre property and surrounding areas,” the announcement states. “Implementing cleaning, fencing and consistent monitoring as best practices are important first steps to securing properties and preventing encampments from forming.”
The encampment property contains an estimated 1,000 to 2,000 tons of solid waste, with more assumed to be buried in the ground, according to court documents. The property also holds approximately 300 shopping carts, according to the lawsuit filed against the property owner. The estimated cost for the city to remove the visible solid waste alone is $2 million due to the large amount of waste and the lack of access roads for machinery to pick up the waste. Repairing the damage to the wetlands on the property would cost an additional $2 million to $4 million, according to the lawsuit.
“We are committed to supporting individuals experiencing homelessness, as well as those affected by the encampment,” Lund said in the statement. “This is a complex situation that requires thoughtful and comprehensive solutions. We are working closely with neighboring property owners, community partners and health and human service providers to develop effective strategies to address the root causes of homelessness while balancing the needs and safety of the broader community.”
Meanwhile, the city said it is also working with property owners near another encampment growing on W. Bakerview Road and Northwest Drive to clean up and secure their properties amid “escalating public health and safety concerns and a growing list of criminal activity allegations in and near it.”
Mayor Lund has met three times in recent months with the impacted property owners, urging them as recently as Nov. 8 to “take immediate action to clean and secure their properties or face enforcement actions,” the announcement states. But due to concerns about encampments resurfacing without area-wide coordination and effective monitoring, Mayor Lund’s team has presented cost estimates to clean and fence the properties and offer security and technical assistance to the property owners.
The city has also directed additional law enforcement patrolling and retail theft prevention support in the area, according to the announcement.
“Our community is calling on all involved to address legitimate concerns about this encampment and its impacts, swiftly and with compassion for those who live in or are affiliated with it,” Mayor Lund said in the announcement. “These efforts are part of our ongoing commitment to address community concerns and find long-term solutions that balance public safety, private property rights and responsibilities, and the well-being of individuals experiencing homelessness, substance use disorders, and behavioral health challenges.”
