There’s a plan to build a new 36-unit apartment building in downtown Bellingham
Another multifamily apartment building has been proposed for development in downtown Bellingham.
The four-story, 36-unit residential building is proposed for 1101 N Forest St., at the corner of E Maple and N Forest. The project would first require the demolition of the existing two-story office building currently occupied by a dental office on the site.
The market-rate housing would feature a mix of studio and one-bedroom units. The development would include three stories of residential units and a below-grade basement level for parking.
The preliminary project design includes 30 bicycle parking spaces and 29 underbuilding and surface parking spaces with vehicle access from an alley. A new 10-foot-wide sidewalk with street trees would also be installed along N. Forest St. next to the site.
The project owner is Maple Forest LLC and the project architect is Grinstad and Wagner Architects. AVT Consulting is the land-use consultant.
Creating additional housing supply across all income levels is a priority for the city of Bellingham.
State-established housing targets estimate that between 2024 and 2044, Whatcom County needs almost 35,000 new housing units. About 22,000 of those units, more than 60%, need to be affordable, according to the city.
Bellingham makes up about 48% of the housing production in Whatcom County. So the city needs to produce almost 17,000 total housing units to help meet the goal. More than 10,000 of those need to be affordable. To stay on track, the city needs to build more than 500 affordable housing units every year.
There are 810 residential units — 441 multifamily units and 369 single-family units — currently under construction in Bellingham, according to the city. Another 317 residential units — 212 multifamily units and 105 single-family units — are currently undergoing the application and review process for future construction in Bellingham.
Another 174 residential units — 66 multifamily units and 108 single-family units — were finalized in the last six months. Permits for 534 new residential units were issued in Bellingham in 2024.
This story was originally published September 19, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
