Bellingham OKs downtown alley closure to counter entrenched drug dealing
Bellingham City Council members voted unanimously Monday night to allow temporary closure of alleys downtown, in an effort to thwart an “epidemic” of flagrant drug activity.
The vote was 6-0, with Councilmember Michael Lilliquist absent.
In a committee discussion Monday afternoon, Mayor Kim Lund told council members that her administration was looking to provide a “respite from predatory drug-dealing” in the downtown core.
“What we’re seeing is that we’re at a tipping point that is not sustainable. This is really about the epidemic of illegal and criminal drug-dealing in our community,” Lund told the council’s Public Health, Safety, and Justice Committee.
Deputy Administrator Forrest Longman said the city’s efforts are focused on the alley between Railroad and Cornwall avenues, especially the block between Holly and Magnolia streets.
Deputy Chief of Operations Jay Hart told the council committee that crime in a few of the downtown alleys is the worst he’s seen in his 26 years on the job.
“We try to be present and visible in those areas. The problem is that we can’t be there all the time,” Hart told the council.
During the full council’s evening session, Councilwoman Hollie Huthman said the alley closing would be “a temporary and experimental action” that has worked in cities such as Seattle.
Huthman, who owns the Shakedown nightclub on State Street, said that she has spoke to people who work at businesses on Railroad Avenue and have to go into the alley to accept deliveries and empty the trash.
“As someone who has walked around downtown regularly for 25 years, there are some alleys that have always been a problem. But now those problems have really escalated into some behaviors that are unpredictable, scary — just more than uncomfortable,” Huthman said.
Councilman Skip Williams discussed how opioid drugs have affected his own family. He said the city needs to “interrupt the behavior” of drug use and help people get treatment and services.
“This is just a tool. It’s not a sweep. It’s not arresting anyone. It’s just saying that we need to do something to emphasize the need to get help,” Williams said.
Under the measure, the police chief could request a temporary alley closure using a fence at a cost of about $10,000, according to previous Bellingham Herald reporting. The closure request would need to cite a reason and include data that shows why a closure is needed.
More than $500,000 is spent every year among various city departments on cleaning, litter and human waste removal, private security and the police bicycle patrol.
Bellingham Police Department data shows that drugs and narcotics calls increased sharply last year in the city center, from 148 in 2024 to 342 in 2025. Incidents regarding behavioral health concerns stayed about the same — there were 189 such calls in 2024 and 182 in 2025. Other serious crimes against people, including robberies and felony assaults, remained about the same from 2024 to 2025. There were two homicides reported downtown in 2024 and none in 2025.
During an alley closure, access still would be available for “business and property owners, their vendors, utility and sanitation workers, and government and emergency personnel,” according to previous Bellingham Herald reporting.
This story was originally published March 24, 2026 at 1:06 PM.
