Isolated Point Roberts in Whatcom County divided over public campground proposal
A hearing planned this week for a private campground at Point Roberts has drawn such interest both for and against the project that testimony on a special permit for the site is scheduled over two days, both online and in person.
Whatcom County Planning and Development Department officials and other agencies have given the go-ahead for the 166-space campground on 15.6 acres of a 46.3-acre wooded lot after nearly two years of consideration.
It’s stirred controversy in the community of 1,300 permanent residents who live on the isolated peninsula that is two U.S.-Canada border crossings away from the rest of Whatcom County. Some residents fear increased traffic, litter and noise from possibly hundreds of campers, while others welcome the economic resurgence that those vacationers could bring.
Keith Sivertson of Point Roberts is among dozens of residents who are urging Whatcom County officials to reconsider their approval.
“Whatcom County, except for Point Roberts, could absorb this project without negative effect. Point Roberts cannot. The Planning and Development Department must plan for peak usage and not simply hope for the best. This is an opportunity for stupendous failure. Please proceed with extra caution,” Sivertson said in an email that was included with documentation about the project.
Hearing Examiner Rajeev Majumdar is set to consider a conditional-use permit for the Nielsen Campground, which is located in the center of the Point Roberts peninsula. Plans also call for an office, store, house for a resident manager, and restroom and shower facilities. The site has no official address but documents say it is on Dogwood Way, east of Tyee Drive and along Johnson Road and Mill Road.
As hearing examiner, Majumdar is a quasi-judicial officer who decides a variety of land-use matters. A livestreamed hearing on the campground is planned for 1:30 p.m. Wednesday in County Council Chambers at the Whatcom County Courthouse, 311 Grand Ave. The hearing continues at 9 a.m. Thursday.
Information about the project and a link to participate online are at the county website. A decision is expected within 10 days.
Documentation about the project linked to the meeting agenda said the proposed campground will be “low impact” and placed at the center of a wooded area that was once considered for a housing development.
“The campground will incorporate only five structures, each small and one-story in height. Camp pads will be integrated into the existing natural vegetation and designed around existing tree canopy to the greatest extent possible. A significant treed perimeter buffer will be maintained, and the overall campground will impact less than 25% of the total property area. The design of the campground will limit any visual impact on surrounding properties and will blend into the natural landscape,” documents state. “The campground is designed to avoid any cultural resources and all wetlands and buffers located on-site. There will be no critical areas impacts, or impacts to natural, scenic, or historic features of any kind generated by the development and operation of the campground.”
Sivertson and others who submitted letters and emails against the project said that if the campground reaches full capacity, an extra 1,000 daily visitors will overwhelm the 5-square-mile Point Roberts peninsula.
Increased demands will be placed on the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office, the fire department, the local medical clinic and the four public parks operated by Whatcom County, opponents argue.
“The campers (possibly 10 people and up to maybe 1,000-plus on any day) in full vacation mode will cause increasing traffic along Johnson Road on their way to the beach or to anywhere in these 5 square miles or beyond,” Point Roberts resident Sandra Raine said. “At Maple Beach, and at Monument Park, there is minimal parking. There are currently no trash cans and no toilets at either Whatcom County Park.”
Shauna Boyd called the proposal “thoughtless and irreversibly damaging” in an email.
“The majority of the community has consistently protested, posting signs on lawns and on roadways, and submitted comments in opposition. Whatcom County is not listening to us, and it seems that we and the welfare of our community and the area have been completely ignored,” Boyd said.
Other residents, along with the Point Roberts Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau, support the plan for Point Roberts, whose businesses have been devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing boycott by Canadians who are upset with President Trump’s insults and tariffs directed at their homeland.
Christy Petersen, who owns Point Roberts Parcel Service, said the campground proposal "offers a vital opportunity to strengthen our economy” without compromising the area’s natural beauty.
“Point Roberts has seen a significant decline in tourism recently, and many local businesses have struggled. A thoughtfully planned campground would encourage overnight visitors to shop at local stores, dine in our restaurants, and support the small businesses that are essential to our community,” Petersen said.
Shane Wilson asked county officials to support the plan.
“The community needs more services and attractions to generate activity and business in the Point Roberts community,” Wilson said.
Gina Ball and several others asked the hearing examiner to postpone Wednesday’s hearing because it falls between Canada Day on June 30 and the Friday day off for Independence Day in the U.S.
“This is historically the heaviest border traffic week of the entire year for our region. Expecting hundreds of residents to navigate holiday border gridlock just to attend a local zoning meeting is entirely unreasonable,” Ball said.
