Whatcom County in talks to purchase building from Western Washington University
Whatcom County is in talks to buy a Bellingham office building from Western Washington University, a step that would move the Planning and Development Services Department from its aging Northwest Annex headquarters east of Ferndale.
County Facilities Manager Rob Ney outlined the deal for members during a County Council committee on Tuesday morning. Council members are being asked to close an account with a balance of $2.7 million that was earmarked for building a new home for Planning and Development.
“Everybody’s winning. WWU is winning because they need to lighten their load, and we’re winning because we’re getting such a great deal,” Ney told the council.
Planning and Development, Permitting and some Public Works services are located in the Northwest Annex, a building that’s more than 100 years old, at 5280 Northwest Drive, at the corner of Smith Road.
Funds from the Northwest Annex account were intended for building what was planned as an office campus at Smith and Northwest. That project was put on hold last summer as cost estimates soared past $60 million, Ney said.
Funds will go instead toward buying the WWU Testing and Passport Center, a plan that is expected to be discussed in greater detail at the County Council’s Feb. 10 meeting.
No purchase price was announced because WWU and county officials are still negotiating its sale price. It was appraised at $8 million in 2025, according to the Whatcom County Assessor’s Office.
“Western will work to find a new permanent home for the testing center in the upcoming months, as the county has granted the university the ability to continue to use the center through April,” university spokesman John Thompson told The Herald in an email.
The 30,000-square foot, two-story WWU Testing and Passport Center is on 1.35 acres in the southwest corner of the Sehome Village shopping center, at 333 32nd St. in the Happy Valley neighborhood.
This story was originally published January 27, 2026 at 1:19 PM.
