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Project Background
Site History  For more than 100 years, Bellingham's waterfront served the economic region as a bustling industrial area, a transportation gateway and the home to many maritime activities. Industrial activity began in the early 1850's with the development of a saw mill on Whatcom Creek. The timber industry has played a critical role in the history of Bellingham's waterfront. In 1926, San Juan Pulp Company...
A New Waterfront Vision  As the local and national economy began to change, the waterfront gradually lost some of its economic vitality and traditional activities. Many employers went out of business leaving behind a legacy of vacant and contaminated industrial property on the waterfront. One of Whatcom County's largest employers, Georgia-Pacific, began closing down its pulp, paper, and chemical operations in 1999. In 2003, the Port and City partnered to...
Georgia-Pacific Property Acquisition--Key Documents & Agreements  The Port and City have taken steps to bring the community vision for the waterfront a reality. In January 2005, the Port acquired all 137-acres of Georgia-Pacific's waterfront property and partnered with the City to clean up and redevelop this industrial property to support a variety of uses including public parks and promenades, homes, businesses, and light industry...
Reauthorizing the Whatcom Waterway Federal Channel  In November 2007, the U.S. Senate and House passed the Water Resources Development Act. A portion of this legislation changes the inland section of Whatcom Waterway from a federal channel to a locally controlled channel. The outer portion of the waterway, near the deep draft shipping terminal, remains a...Environmental Impact Statement On January 9, 2007 a Draft Environmental Impact Statement was released for a 30-day public comment period which addresses the probable significant adverse impacts that could occur as the result of potential future redevelopment activities on the site during the 20 year build-out horizon. Master Planning  To allow for a full waterfront redevelopment plan, the Port and City included more than the original GP property in the planning area, including land each government already owned. While the planning area is 220 acres, the adjacent property that is affected by the development of public amenities and economic stimulus is some 400 acres in total. For Bellingham and Whatcom County, this represents an opportunity unprecedented in the...Environmental Cleanup  There are six state-listed cleanup sites within the 220-acre New Whatcom redevelopment area. The Port and City have acquired most of the contaminated property and taken over the cleanup responsibility to help revitalize a stagnant waterfront economy and bring forward the community's vision of a vibrant, mixed-use waterfront...
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