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 create a vision for the changing waterfront. Through the citizen-led Waterfront Futures Group, a bold waterfront planning effort that spanned all 11-miles of Bellingham's waterfront was launched. It included service organizations, environmental groups, developers, labor groups, business leaders, landowners, regulatory agencies and community members.
The Waterfront Futures Group did an extensive job of researching waterfront redevelopment efforts across the country, gaining broad community perspective and presenting a citizen-led vision for the future of the waterfront. During the 18-month project, the community spoke loudly in favor of a new waterfront calling for "a creation of a mixed-use neighborhood that combines commercial, institutional, educational, retail service and residential uses enveloped in increased quality access to the aquatic environment."
Click here to visit the Waterfront Futures Group website and learn more about community visioning on the waterfront or read the Waterfront Futures Group's final report--Waterfront Vision and Framework Plan: Connecting Bellingham to the Bay.
