Building vertically in developed areas like downtown Bellingham might lesson the impact of growth on agricultural areas in the county, but not everyone welcomes the new and proposed buildings.
Boundary Bay Brewery & Bistro manager Janet Lightner once wished for more business.
When she and Ed Bennett built the brewery in 1995, business was lively but not booming. Today a steady flow of new residents during the past decade has helped fill the beer garden and create waiting lists for live bands. But the booming business comes with a price – new condo and apartment buildings loom over the restaurant.
Water, mountains and agricultural land surround the city on all sides. With nowhere to build without encroaching on open space, Bellingham residents may see an increase in upward building concentrated in the downtown area during the next few years.
"We are thankful for the time we have had without construction," Lightner said. "This is just part of a revitalization for our noisy, fun rockin' downtown."
How the city grows is the key to whether it remains attractive and livable. According to the Bellingham Comprehensive Plan, a document that outlines growth and development policies, new developments of high-density housing in "urban villages" will complement existing single-family suburban areas. The plan proposes that the city determine how to accommodate growth in existing neighborhoods in a way that builds on the pattern of park and open space systems. The city's plan is to encourage the development of vacant land within built-up areas to accommodate growth while retaining Bellingham's compact form.
City Planner Chris Koch said he has been trying to jumpstart development in downtown Bellingham for years and is surprised at the recent tower proposals between 10 and 20 stories tall. He said downtown living offers an alternative lifestyle to typical American suburban living.
"Places of work, play, shopping and dining are all within an easy and pleasant walk from where you live," he said.
Koch said the benefits of this strategy, if done right, far outweigh negative aspects. Even though building vertically in developed areas like downtown Bellingham might lessen the impact of growth on agricultural areas in the county, but not everyone welcomes the new and proposed buildings.
Tiffany Brooks said the current "yuppifying" of downtown Bellingham saddens her. A waitress at Pepper Sisters, Brooks said she remembers two years ago when she and co-workers would lounge on the restaurant's deck watching the last glimmer of sunlight bouncing from island to island while they ate their spicy Blue Moon Enchiladas. In the past year, she said a five-story condo complex has blocked Pepper Sisters' patio ocean-view and replaced it with bedroom windows.
"It's disturbing for our sweet little Bellingham," she said. "If contractors keep building, it will only attract more people."
Approximately 4,000 new residents are moving to Whatcom County each year, and the county must make wise long-term planning decisions, said Hal Hart, the Whatcom County planning director.
Urban development like downtown does not offer the front and back yards typical of suburban living. Instead, systems of connected park and open space corridors are incorporated into mixed housing types, Hart said. Each vertical floor means less horizontal sprawl into non-urban areas, such as agricultural lands and forests, he said.
This build up, not out concept is part of a growing movement planners and developers call "new urbanism," which contrasts sharply with suburban sprawl common among American cities during the last century. Development in Bellingham's urban fringe reflects the cooperation of city and county officials with the community to assure an orderly and compatible transition from rural to urban areas.
"I think of new urbanism as a mix of uses and design elements that adds a vibrancy to an area and creates a strong sense of place, of community," Koch said. "It connects all the essential elements – residential, community, recreational, occupational – physically, visually, spiritually and by mobility."
Hart said new urbanism promotes mixed-use development within high-density neighborhoods. Concentrated development on major transit routes is essential for successful new urban planning, Hart said.
According to the Bellingham Comprehensive Plan, significant increases in the number of bicycle commuters in the downtown area reduces the need for new parking spaces and decrease motorized traffic congestion, noise and pollution. Lower levels of vehicle traffic and less space devoted to parking frees street areas for open green spaces, creative commercial activities and cultural events that attract people to the downtown area, according to the plan.
Hart said he insists on making decisions that lightly impact preceding generations. He said he battles pressures from growth, height restrictions, landscape preservation and a push from contractors toward new urbanism on a daily basis.
On March 30 Hart signed a document that expanded Lynden's urban growth boundary by 107 acres now agricultural land. His signature effectively transformed 107 additional acres of soil into houses and pavement.
Hart said he does not advocate for the destruction of county land. But as director of Whatcom County Planning and Development Services, he said he makes final recommendations consistent with the Whatcom County Comprehensive Plan and the Growth Management Act.
"The Growth Management Act sets up a tension between competing uses of the land," he said.
According to the county plan, tree preservation and planning efforts have been combined with interests in preserving views. Greenery is retained on the hillsides and throughout while creating view corridors for residents.
Jacob Rowan, a construction laborer for Ebenal General Construction Inc., is working on three five-story low-income housing units located just south of Pepper Sisters and Boundary Bay Brewery. According to Rowan, at some point every city's officials make a decision to either allow for growth or limit the potential by not building to accommodate. Bellingham has decided to welcome newcomers and make room, Rowan said. He said he does not understand why people are afraid of the new downtown towers. With growth comes an increase in job opportunity, he said.
Contractors will finish 18-story Morse Tower and the 20-story Bay View Tower in 2008. But Koch said he thinks proposals for future height and bulk regulations will not allow anything close to Vancouver or Seattle's skyscrapers.
Danielle Dahle and boyfriend Shawn Carlson recently bought a condo in the new Morse Square condos in downtown Bellingham. With no yard to maintain, safe downtown streets to jog through and access to grocery stores and gyms, Dahle said buying a condo downtown was a smart choice. She said she can walk to work, campus and local restaurants and is excited about the new construction downtown and increasing popularity of urban living.
"If being close to bars and trails is preventing sprawl, we are excited to help," she said. "We are secluded enough that if the bars get too loud, I just shut the window."
Although multi-story buildings have closed in on all sides of Boundary Bay Brewery, Lightner said she maintains a positive outlook. She said she hopes planners will keep lines of communication open to businesses. If this happens, she said downtown Bellingham will continue to be loud, fun and safe. With a little adjustment from all stakeholders including contractors, new residents and nearby businesses, Lightner said she believes everyone can still have pride in the community.
"Bellingham is a jewel and its character needs to be kept alive," she said.