"The Hundred-Acre Debate"
By Andrew Bernhardt

Located in South Bellingham, between Chuckanut Drive and Fairhaven Park, lies an area known to locals as the hundred-acre wood. This mature second-growth forest is home to an array of wildlife and serves the headwaters of two salmon producing streams. Abrupt slopes and marshy flats have permitted the land to go undeveloped for decades while the city below expanded at its feet.

Because Bellingham’s population is expected to increase nearly 40 percent by 2022, every piece of land within the city and its urban growth area are likely to be considered for housing developments. David Edelstein and Horizon Bank submitted an application to the city in April 2005 for the development of the hundred-acre wood. Edelstein’s proposed development, Fairhaven Highlands, includes 739 homes on approximately 85 acres. It would be one of the largest residential developments in Bellingham’s history.

The issue regarding Fairhaven Highlands comes at a time of heightened debate in respect to the city’s path of growth, as residents witness the landscape transform around them. They have seen the quaint, old-style downtown area of Fairhaven transform into a trendy upscale core; the skyline is now home to luxury condos, some selling for more than $700,000.

"We are supposed to accommodate for expected growth within the city limits," said Bob Tull, the attorney representing the Fairhaven Highlands developers. "In a growing community, you have to infill the parcels you have or end up expanding into the countryside."

Infill is increasing density or building on vacant lots inside city limits. Sprawl, on the other hand, is expanding the city limits or allowing developers to build on larger parcels out in the county.

"The dilemma we have is, do we disperse or do we concentrate?’" Tull said.

Dr. Frank James, a former county health officer, founded Responsible Development last year to form an organization to oppose Fairhaven Highlands. James said he disagrees that this development represents infill.

"This is sprawl by any stretch of the imagination. There is no infrastructure to support it," James said. "Just because it’s within city limits doesn’t mean it’s not sprawl."

The city’s Comprehensive Plan, which guides future land-use decisions, defines sprawl as poorly planned or low-density development. While Fairhaven Highlands is planned for medium to high density, proper planning guidelines also should define infill, James said.

"There are hundreds of acres of developable land in the city of Bellingham. You don’t have to take an 80-year-old mature forested wetland area," James said. "Build downtown, the Georgia-Pacific site — there are many 20-to-30-acre sites in the city."

But Leo Bodensteiner, associate professor of environmental science at Western’s Huxley College of the Environment and advisor of a student-produced environmental impact assessment of Fairhaven Highlands, said the site of the hundred-acre wood is the best place for development. Based on population projections he said, the need is for 1,600-plus acres; if 85 acres are removed, expansion will happen elsewhere.

"The city identifies (the area of the proposed development) as the urban growth area," Bodensteiner said. "This is where we want people to build to protect the open spaces, agricultural areas and natural areas."

While not opposed to focusing development in other areas of the city, he doesn’t see it as the end-all.

"Consider the need. The need is for 1,600 acres to accommodate the projected growth," Bodensteiner said. "Sure, you could move them downtown, but eventually the need would be to develop those acres at Fairhaven Highlands."

Responsible Development also is concerned about the potential for substantial impact costs of Fairhaven Highlands to be passed on to the public. The group funded a study by Eben Fodor, a community-planning consultant, that concluded that the public services the development demands would cost the public more than $12 million. These numbers were found by taking the estimated costs of services needed for the homes and subtracting the impact fees the developer pays.

Chris Spens, the senior environmental planner for the city, said residential developments are generally a shared public/private expense. Developers pay for improvements, but the costs of services eventually get passed on to the public.

"Residential development, per se, is a demand on services at a greater cost than what they pay in property taxes alone," Spens said. "That’s not uncommon."

Ultimately, land-use frameworks and boundaries guided by the Comprehensive Plan and enforced through zoning regulations determine development in the city.

Zoning for the hundred-acre wood site has been in place since 1980, when it was abruptly rezoned to allow 1,430 residents on approximately 100 acres. At the time, some of the site was being used for a gravel pit to supply the construction of Interstate 5, while the rest was second-growth forest with steep slopes, making development difficult.

Previous owners donated approximately 16 acres of wetland habitat to the Whatcom Land Trust. These were transferred to the city in 2000. Density on the remaining acres was then reduced to its current 739 homes.

Acquiring the site for public ownership by such means as a Greenways Levy poses difficulties. With Greenways, residents vote on whether to buy land for public ownership through an increase in property taxes. South Bellingham has more undeveloped land than other neighborhoods in the city and therefore has more potential for infill. Voters might be skeptical of paying for even more public lands on the south side.

But John McLaughlin, an associate professor of environmental science at Huxley sees the hundred-acre wood as too critical to be lost to development. He said the site is an important corridor to other natural areas throughout the city.

"My concern is that if you develop this place, you have fragmented the city," McLaughlin said. "We can expect less rich birdsong, fewer frogs … It’s a link that’s holding together the open space and natural areas."

McLaughlin’s view of the environmental significance is supported by a study by Ann Eissinger, a wildlife biologist for Nahkeeta Northwest Wildlife Services. The study, conducted at the request of the city and used for land-use decisions, outlines 28 areas critical to environmental quality in Bellingham. The hundred-acre wood was listed near the top.

"The total area is significantly valuable habitat," Eissinger wrote in the study. "Attributes include intact wetlands, the greatest diversity of amphibians in the city, fawning areas, presence of species of concern and a major corridor connecting Padden and Chuckanut watersheds. Animals known to breed in the area include the red fox, coyote, deer, river otter, muskrat, mink, pileated woodpecker, great blue heron, barred owl and belted kingfisher."

McLaughlin and James also expressed concern about the legality of building on the wetlands. In 1996, another application was submitted to the city for development on the site. At that time, the wetlands were granted the highest level of protection, but the hundred-acre wood wetlands have not yet been categorized.

McLaughlin also disagrees with the methods used to map the wetlands. Delineation, the method the applicants used to make the map, was done in March and April, with most of the work done in October, McLaughlin said. Since precipitation determines the size of a wetland, the time of year the applicants completed the delineation affected the results.

"Last year was a drought emergency. When they delineated this map, it was at the driest possible," McLaughlin said. "My big concern is that this is a wetland network. If you go out there now, this is one big wetland."

The current development proposal calls for filling in the small wetlands and buffering the larger ones.

"They’re taking this connected network and making a few puddles," McLaughlin said.

Bodensteiner said choosing to not develop Fairhaven Highlands also has environmental impacts. Driving development into the county impacts those natural areas that might not be as high density. He said he does not see the site as being particularly unique compared with other sites throughout the city.

"It doesn’t have endangered species on the site. It has species of concern, which they can do something to address," Bodensteiner said. "You’re going to find wetlands just about anyplace you go."

The city will decide if an environmental-impact assessment is necessary when planners continue reviewing development applications.

Tull said the environmental impact would be reduced largely because building densely reduces the development footprint.

"In theory, you could reduce the footprint by building taller and taller and taller," Tull said. "But there are a number of people who don’t want to see particularly tall buildings."

The developers also plan to have smaller street pavement areas to reduce the impervious surfaces per unit and to incorporate green building techniques.

The Fairhaven Highlands project is on hold at the applicant’s request, awaiting the outcome of the Greenways Levy determination. The city most likely will not make any determinations or receive any more applications until after March.

"We’re at step one of about a hundred," Spens said. "I guess the good thing is people care passionately about Bellingham, and that’s in essence what makes it a great place. People willing to work with one another sincerely, calmly, capably, usually rise to the top. I think a lot of public concern comes from the heart."