Existing conditions
Park development at Little Squalicum will occur in multiple phases which will be guided by the master plan.
The project site is located in Bellingham, Washington. Major arterial roads near the site include Marine Drive and Eldridge Avenue. The site is served by a major urban trail and comprises part or the regional Bay to Baker Trail corridor and it adjoins extensive tidelands owned by the Port of Bellingham and used by the public and the Bellingham Technical College. The site consists of an approximately 13-acre gravel pit mined up until the 1960s, a flat, formerly agricultural terrace on Marine Drive above the excavated pit elevation and a railroad grade constructed in 1912.
Elements of the park site will likely include features and amenities such as those shown on the February 2009 conceptual park cleanup plan. The confined nature of the steep-sided Little Squalicum ravine, its wetlands, three stormwater discharges, near-surface groundwater and the projected cleanup elements (including possible institutional controls) will greatly affect park uses and character. The nature of shoreline resources on the adjacent Port of Bellingham tideland and backshore properties and the site's role in the City's trail system and its relationship to the Bellingham Technical College properties will also greatly affect park design. Park features and amenities will be discussed, refined and ultimately selected and integrated with one another on the basis of public and stakeholder meetings and activities such as a design charrette. To expedite public and agency review and master plan development the City seeks to begin with consultant and staff review of the existing 1990 Site Management Plan and the February 2009 Conceptual Park and Cleanup Plan.
REET: $75,000 for Master Planning Phase
Master planning process currently underway
Public Meeting #1: The first of three public meetings was held on July 22, 2009 at 7 p.m. at the Fireplace Meeting Room (625 Halleck Street, Bellingham). The meeting was preceded by a site visit at the park (meet at the Marine Drive trail head across from Oak Harbor Freight) from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. with the project consultant team.
Public Meeting #2: The second public meeting was held on September 16, 2009, at 7 p.m. at the Fireplace Meeting Room, 625 Halleck Street, Bellingham, WA. The public was invited to review and comment on the master plan alternatives.
Public Meeting #3: The third and final public meeting was held on November 12, 2009, at 7 p.m. at the Fireplace Meeting Room, 625 Halleck Street, Bellingham, WA. The meeting focused on the public's evaluation and comments of the final master plan.
October 7, 2009
2-5 p.m.
Fireplace Meeting Room at 625 Halleck Street (Municipal Court Building),
Bellingham, WA
Purpose: Stakeholder representatives meeting (Port of
Bellingham, Neighborhood Reps, City of Bellingham, Businesses, etc.) to
review public comments and develop the preferred master plan
October 14, 2009
7:30 a.m.
Please call Park's Office at 778-7000 for location.
Purpose: Parks & Recreation Advisory Board Meeting to
review preferred master plan
November 12, 2009
7-9 p.m.
Fireplace Meeting Room at 625 Halleck Street (Municipal Court Building),
Bellingham, WA
Purpose: Public meeting to review final master plan
December 9, 2009
7:30 a.m.
Please call Park's Office at 778-7000 for location.
Purpose: Parks & Recreation Advisory Board meeting to
adopt final master plan
January 2010 (Date TBD)
City Hall, 210 Lottie Street, Bellingham, WA
Purpose: City Council adoption of final master plan
