by Mayor Dan Pike
We all know the redevelopment of our waterfront is an extraordinary opportunity for Bellingham.
First, we have the opportunity to create a beautiful new mixed-use neighborhood, with public gathering spaces, parks and streets designed to move people, not just cars. Second, by attracting the right blend of blue collar, white collar and “green collar†jobs, we can secure solid, living-wage economic development to our community. Finally, we can define Bellingham as a national and international model of a green, sustainable city.
We are starting from a very solid foundation: the excellent work of the Waterfront Futures Group, which established the vision and principles for the future of our waterfront. The city considers the Waterfront Futures Group work the “voice of the community,†and the framework for today’s waterfront redevelopment planning. We consider this work a living document, stewarded today by the citizens who make up the Waterfront Advisory Group.
I am committed to continuing this dialogue with the community to create a human-scale waterfront that is economically and environmentally sustainable. We need to make sure that taxpayer money is spent wisely and in a way that protects and advances the public’s best interests.
One of the biggest challenges of this project is transportation. We are committed to emphasizing various modes of transportation and using limited funding wisely. The area itself is tricky from an engineering perspective, separated from downtown by grade and by the railroad. We have to be very thoughtful about how we use roads and bridges to link downtown to the waterfront so that it feels connected.
Second, the waterfront area itself is fill – old garbage, dirt and other material – creating special challenges for engineers as they design these roads and bridges. It gets very expensive, very fast. As a city we have to strike exactly the right balance to responsibly spend taxpayer dollars and deliver an outstanding product.
Transportation is just one of many aspects of this project. We must also get the parks and open spaces just right. They will form the core of the waterfront experience and will be used and loved by people for the next century or more. And we have to create connections so that Bellingham’s downtown leads logically and gracefully to the waterfront.
We are working with the Port of Bellingham to figure out practical and affordable ways to connect downtown to the waterfront in a way that meets the needs of this area, today and in the future. We also are working closely with the Port to identify the best first steps to take together – what makes the most sense and is cost effective for the citizens of Bellingham.
We are creating our own unique neighborhood where people will live and work, where they will learn and explore, where they will gather and celebrate with their friends and families. There are lots of examples of how to do this right, many right here in Bellingham among our neighborhoods, parks and public gathering spaces.
The city, the port and the community share a vision. I believe very strongly that citizens and governments together can roll up their sleeves and bring home that vision.
Updated: Aug 7, 2008
