Vol. 4, #46

The Big Box Contretemps, a story that won’t go away, was pushed forward when representatives of the City Planning Commission voted 3-2 a request that the Planning Department comment on several issues not in the original ordinance that would enable super stores to enlarge their operations. A lot of questions were produced during the June 25 session seeking public input.  It’s anticipated that the City Council will render a decision in August or September.  Chief architect of relaxing restrictions as trade-offs for environmentally friendly ground rules is Mayor Dan Pike. 

That public hearing was preceded by the following letter from your Neighborhood Association with copies to Mayor Dan Pike and Planning Director Tim Stewart:

Planning Commission                                                                                                                                 City of Bellingham

The Guide Meridian/Cordata Neighborhood Association is writing in support of the expansion of big box stores with appropriate conditions important to the welfare of our neighborhood and city.

Our neighborhood is the home to several big box stores including Wal-Mart and Costco.  Because of this,  we are particularly interested and impacted by the issue of expansion of these stores.

When the Bellingham City Council approved the building of Bellis Fair Mall on the edge of Meridian in the 80’s, they also created a commercial zone running north from the Mall to Horton along Meridian.

As the big box stores located on Meridian, they were permitted by our planning department.  It was clear this is where the city wanted the major commercial growth to happen.  We now have a major commercial engine in our neighborhood.  Millions are generated in these economically trying times by this commercial zone.

Over the years, hundreds of dwelling units have been built in the same neighborhood.  Single family, condos, apartments and senior living institutions have sprung up all around the Meridian commercial zone.  A community college is located here, as well as a major WTA hub.

While all this growth was happening, parks, trails, and open spaces were not created as visualized in city planning.  We are just now seeing some relief on that front.  We are very concerned that if the big box stores are not allowed to expand to reflect the needs of their growth, our neighborhood will end up with big box stores, gaping and empty.  The tax revenues will disappear.

We definitely want to support the proposal to allow expansion with conditions of the big box stores in our neighborhood.  They are already here and expanding their own footprint will not affect any other neighborhood.  It will ad more tax revenue to the entire city, provide employment to more citizens and continue to serve the needs of those customers that patronize them.  They are good neighbors and we want them to stay with us.

Sincerely,

 

Adrienne Lederer, Beverly Jacobs, Co-Presidents                                                                     Board of Directors                                                                                                                  Guide Meridian/Cordata Neighborhood Association                 

June 18, 2009                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

Cc: Mayor Pike, Bellingham City Council, Tim Stewart, Planning Dept.

In what may have been a Bellingham “first,” your board of directors and general members present at the June 9 meeting unanimously adopted a resolution informing the City of Bellingham that it supports design modifications to the “Cordata Country” plat as presented by Ted Mischaikov of M:KOV Development I.  The plat, not yet officially named, was formerly owned by D.R. Horton.  The vote follows information gained from two charrettes that form the basis for stakeholder information, participation, and inclusion as precursors to the more formal public process to come.                           

Another hot topic is the Infill Toolkit, a COB Planning Department device to create small footprint housing (there are nine different types) on small lots.  It’s a controversial approach with the anti group led by the web sited Zone Maven whose intense irritation revolves around people who rent out rooms to students thereby incurring the Dreaded Added Automobile Curse.  Actually, the ZM makes some good points.   Interestingly enough, the small footprint homes including cottages are being embraced by Cordata’s present and future builders.

  “Cordata’s radical change” was a telling point of reference made by architect David Christensen as he led a coalition of City officials, community leaders and vocal Cordatans through two charrettes designed to inspire commentary about Tin Rock Development’s rezone request.  Tin Rock, a 45.7 acre proposed development located on the east side of Cordata Parkway between Horton and Stuart Rds., is owned by Blair Murray.  A third session, held June 30, featured a concept plan presented by Christensen who also addressed questions involving design, process and technical aspects of the proposal.

Deadline Dash….Bellingham police need your help. More than 59,000 square feet of lawns and about 100 shrubs and trees have been damaged or destroyed in your neighborhood; the replacement value is between $60,000 and $100,000.  Targeted are commercial properties, condos, apartment complexes, retirement communities, strip malls, property management businesses and realtors.  Anyone with information should call Detective Sergeant Mike Johnston (778-8687)….There will be a Bellingham Neighbors Night Out to be held August 4.  Stay tuned to this space for further information in the next Insider....Cold and dry has been our weather since late May, so much so that lawn and gardening watering cutbacks have been ordered.  Those with even numbered addresses are limited to Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays while Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays are O.K. for uneven numbers.  Mondays are a no-no for both….The City’s Community First! Gardens will hold a workshop July 21 at 7 p.m. at the downtown Community Food Co-op.  Further, there will be Healthy Connections Tours at Bellingham’s four community gardens including our very own produced by the GM/CNA’s Community Garden Committee.  The tours will be from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on consecutive Saturdays (July 18 & 25)….Most disappointing was the news at press time that Cordata trails, scheduled to be built this summer, have been rescheduled for 2010.  The story out of Parks & Recreation blames a holdup of approval by federal and state agencies for the design of a bridge over wetlands as part of trail design.  That’s another way of saying bureaucratic paperwork has been slowed down because of budget cutbacks.  

More later,

Bob Sanders with Micah Caucutt’s gracious help

Comments

[The Zonemaven]

I would like to clear up some misconceptions Mr. Sanders has with respect to my ideas on the Infill Tool Kit. First, I have never been opposed to the ToolKit, although I remain convinced that it was a premature and time-consuming piece of legislation. My objections were its applicability in single family zoned areas and the total lack of any enforcement provisions - a sure fire way to encourage slum growth as initial homeowners eventually sell and speculators pick the housing carcasses before renting without respect to zoning rules. The neighborhood of Meridian/Coradata will learn this within 5 years or so of the build-out of these housing types.

I have also spent many a blog entry explaining the difference between the enforcement of zoning codes to prevent uncontrolled infill in the way of illegal rooming houses and the separate issue of nuisances such as parking, noise, litter, etc. The two are not necessarily tied together except that enforcement of codes pertaining to zoning and nuisances is sorely inadequate.