Important Police Contacts

Posted on April 12, 2012 by John

Here are some contacts for NON-EMERGENCY calls to the police. In 2009 Bellingham started ACT the anti crime team. In the past Edgemoor has had very positive results with them. Sgt. Keith Johnson is the contact person and can be reached at 778-8837 kjohnson@cob.org . Call Keith if you notice any ongoing crime. We also have officers assigned to our area that can be called for non emergency problems. Sgt. Mike Scanlon 778-8757 mscanlon@cob.org and Sgt. Ken Brown 778-8822 kbrown@cob.org. Of course if you are having an emergency CALL 911. As we plan the upcoming National Night out Against Crime, we hope to have these Officers join us for a meet and greet and get more information.
John Erickson

100 Acre Woods Clean-up on April 28th

Posted on March 31, 2012 by SK

As you all know the City has recently purchased ” the 100 acre woods ” or whatever name you wish to call it, as the parks dept. has yet to officially name it. There are a small group of volunteers that have stepped forward to organize a cleanup effort in our new park. Many of us know that there are many old and not so old homeless campsites on the property that need to be addressed. We plan to do just that with the help of the parks dept. They will supply all safety gear such as gloves, safety glasses, litter sticks, trash bags and some instruction on safety. The date for the first clean up will be Saturday April 28th at noon, a three hour event. We will start at the south end first as it is the “dry” section and the sites are smaller and we will have to haul the garbage less far. At this time the City has limited funds and needs help to make this new park a wonderful and safe place to enjoy. Lets pitch in and help our visions for these woods come true. Any potential volunteers can contact me for further details.
John Erickson
360-303-4258
john@northwestcampers.com

Fairhaven Neighborhood Plan

Posted on March 25, 2012 by Lylene

Planning Commission to Review Fairhaven Neighborhood Plan

April 19, 2012, the Bellingham Planning Commission will review and take comments on the proposed Fairhaven Neighborhood and Urban Village Plan. The meeting will be held in Bellingham City Council Chambers at 210 Lottie St. Comments will be heard at the meeting or can be submitted in writing orior to April 17 to haven@cob.org.

All materials associated with this proposal are available in the Planning and Community Development Department and at http://www.cob.org/web/commsnl.nsf.

QUARRY UPDATE—-Spring, 2012

Posted on March 22, 2012 by SK

Here is an update on the Lummi Island Quarry, submitted to us by Kent Neilson of Lummi Island…

There have been several developments with regard to the Lummi Island Quarry over the winter. A short summary of the principal developments is provided below, but all readers are encouraged to follow the issues on the website lummiislandquarry.com.

The MRL expansion proposal has been put on hold until Lummi Rock, LLC rectifies several outstanding issues.

1. The commercial pier/barge loading facility built in 2006-2007 was never permitted.
The quarry operators have applied for a retroactive permit for this pier/loading facility. Public comments have been submitted and upon review this month, the county planning department will submit their report to the Whatcom County hearing examiner for a decision. In addition, there will be an environmental review (SEPA) for the affected shoreline.
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2. Another shoreline issue involves the removal of a sunken barge adjacent to the
quarry. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) has issued a permit for this removal and the project is underway. There is concern that this activity will disrupt the local shoreline environment and the associated fish habitat.

3. Consulting hydrologists (RH2 of Bothel, WA) on contract with the Department of Ecology (DOE) are beginning their evaluation of Aiston Creek drainage basin. This is a necessary part of the quarry application for a water right to extract water for dust control. Lummi Island Scenic Estates (LISE) holds the senior water right on Aiston Creek. The consultants will determine whether a second water right can be supported by this water resource. Their report will be generated this spring. If this review is favorable to the quarry, then the next phase will be for a formal water right application to the DOE. In which case, the consideration of this water right application will take place this summer.

4. A “stop work” order was filed by the county on the road built by the quarry operators to access the north and west side of the quarry. This road was constructed outside of the current MRL boundaries and is very close to LISE. The quarry operators are to develop another access route within the existing MRL and are to reclaim this unapproved road. There is no estimate for the time necessary to reclaim the disrupted land, but activity on the road should be stopped now.

5. Once these concerns are met, the quarry operators will most likely return to the MRL expansion proposal. The envisioned expansion will increase the size of the current pit by more than a 100% (from 20 acres to 47.5 acres). The west face of the quarry will extend for ~1300 feet and reach a height of 350-400 feet. This pit cuts into the east side of Lummi Mountain and obviously will be a permanent scar in the landscape with associated noise, air and water pollution. This will not only impact nearby residents and their properties on Lummi Island. It will impact all Bellingham residents as this scenic shoreline is increasingly degraded. Industrial noise will intrude on Inati Bay and its recreational use by the Bellingham Yacht Club. Long term sustainable industries like tourism and recreational boating will be impacted, while increasing pollution to the marine waters will contribute to the further degradation of Puget Sound and critical marine habitat needed to support the salmon fishery. You are encouraged to follow this issue closely on the website established by the Lummi Island Conservancy (lummiislandquarry.com). Dates for hearings and comment periods will be posted. It is important that the many concerns of private citizens and organizations be heard. A successful zoning change will insure that this quarry will continue for decades.

Boundary Line & Zoning Change

Posted on March 15, 2012 by Lylene

March 29 Hearing Regarding Fairhaven/Happy Valley Boundary & Zoning Change

The Bellingham Planning Commission will hold a hearing Thursday, March 29th at 7:00 pm in City Council Chambers to discuss moving the current line generally located in the 1400 block of 14th St into the Happy Valley Neighborhood and rezoning that property from Residential, Single to Commercial. The Planning Commission will take testimony and make a recommendation to City Council, which hold another hearing and make the final decision.

The changes would allow this property, to the east of the Fairhaven Haggen store, to be developed in conjunction with the Haggen store property.

The Fairhaven Neighborhood is currently supporting the proposal, while the Happy Valley Neighborhood is opposing it. The Edgemoor Neighborhood has not taken a position.

If you wish to comment, attend the hearing or submit written comments prior to March 27th.

March ENA Meeting Update

Posted on March 15, 2012 by Lylene

The official meeting minutes will be out shortly, but here is an overview of the most recent Edgemoor Neighborhood meeting.

John Erickson attended the first Mayor’s Advisory Committee held by our new mayor, Kelli Linville, and was favorably impressed. She will be running the meetings, so there will be more opportunity for direct input from the neighborhood representatives. The committee’s role in vetting proposed development plans will probably be changing, which John felt would be a positive move.

The bylaw changes and standing rules of procedure were accepted, so that is a major project finished.

The Neighborhood Plan was reviewed for accuracy and Lylene submitted it to the city for docketing the Friday following the meeting, so the next stage of the process has started.

The annual meeting was discussed. It will be held at Lairmont Manor on June 7th, and we are contacting several interesting speakers. Will let you know when the program is set. It will be pretty simple…the speaker, elections, refreshments and some time to visit.

It was also decided to have a neighborhood party/gathering in the latter part of August to mark National Night Out Against Crime as well as have some fun. Laurie Grove and Lidia Tillman-McAdoo are heading up the committee, so contact them with input or offers of help. Several locations are being considered.

Additional Padden Trails Information

Posted on March 8, 2012 by Lylene

Just received from Bellingham City Council Office:

For those of you interested in reviewing the meeting materials for the Public Hearings regarding the Padden Trails project (http://www.cob.org/web/council.nsf/webmaterials), I just want to warn you that the file is extremely large due to the inclusion of both the Planning Commission’s written public comments and the written public comments directly to the City Council. If you have any trouble opening the files please contact our Information Technology Service Desk at 778-8088 or the Council Office.

Padden Trails Hearing Before City Council

Posted on March 7, 2012 by Lylene

Padden Trails Hearing: Zoning & Toolbox

Bellingham City Council will hold a hearing March 12th at 7:00 pm regarding the request by owners of the proposed Padden Trails development for increased density and use of the infill toolbox. The development agreement between the owners and the city will also be discussed.

The Bellingham Planning Commission has recommended approval of these requests. The Edgemoor Neighborhood, together with the other 5 southside neighborhoods, signed a letter to Council stating their opposition to the increased density and support for use of the toolkit.

If you would like to give further input, this may be your last chance.

Environmental Review for Gateway Pacific Terminal

Posted on March 7, 2012 by Lylene

Information Meeting on Environmental Review Process Set

This link will take you to a Department of Ecology news release regarding the meeting scheduled March 20th with representatives from Whatcom County, the Department of Ecology and the Army Corps of Engineers. They will be explaining the “road map” to be following through the permitting process. It should be a great opportunity to get the facts on what is coming up.

Edgemoor Neighborhood Plan Delivered!

Posted on March 4, 2012 by Lylene

And The Process Has Begun…

Yesterday, after a number of years in the making, we delivered the updated Edgemoor Neighborhood Plan to the Planning Department at the City of Bellingham, with our application for docketing. What a wonderful feeling!

Of course, we are just entering into a process we hope will culminate in the adoption of that plan (or something close to it) about 18 months from now. The next step is to see if we actually get into the planning system. In April our application will be reviewed by the Planning Department. In May and June hearings will be held, first by the Planning Commission (who will give their blessing or not) and then by City Council (who will make the decision), to determine whether the Planning Department will be authorized to work on our plan. We should know if it has been accepted by the first of July.

When it is accepted (notice the positive thought), the next phase of the process will begin. Many thanks to all who have given input so far…notices of hearing dates will be posted here, so you will want to keep checking in.

Edgemoor Conversations

The Blog of the Edgemoor Neighborhood Association – bringing neighbors together to discuss local issues.