Guest writer – Bill Craven from Birchwood
Read on for an update, or here is a call to action to help. Thank you.
Please send an email to the County Council at council@co.whatcom.wa.us and to the city council (ccmail@cob.org). Send the same email to mayorsoffice@cob.org and to ssidhu@co.whatcom.wa.us. Ask that the comprehensive plan updates change the antiquated zoning in Alderwood and Birchwood so that the city and county prepare these neighborhoods for more affordable housing, more light industry, and less pollution and truck traffic.
After ABC, the danger to Bellingham neighborhoods is not over
The Alderwood and Birchwood neighborhoods were essential partners in raising community concerns about the ABC Recycling metal piles on the waterfront and its proposed metal shredder on Marine Drive. Both disasters are fading into history.
But now these neighborhoods need the help of the larger Bellingham and Whatcom County community to get the county council and the city council to consider the future of these neighborhoods in the ongoing comprehensive plan updates that are being discussed this year.
Thus far, the Neighborhoods have talked with local officials and planning staff, but there is no sign yet of any real traction with their requests.
Threat of Heavy Industrial Impacts
First, because of antiquated zoning, the neighborhoods may face more “heavy impact industrial” activities unless those lands are rezoned as part of the comprehensive plan updates. A proposal as bad as the metal shredder could come at any time under the present zoning. In fact, just as we were preparing to post this update, we learned that the site where ABC Recycling had proposed a metal shredder is now for sale. So a major polluting company can purchase that land, file an application, and be vested so that the comprehensive plan for the county and the city has to assume that a heavy impact industrial business will operate there. Talk about antiquated zoning allowing incompatible uses in dense neighborhoods. This is Exhibit A for why things need to change.
What about the Existing Heavy Impact Industrial Businesses? Does this mean that local governments would shut down the cement plant or Bell Pole and Lumber? Not at all. It is quite possible to rezone all the HII lands for more desirable future uses and not affect the ongoing operations of Heidelberg Cement or Bell Pole and Lumber—and at the same time stop any new proposals from coming into these neighborhoods. These companies, and any other existing company, would be grandfathered in so that the new zoning would not affect their operations.
Vacant Lands
What To Do With Vacant Lands? The large blocks of currently empty industrial lands (such as the ABC Recycling land where the shredder was to be located) could become the site for new, largely affordable housing or light industrial businesses that could go a long way to meeting the housing and employment needs of the city and the county. This is an ideal location with existing access to city services, utilities, and transit. But the current zoning for heavy impact industrial uses does not allow for housing.
The cement plant and the telephone pole company employ very few workers while the light industrial facilities in the industrial park on Marine Drive employ many dozens more workers. More light industry sites will create more jobs.
How About Looking for Additional Industrial Lands? We are all for it. The Port of Bellingham will soon release a new study of the possible location of new industrial sites in the county. We should take that opportunity to help Heidleberg and Bell Pole and Lumber re-locate to new sites, away from crowded residential neighborhoods, and sweeten the deal by agreeing to cost-share in their relocation to the extent lawful.
Should that occur, even more acreage would be available for housing and new light impact industrial-park jobs along Marine Drive.
Tax Revenue
Can We Generate More Tax Revenue? It turns out that the light industrial buildings in the Marine Drive industrial park pay more in property taxes than the highly-polluting cement and lumber businesses. For example, the 38.9 acres and facilities owned by the cement company generate only $61,000 in property taxes for 2025. The telephone pole company, with its 27 acres and facilities, pays only $12, 481.19. That is ridiculously low compared to what homeowners pay. It’s not hard to find a few residential neighbors who pay far more property taxes than these industrial sites. More to the point, the buildings in the industrial park on Marine Drive pay much more. The building at 3116 Mercer (3.15 acres) will pay $16, 315 in property taxes this year. The building at 3140 Mercer (2.62 acres) will pay $52,434.10. The building at 3155 Mercer (6.95 acres) will pay $91,704. Even though these buildings often have multiple tenants and their footprints are smaller, the point is clear—industrial park buildings with their non-polluting indoor businesses pay far more in property taxes than their highly polluting neighbors who have dominated these neighborhoods for decades.
And What About Those Trucks?
The dust from the cement plant and the smelly emissions from the lumber plant (a former Superfund site) are made possible by more truck trips up and down Bennett Drive than most Bellinghamsters probably imagine. Recently some Alderwood neighbors documented 155 heavy diesel semi-trucks in a 24 hour period, 53 of which were the hopper-style trucks used by Heidelberg Cement. Several were identified as Bell Lumber and Pole Truck, Morse Steel, and nearly 90 were not specifically identified. That is a lot of trucks up and down what is largely a residential street that happens to also be designated as a truck route.
At the very minimum, the city and county should impose traffic calming measures on Bennett Drive including a pedestrian passage with flashing lights at the Alderwood Ave. intersection and perhaps a traffic signal at Marine Drive. Additionally, the HII zoning currently in affect should be amended to prohibit 24 hours/day operations and truck traffic should be limited to business hours as well.
The Request.
There are many options to help out our friends in Birchwood and Alderwood. Please take a moment to reach out to our elected city and county counselors to support rezoning and traffic calming. We can create more jobs, revitalize these neighborhoods, generate more tax revenue, and develop affordable housing that will benefit our entire community.
