In the six months since Mayor Kim Lund’s Executive Order 2024-01 was announced, City of Bellingham teams have made progress in carrying out activities focused on making downtown safer, cleaner and more welcoming, as detailed in a report released today (August 22, 2024). Now, the City is expanding those efforts by inviting community input and committing to additional actions to create and carry out a vision for future for downtown.
“I took action in February because downtown is vital to our city. It’s the heart of our community – an economic engine and the center of daily life and community celebrations,” said Mayor Kim Lund said. “The feedback we’ve received since making focused changes downtown has been incredibly positive. People can feel a difference, and we are hearing that they are excited and re-energized to be downtown and experience all it has to offer.”
Among the actions outlined in Mayor Lund’s Executive Order was establishing a downtown safety office for emergency medical services personnel and co-responders, a move that’s benefitted businesses, visitors, and – most significantly – clients of the City’s community paramedicine program.
“Many of our community paramedicine clients use services that are located downtown,” said Bellingham Fire Chief Bill Hewett. “It makes sense for our community paramedics to be located there, too. We’re able to spend more time with clients rather than in transit, and that means better service, better relationships, and better outcomes for the folks in our program.”
As the result of the Mayor’s Executive Order, City Public Works teams have increased cleaning of streets, alleys and sidewalks, and Bellingham Police Department conducts regular foot patrols downtown, focused on building relationships and disrupting the sale and distribution of illegal drugs.
“Our officers being visible, accessible, and present fosters relationships with downtown businesses, residents and visitors,” said Bellingham Police Chief Rebecca Mertzig. “We are sending a strong message that downtown is not a place for disruptive activity. Public safety is important to all of us.”
Mayor Lund shares updates about this work in a video and a progress report and outlines next steps at cob.org/downtown-forward.
Setting a course to move downtown forward
According to Mayor Lund, the City’s work downtown has only just begun.
“My Executive Order actions are first steps, the foundational actions in a continuum of work to reimagine the future for downtown Bellingham. In the coming months, I am focusing the City’s efforts on further strategic steps that will prepare us to realize the community’s wants and needs in our downtown core in the years and decades ahead,” said Mayor Lund.
Downtown Forward, the name of a newly-launched planning effort by the City, will prioritize bold actions and inspire unbounded thinking to ensure a thriving future for downtown Bellingham, serving as a roadmap to direct City resources for downtown. Actions in this plan will include investments in infrastructure and public spaces, programs to support economic development and a healthy, resilient neighborhood, incentives for private investment in new buildings and businesses, changes to policies and regulations, and support for events and activities that knit our community closer together.
“Our last downtown plan was adopted 10 years ago, during very different times. We now face new realities – the effects of the opioid crisis, a lack of affordable housing, fewer workers downtown, and ongoing recovery from the pandemic,” Mayor Lund said.
“Our work to keep downtown clean, beautiful, safe and welcoming won’t stop. But as we move into a new phase, we are also broadening the City’s work and inviting the community to be a part of establishing a vision and sharing ideas so we can keep building the city that we love.”
An invitation for community input
Developing a vision for downtown starts with community input. The City is inviting community members to participate in several opportunities to give feedback, share their ideas, and engage in dreaming big, starting with a Downtown Forward Celebration on September 19. This event, taking place in the recently-restored event space at Chuckanut Bay Distillery in the heart of downtown, will recognize community members dedicated to revitalizing and energizing downtown Bellingham and offer several ways for community members to give input and share concrete ideas that can improve and grow downtown.
The City is also seeking feedback about community members’ experiences downtown through a short survey, open now through the end of September. Details about Downtown Forward and opportunities for feedback can be found on Engage Bellingham or on the City’s website at cob.org/downtown-forward.
Next steps for downtown
As we begin to gather and evaluate ideas for downtown, the City has established priority actions for 2025, which encompass not only safety, but also improvements to public spaces; additional investments in public art, events and activities; supporting downtown businesses; addressing commercial vacancies; and understanding housing needs and opportunities.
Among the specific actions the City plans for 2025 are the return of a dedicated BPD bike unit that will patrol downtown seven days a week, an additional $250,000 in grant funds for art and activities proposed by artists and event organizers, and a comprehensive commercial and retail industry trends study that will drive strategies to eliminate vacancies and encourage redevelopment of underutilized properties downtown. Additional work for 2025 and beyond will be considered in the coming months, based on community feedback and City priorities.
