April 18 - 24, 2019
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Xczar to run for Whatcom County Assessor, page 3
Financial literacy class coming to Blaine, page 13
City of Blaine hires new public defender, page 15
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Woodberry project moves forward after city council approval By Zoe Deal It was standing room only on the night of the vote, one of many such nights at Blaine City Hall for city council and planning commission sessions on the topic. Dozens of emails had flooded city inboxes leading up to the meeting; many Semiahmoo residents voiced their concerns more than once during various public hearings. Despite wide community opposition, the Woodberry Planned Unit Development (PUD) and Preliminary Plat was approved 5-1 by Blaine City Council at the April 8 regular meeting. Applicants Rolf and Linda Haugen must submit a final master plan within 180 days of city council approval in accordance with the conditions of project approval. The Woodberry PUD and Preliminary Plat will sit on 9.7 acres in the Semiahmoo uplands west of Semiahmoo Parkway and just south of the North Whatcom fire station. It will be a gated neighborhood with 29 single-family lots accessed by private roadways with a density of 2.9 dwelling units per acre. The process was textbook, continuing steadily through each step. The project application was submitted to the city on March 28, 2018 and passed environmental review before coming before the planning commission in early January. After consideration of the facts, the planning commission recommended approval to city council on February 28. The community opposition that emerged was perhaps more than the city expected. Approximately 70 people packed into the council chambers for numerous planning commission and city council meetings. Alec Berkman, treasurer of the Semiahmoo Resort Association Board of Trustees, acted as chairman of a committee to oppose Woodberry, even going so far as to meet with Rolf Haugen to negotiate. The required 14-day comment period (See Woodberry, page 7)
s Pest-ridden, structurally unsound and in decay, the former Costa Azul building at 665 Peace Portal Drive was in the process of being demolished on Tuesday morning.
Photo by Zoe Deal
City demolishing dilapidated downtown building By Jami Makan The city of Blaine has started demolishing a dilapidated downtown building. The building, located at 665 Peace Portal Drive, was formerly occupied by the Costa Azul restaurant and is pest-ridden, structurally unsound and in decay, posing a risk to public safety. In February 2018, the city put out a call for bids to demolish the building and received only one, from Wrecking Ball Demolition, totaling $406,362. Considering the price too high, Blaine City Council voted 6-0 to reject it. In December 2018, city council voted
6-0 to approve a $247,836 contract with Dirt Works Bellingham Inc. to demolish the building. The contract included the cost of permitting, asbestos abatement, demolition and disposal of the structure. According to Blaine public works director Ravyn Whitewolf, the contractor’s first official day was Wednesday, April 10. The contractor has been working on the preparations for the project since it was executed in February 2019. The entire project should be completed within two weeks, said Whitewolf. Because the building shared structural supports with two other buildings directly north, including Blaine Bouquets, the
building’s structural supports had to be severed. This occurred on April 11. The owner to the north was required to perform seismic retrofits to their building in advance of the demolition. “There are years of history related to prior uses of the building and the enforcement action that precipitated the demolition,” said Whitewolf. “Tim Woodard, our building official, managed the project until the demolition contractor was selected.” The site is privately owned, and what happens next to the site is up to the owner. “We would love to see the property developed,” said Whitewolf.
By Oliver Lazenby After decades of planning and administrative work, the Birch Bay beach restoration project known as the berm is set to receive its final permit – a shoreline substantial development permit from Whatcom County. After an April 10 hearing on the permit, Whatcom County Hearing Examiner Michael Bobbink said he expected to approve the permit within 10 days. That should allow work to begin this fall. The shoreline permit is the last of nearly a dozen individual permits from various state,
local and federal government agencies required for the project, which involves adding about 160,000 tons of gravel and sand to 1.6 miles of beach along Birch Bay Drive, replacing sediment removed by the U.S. Corps of Engineers for construction in the 1950s. The roughly $12 million project aims to protect Birch Bay from storm surges and naturalize the beach by replacing a series of concrete structures. The project also includes pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure along Birch Bay Drive. “There’s nothing in this file that would indicate any reason whatsoever to deny the
project and I think it’s in the public interest and everyone’s interest,” Bobbink said at the end of the April 10 hearing. “There’s nobody in the record who I think has any right to appeal, so I think this is a done deal here.” More than 60 people attended the hearing and all who spoke were in favor of the project. Bobbink said at the beginning of the hearing that his file on the project had 55 comments and not a single complaint. The hearing took on a festive atmosphere, with the crowd applauding most speakers.
INSIDE
Hearing examiner calls berm permit a “done deal” Letters . . . . . . . . . 4 Sports . . . . . . . . . . 6 Classifieds . . . . . 11 Coming Up . . . . . 14 Police . . . . . . . . . 14 Tides . . . . . . . . . . 14
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