Neighbors - Cordata

POSTED: Wednesday, Oct. 01, 2008

Residents say Cordata growth has been without amenities

In November 1981, David Syre stood in a sprawling field north of Bellingham — land then part of the Wilder farm — and laid out his vision for the area: homes, industrial operations, shopping.

The soil wasn't good for agriculture, said Syre, then-president of Trillium Corp.

Twenty-seven years later, much of what Syre envisioned has come to fruition. In fact, when you talk about Cordata's past development, you're talking about Trillium, which used to own 600 acres there.

Syre, a controversial local figure, has long championed development in north Bellingham. In the 1980s, he brought Bellis Fair mall, a development that fueled more commercial growth along Meridian Street, which some people in Bellingham unabashedly call sprawl.

Today, Trillium has sold off most of its vacant, buildable land in Cordata, but there’s still much potential for development in the planned unit development, which is an area planned to allow a mix of land uses.

Of the 558 acres in the development, 211 acres are still vacant, according to May 2007 city data.

The development is just one part of Guide Meridian/Cordata neighborhood.

Growth has satisfied residents in some ways, while leaving them frustrated in others.

“We have no library. We have no community center. We are just getting our first park,” said Beverly Jacobs, co-president of Guide Meridian/Cordata Neighborhood Association.

Residents also complain of drivers racing down Cordata Parkway, which, as traffic reaches more than 32,000 vehicles a day on Meridian Street, is now an attractive alternative for north-south travel.

Near Whatcom Community College, nearly 14,000 vehicles a day travel the parkway.

The entire area only has 20 acres owned by the city for a future park, called Cordata Park. It would be the fast-growing neighborhood’s first real park, but even its development with parking, sport courts, a mini-skate park and a playground relies on extension of Horton Road west to the property.

“The growth has been without amenities,” said Julie Guy, co-president of the neighborhood association.

The parks issue galvanized residents into invigorating the neighborhood association, which today is active in city affairs.

But neighborhood leaders haven’t grown adamantly opposed to growth, not even of the big-box stores that some city residents detest. In fact, neighborhood leaders were angry when the City Council refused to allow significant expansion of big-box stores, saying they enjoy the convenience of nearby shopping.

Meanwhile, Whatcom Transportation Authority is finishing its $5 million Cordata Station project near the community college, and Community Food Co-Op is building its second grocery store nearby.

Developers are also moving forward, building new stores and offices near Cordata Parkway and Kellogg Road.

And more development is on the way. Bellingham's comprehensive plan, which lays out the city’s future growth, calls for adding 1,400-plus housing units in the area by 2022, second most behind Mount Baker neighborhood.