Why an initiative?
An initiative is simply the people’s way of passing legislation. The City Charter Article X says “The people of Bellingham...shall have power to direct legislation by initiative and referendum. The first power reserved by the people is the initiative.”
If the Port “owns” the site, why is this an initiative to the City?
The Port bought the site for $10, and assumed the role of developer. But the City grants permits for anything that happens on the site. The City also agrees to build and pay for all parks, roads, and infrastructure, which means that if infrastructure (parking lots and parks) go on top of the most contaminated areas of the site, then the City assumes the costs of remediation and liability. The City approves the final master plan and issues the Port a shoreline permit. Without these permits and approvals, the Port can’t redevelop the site. The City has substantial say over what happens on the site, and we believe that before they issue those permits, the site should be safe and clean for public use—cleanup comes first.
Why isn’t the County included?
The County is not contractually bound to participate either in the development or in the permitting of the site, so we kept the initiative to the City. We are pleased that there’s overwhelming support for the initiative among County voters! We are working to make sure the new waterfront development is safe, clean, and healthy for everyone!
Who’s going to pay for the cleanup? Is it going to come out of my taxes?
The Port bought the site for $10. If cleaned up properly, the property will be worth millions, possibly even billions. As the developer, the Port can afford to clean it up before development begins. The Port will receive substantial grants that will cover over 50 percent of the cost of cleanup. The initiative would ask the City to oversee the best cleanup possible for us and for future generations. If the Port oversees and manages the cleanup properly, no additional taxes will be necessary.
Aren’t the Port and the City already doing this?
No. The Department of Ecology determines the level of cleanup according to the wishes of the landowner. In this case, the landowner is the Port. The Port’s cleanup plan would remediate the site to an industrial standard initially, then have developers and the City clean up the contamination at a later time. An industrial level of cleanup, as defined by the Model Toxics Control Act, is for adult workers in an industrial setting, not for residences, daycares, or classrooms. The second phase of remediation would accommodate a mixed-use environment, but dangerous toxins like mercury would most likely be capped and left in place, burdening developers and the City with future liability and expense. We’re asking the site be cleaned all at once, before any construction begins. Cleanup comes first!
How does the site get cleaned? How does the Whatcom Waterway get cleaned?
The methods used for the uplands of the site (the area that will be zoned mixed-use) would respect the danger of airborne toxins in our downtown. Engineers would most likely hose down the soil to prevent dust, tent the area to prevent exposure, and load the contaminants into enclosed containers before shipping them by barge or train car. The grain size of the soil in the uplands is too large for disposal in the G-P aerated stabilization basin (lagoon). Depending on which cleanup plan Ecology chooses, the Whatcom Waterway will either be vacuum dredged into the lagoon (a process that minimizes the contact of contamination with the marine environment), or the contaminated sediment will be dredged and put onto barges and taken to train cars for disposal at an upland site. The current, standing RI/FS for the Whatcom Waterway would use the lagoon for disposal. People for a Healthy Bay wants a cleanup that will make the cleanup of the Whatcom Waterway and the uplands of the site the singular priority for the Port, the City, and Ecology. The Healthy Bay Initiative sets a sound public health policy for our regulators and elected officials to follow.
Is this really about a marina?
The three goals of the Bellingham Bay Foundation (BBF) are a thorough cleanup, public ownership, and a vibrant redevelopment. We filed Healthy Bay Initiative to make sure the Whatcom Waterway, the Bay, and the former mill site are cleaned up to the highest practical standards. The BBF first opposed putting a marina in GP’s waste treatment lagoon when we realized that by focusing on the marina, the Port was ignoring the rest of the site and putting our cleanup money into creating a marina. We believe it’s the wrong path and the wrong way to plan Bellingham’s future. Money should be spent on cleanup before development.
The Port promises jobs, jobs, jobs. If we spend the money on cleanup instead of business development, how will we benefit economically?
The number one job of a developer is to remove risk. By cleaning up the property and the Whatcom Waterway, we’re securing a safe and healthy future for whatever development we want on the site. But before we have offices and waterfront condos, we have to make sure these facilities can be safely occupied. We can’t do that if the site isn’t properly cleaned.
An initiative is simply the people’s way of passing legislation. The City Charter Article X says “The people of Bellingham...shall have power to direct legislation by initiative and referendum. The first power reserved by the people is the initiative.”
If the Port “owns” the site, why is this an initiative to the City?
The Port bought the site for $10, and assumed the role of developer. But the City grants permits for anything that happens on the site. The City also agrees to build and pay for all parks, roads, and infrastructure, which means that if infrastructure (parking lots and parks) go on top of the most contaminated areas of the site, then the City assumes the costs of remediation and liability. The City approves the final master plan and issues the Port a shoreline permit. Without these permits and approvals, the Port can’t redevelop the site. The City has substantial say over what happens on the site, and we believe that before they issue those permits, the site should be safe and clean for public use—cleanup comes first.
Why isn’t the County included?
The County is not contractually bound to participate either in the development or in the permitting of the site, so we kept the initiative to the City. We are pleased that there’s overwhelming support for the initiative among County voters! We are working to make sure the new waterfront development is safe, clean, and healthy for everyone!
Who’s going to pay for the cleanup? Is it going to come out of my taxes?
The Port bought the site for $10. If cleaned up properly, the property will be worth millions, possibly even billions. As the developer, the Port can afford to clean it up before development begins. The Port will receive substantial grants that will cover over 50 percent of the cost of cleanup. The initiative would ask the City to oversee the best cleanup possible for us and for future generations. If the Port oversees and manages the cleanup properly, no additional taxes will be necessary.
Aren’t the Port and the City already doing this?
No. The Department of Ecology determines the level of cleanup according to the wishes of the landowner. In this case, the landowner is the Port. The Port’s cleanup plan would remediate the site to an industrial standard initially, then have developers and the City clean up the contamination at a later time. An industrial level of cleanup, as defined by the Model Toxics Control Act, is for adult workers in an industrial setting, not for residences, daycares, or classrooms. The second phase of remediation would accommodate a mixed-use environment, but dangerous toxins like mercury would most likely be capped and left in place, burdening developers and the City with future liability and expense. We’re asking the site be cleaned all at once, before any construction begins. Cleanup comes first!
How does the site get cleaned? How does the Whatcom Waterway get cleaned?
The methods used for the uplands of the site (the area that will be zoned mixed-use) would respect the danger of airborne toxins in our downtown. Engineers would most likely hose down the soil to prevent dust, tent the area to prevent exposure, and load the contaminants into enclosed containers before shipping them by barge or train car. The grain size of the soil in the uplands is too large for disposal in the G-P aerated stabilization basin (lagoon). Depending on which cleanup plan Ecology chooses, the Whatcom Waterway will either be vacuum dredged into the lagoon (a process that minimizes the contact of contamination with the marine environment), or the contaminated sediment will be dredged and put onto barges and taken to train cars for disposal at an upland site. The current, standing RI/FS for the Whatcom Waterway would use the lagoon for disposal. People for a Healthy Bay wants a cleanup that will make the cleanup of the Whatcom Waterway and the uplands of the site the singular priority for the Port, the City, and Ecology. The Healthy Bay Initiative sets a sound public health policy for our regulators and elected officials to follow.
Is this really about a marina?
The three goals of the Bellingham Bay Foundation (BBF) are a thorough cleanup, public ownership, and a vibrant redevelopment. We filed Healthy Bay Initiative to make sure the Whatcom Waterway, the Bay, and the former mill site are cleaned up to the highest practical standards. The BBF first opposed putting a marina in GP’s waste treatment lagoon when we realized that by focusing on the marina, the Port was ignoring the rest of the site and putting our cleanup money into creating a marina. We believe it’s the wrong path and the wrong way to plan Bellingham’s future. Money should be spent on cleanup before development.
The Port promises jobs, jobs, jobs. If we spend the money on cleanup instead of business development, how will we benefit economically?
The number one job of a developer is to remove risk. By cleaning up the property and the Whatcom Waterway, we’re securing a safe and healthy future for whatever development we want on the site. But before we have offices and waterfront condos, we have to make sure these facilities can be safely occupied. We can’t do that if the site isn’t properly cleaned.