July 19 - 25, 2018
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Community Newspaper of Blaine and Birch Bay HHHECRWSSHHH Postal Customer
IN THIS
ISSUE
Blaine Welcome Center opens downtown, page 4
City hopes new design standards will usher in development
How to keep dogs safe in the water, page 10
PRSRT STD U. S. Postage PAID Permit NO. 87 Blaine, WA 98230
Inside BelleWood Distilling, page 15
Annual competition draws a creative crowd to Birch Bay
B y S t e fa n i e D o n a h u e
(See Design, page 3)
s A large sea turtle adorned with white rocks was built during the Birch Bay Sand Sculpture Competition on July 14. The event was hosted through the weekend by the Birch Bay Chamber of Commerce at 7930 Birch Bay Drive. See photos on page 8. Photo by Mathew Roland
Birch Bay residents worry new apartments will block views By Oliver Lazenby There’s more to Birch Bay than the views, but for some, the chance to see the water from a deck or dining room table is reason enough to buy a home. “We looked all around Birch Bay for a little house to buy and when we saw this one, that was it. Who could ask for any-
thing better?” Birch Bay resident Patty Anderson said. Anderson and her husband Pat bought their home on Morgan Drive in Birch Bay in 1989 for its end-to-end view of the bay, she said. Over the years, the view shrank due to encroaching trees. Now, in the summer, only a gap between maples offers a view over Richmond Resort to the water.
Candidates to field questions at weekend election forum Primary election ballots were mailed to registered voters on Wed., July 18 B y S t e fa n i e D o n a h u e Voters have just a few days to make up their minds before voting in the primary election on Tuesday, August 7. To help, the League of Women Voters of Bellingham/Whatcom County is sponsoring an election forum from 9:30 a.m. to
4:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 21 at Bellingham High School, located at 2020 Cornwall Avenue. The forum will be recorded and broadcast live online at: bit.ly/2NVngNU. “All candidates in local races who appear on the primary ballot have been invited, and will participate in a moderated forum, answering questions from the moderator,” read a statement from the nonpartisan group. “Attendees will be invited to submit their questions as well.” Participating are candidates who are running for 40th legislative district rep-
resentative, position 1; Whatcom County Council at-large, position b; Court of Appeals judge division 1, district 3, position 1; 42nd legislative district senator and 42nd district representative, position 1. District 42 incumbents, senator Doug Ericksen and representative Luanne Van Werven, confirmed to The Northern Light they are not attending due to prior commitments. “Unfortunately, I have several previously scheduled commitments on Saturday, July (See Vote, page 6)
Plans submitted last month for a three-story apartment building at Richmond Resort, an RV and manufactured home park at 8086 Birch Bay Drive, could nearly eliminate views for the Andersons and for residents of about six other houses on the ridge behind the proposed project. (See Views, page 13)
INSIDE
Developers who plan to build within Blaine’s Central Business District (CBD) have to play by a new set of rules. The city has enacted new design standards for the district, which encompasses the downtown core as well as surrounding residential areas and the harbor. The new design standards provide city staff with added flexibility, make slight modifications to permitted uses and change some design requirements. “This is the latter part of a longer process that’s been going on for a few years,” said interim city manager Michael Jones. Former design standards for the CBD were adopted in 1999. The document provided the city with little guidance and gave undue attention to some items, while leaving others unaddressed. Longing for change, the city began hosting meetings in 2012 to seek public input. “We had really good participation,” Jones said. “More than we usually have.” The community has always felt invested in downtown, acting community development director Alex Wenger said. As a result of the feedback, the city repealed its existing development review process in 2014 in order to simplify how permits were issued and to make the process easier for project applicants. In 2015, Blaine City Council adopted code amendments that increased building heights, reduced commercial area and increased residential area in the CBD. “We had far too much street frontage that was required to be built with com-
Letters . . . . . . . . . 4
Classifieds . . . . . 11 Coming Up . . . . . 14
Police . . . . . . . . . 14 Tides . . . . . . . . . . 14
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THE JANSEN ART CENTER
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