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Community Newspaper of Blaine and Birch Bay
July 1 - 7, 2021
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Birch Bay woman pleads guilty in knife attack, page 5
Mulder remembered for contributions, page 6
How to reduce plastic this July, page 7
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City council Horizon at Semiahmoo sells for $14.3 million approves plaza lease agreement By Grace McCarthy
(See Plazas, page 8)
s Harbor Custom Development, Inc. purchased the longtime vacant Horizon at Semiahmoo housing development for $14.3 million on June 28. The company says it is ready to make progress on the housing development that could provide up to 230 residences. Story on page 15. Photo by Grace McCarthy
An unofficial car show and H Street vendors among changes to Blaine’s Fourth of July Changes are in the works for Blaine’s Fourth of July. The city of Blaine has relocated the event to the first two blocks of H Street near Peace Portal Drive, according to Blaine Chamber of Commerce director Carroll Solomon, who is organizing the Fourth of July event with the city of Blaine. The street fair was originally expected to take over one block of G Street and G Street Plaza, but the city decided it didn’t want roads blocked so close to businesses, Solomon said. Street fair vendors will line the first block of H Street off Peace Portal Drive and an unofficial car show will be reserved for the second block, across from the
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Blaine Police Department. Solomon said residents voiced concern about not having a car show, so event organizers are inviting people with unique cars to park on the second block of H Street to show them off. There will be no fees or trophies for participants, she said. Performers will now play live music at the H Street Plaza. Blaine High School students and other musicians will provide upbeat melodies to the plaza and nearby streets. Border Town Pizza will turn its parking lot into a kids zone with a bouncy house and games, Solomon said. All other Independence Day celebrations are slated to remain the same, Solomon said, including 10 p.m. fireworks, no parade and a Blaine Library book sale.
By Grace McCarthy
4
INSIDE
Outdoor dining will now be a permanent option in downtown Blaine plazas, thanks to a unanimous Blaine City Council vote that allows establishments to lease the H, G and Martin Street plazas. Blaine City Council voted 6-0 with councilmember Eric Davidson excused, on ordinance 21-2961 during a June 28 council meeting. Businesses can pay for yearlong use of the plaza for $9 per square foot or a six-month lease during the city’s peak season, May through October, for $6 per square foot. The lease agreement will go into effect July 6, city of Blaine’s economic development and tourism coordinator Alex Wenger said. One business is very interested and another considered leasing plaza area but is not actively pursuing it, he said. “We’re not anticipating a high volume of applications off the bat but it’s a great program,” Wenger said in an interview after the council meeting. “As downtown continues to grow and new restaurants move in, it will be a great tool to increase economic development downtown.” City staff made the fees $1 per square foot per month for the peak season and 50 cents for months outside of peak season, according to a memo to city council. The city had considered a monthly lease but decided that would create too much work for staff and would be unpredictable, Wenger told councilmembers during the meeting. Leasing plaza space will be first come, first serve, but Wenger said the city is not expecting a high volume of applicants based on conversations with businesses. Organizations can still obtain a parks special use permit that allow 100 percent use of plaza space for activities like the farmers market and the tree lighting ceremony, Wenger said. A business with a lease agreement would have priority over parks special use permits for plaza space, he added. “We gave it our best shot but there may be future amendments needed to this. I think we have a really good proposal together but we may need to amend this in
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Street Fair H Car Show H Kids Scavenger Hunt H Fireworks SEE COMPLETE SCHEDULE ON PAGE 3