On Nov. 23, the city will close a $1 million sale to buy 24 acres in the Lake Whatcom watershed, protecting the land from any future housing developments.
The City Council came to a unanimous vote on Nov. 1 to approve the purchase of the land, which is located just north of Sudden Valley on the west side of Lake Whatcom.
The land that is being scoped out for preservation is done through the Lake Whatcom Watershed Property Acquisition Program and then finalized by the Lake Whatcom Watershed Advisory Board.
The program has currently acquired as much land as it can and is now in a holding period for more properties because of diminishing funds, said Lance Rexroat, the property acquisitions specialist.
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| Photo courtesy of the City of Bellingham. |
“We will have very little funds next year,” Rexroat said. “Even less than the year before, until our debt is paid down.”
The City of Bellingham has managed to purchase more than 1500 acres of land since 2001, totaling a cost of $21.2 million. The funding for this program comes from a monthly $5 surcharge on every city water customer’s bill.
So, hypothetically every person in Bellingham who pays a water bill is involuntarily putting in his or her share for the program.
According to Rexroat, the surcharge put on water bills brings in $1.8 million a year and the city uses $1 million of that directly for the purchases. The remaining amount goes to cover other fees the city generates during the purchasing process.
As far as residents in the Silver Beach neighborhood may be concerned, the acquisitions program is still looking into acquiring more land in this area. David Jefferson, the Silver Beach Neighborhood Association Chair, said currently there's 13 developable lots in the neighborhood that the program may be interested in.
Until funds are more available to the acquisitions program, Rexroat said they can only entertain the idea of purchasing land in the Silver Beach area. Besides expressing interest, conservation easement or working on a long term agreement, no contracts for purchasing properties can be drawn up until funds turn around.
The city claims that development of the watershed creates a four-fold challenge from land disturbance, loss of forest cover, urbanization and contaminants from daily activities. The lake is also the only drinking water source for more than 90,000 residents.
The city employs a strategy to obtain large lots of land that have the most potential for development. The 24 acres of land that is being purchased could have had 12 homes built on it.
The acquisitions program will be ongoing with or without the proper funds to keep preserving land in the watershed. To view a map of the protected property already purchased by the city, click here.
