Plans for the Waterfront: What Are Your Thoughts?

The City and Port project managers have presented a general overview of the Draft Waterfront District Sub-Area Plan. This plan can be viewed on the Port of Bellingham website:

http://www.portofbellingham.com/content/ArchivesItem_147_2024_v

The Final Environmental Impact Statement can also be viewed on the Port’s website:

http://www.portofbellingham.com/content/ArchivesItem_147_2008_v

Additional information about the Waterfront Project can be located on the City website:

http://www.cob.org/services/neighborhoods/community-planning/waterf...

From a Transition perspective, with awareness of Peak Oil, Climate Change, and Economic Instability, how should we evaluate these plans for the Port? The decisions made now on big projects like this will affect us all in this community for many years to come. We can convert a lawn to a garden relatively quickly, but to change something like this once it's in place would be extremely difficult, to say the least. Do we have something of value to say about these projects to our local decision makers?

I'd like to hear the thoughts from our TW members about this issue . Mine are below.

I've only skimmed the above referenced documents, but I have not found anything in this proposal that references the city's Climate Action Plan (http://www.cob.org/services/environment/climate/program.aspx), the city's Energy Resource Scarcity/Peak Oil Task Force Report (http://www.cob.org/documents/mayor/boards-commissions/energy/energy...), or the current economic reality reflected in the new Capital Facilities Task Force Report (http://www.cob.org/government/public/boards-commissions/capital-fac...) which emphasizes preserving existing assets and using financial caution.

I cannot support the waterfront plan as it exists due to the following three factors:

1) The plan does not take into account Peak Oil. The era of cheap energy is over and we must begin to rethink everything that we've taken for granted during that era. Coastal cities that still have a working waterfront infrastructure will be in a relatively stronger position, as we will likely see a resurgence in waterborne shipping and travel. I expect air travel to soon become a luxury that only the rich will be able to afford, and for water travel to become increasingly common. For our port to spend millions now expanding our airport, and more millions developing the waterfront for non-water related uses is a double tragedy. I fear that both projects will become stranded assets. An upscale marina designed to serve wealthy pleasure boat owners would be less useful than a marina designed to serve the practical needs of the population at large.

2) The plan does not take into account limits to growth and a likely austere economy for decades to come. Current levels of personal debt, institutional debt, and government debt, soon to be combined with the realities of no longer having an economic subsidy of cheap fossil fuels cause me to seriously question the appropriateness of developing a project that seems to be designed to appeal to the shrinking upper middle class.

3) The plan does not take into account that Climate Change will likely result in a significantly higher water level on our waterfront. To put "infill" on this "landfill" will very probably result eventually in a literally "stranded investment." Please see the attached map from the Bellingham Climate Action Plan, showing how a possible sea level rise might affect our waterfront.

I know that many people have put in a lot of hard work on developing this plan for the waterfont. However, for me it represents 20th Century expectations for growth, expansion, and development. The psychology of previous investment is hard to overcome, but I believe the 21st Century is about energy descent, compression, and transition to a steady state. We must begin making other arrangements in how we do everything.

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Permalink Reply by David MacLeod on December 15, 2010 at 12:22pm

Update: Looking at chapter 6 of the Waterfront plan (http://www.portofbellingham.com/content/ArchivesItem_147_2024_v), which discusses utilities, there is a fair amount of work done in terms of "sustainable design principles." Lots of ideas in terms of minimizing energy use, generating a small amount of on-site alternative energy, conserving water, LEED ND credit opportunites, etc. All of this is very good and to be commended. Some of this can be said to be an example of taking the city's Climate Action Plan into account.

It is true that the Climate Action Plan is focussed primarily on mitigating climate change, and has little to say on preparing to adapt to the probable and possible negative effects that climate change will bring our way. The map of the waterfront above, however, should encourage us to think about planning ahead with climate change effects in mind.

I also did not address the mercury cleanup associated with the Waterfront plan. That topic has been discussed extensively in our community, and remains a major concern.