Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Geri Fields Turf Improvement Project Environmental Impact Statement Bellingham, Wa, Willie Bethel, Courtney Langer, Kristi Mellum, Greg Richardson, Ryan Watson

College of the Environment Graduate and Undergraduate Publications

The purpose of this Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is to investigate the potential environmental impacts of upgrading the baseball fields at the Frank Geri Ball Fields (FGBF) complex from natural grass to synthetic turf. This would increase the year-round availability of the fields for recreational purposes. This assessment includes analysis of the proposed action in question, as well as an alternative action and a no action plan as mandated by the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA).

The proposed action is to upgrade all four fields at the FGBF complex from their natural grass surface to a synthetic turf playing surface, …

Whatcom Transportation Authority: Wwu Shuttle Bus Analysis, Shelby Kremenich, Jocelyn Murphy, Rachel Ohnemus, Lucas Robinson

College of the Environment Graduate and Undergraduate Publications

The purpose of this environmental impact assessment is to evaluate the current conditions of WTA bus routes that service the Western Washington University campus. This assessment also weighs the impacts of alternatives to determine possible ways to address issues with the current conditions, and analyzes the affected environments concerning the existing conditions and alternatives, which include, but are not limited to air, water runoff, energy and natural resources, transportation, public services and utilities, and environmental health. The objectives of this project are to:

• Relieve congestion of WWU routes during peak hours,

• Reduce environmental impacts by finding greener alternatives …

Squalicum Creek Park - Phase Iii, Seth Norell Bader, Pamela Griswold, Nora Jagielo, Sabrina Romano, Alexander Yanez Sherman

College of the Environment Graduate and Undergraduate Publications

The principle objective of the Squalicum Creek Park project is to increase recreational opportunities in Bellingham. Specifically, more baseball fields are needed to meet the needs of the growing population.

Cherry Point Exporting Of Coal On Large Ships, Environmental Impact Assessment, Bellingham, Wa, Judith Debay, Brennan Nowak, Chelsea Robinson, Genevieve Shank, Sabina Sherrill

College of the Environment Graduate and Undergraduate Publications

This Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is based on the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) requirements for any action that has a significant, adverse impact on the environment. These requirements are set forth in Chapter 197-11 of the Washington Administrative Code (WAC). The proposed action is to move up to 54 million metric tons per year of dry bulk commodities including coal requiring approximately 487 vessels (Panamax and Capesize class) per year, each at a length of 800 to 900 feet (GPT FAQ, 2011). At half-capacity one more vessel every other day would follow this shipping route and at full operational …

Cordata Urban Village Environmental Impact Assessment, Donald Cleary, Dylan Foggitt, Gabriel Kincaid, Rea Pineda, Nicholas Roberts

College of the Environment Graduate and Undergraduate Publications

Phased development of a 34.8-acre parcel (Sections 1 & 12, Township 38 N, Range 02E, W.M.) as a mixed-use urban village in the Cordata Neighborhood, Area 17D. The proposal calls for a mixture of single and multi-family residential dwellings, convenience retail, office, parks, trails, and community services. Up to 368 single and multi-family dwellings and 24,000 square feet of industrial space would be provided east of Cordata Parkway between Horton and Stuart Roads. To compensate for 7.64 acres of wetland fill and 2.79 acres of City of Bellingham buffer infringements, off-site mitigation would be completed on a 75-acre site (Section …

Cherry Point Coal Trains: Environmental Impact Assessment, Sarah Brownell, Kirsten Miller, Stephen O'Guin, Matthew Reider, Sarah Ward

College of the Environment Graduate and Undergraduate Publications

The purpose of this environmental impact assessment (EIA) is to determine the potential environmental effects of increasing the amount of coal trains passing through Whatcom County if the Gateway Pacific Terminal site were to be approved at the Cherry Point, Whatcom County location (Figure 1.2a). This document addresses the environmental impacts train traffic associated with of the Gateway Pacific Terminal's proposed construction project at Cherry Point in Whatcom County, which would increase the amount of coal train traffic passing through Whatcom County by about 18 additional trains each day. The environmental impact assessment includes detailed sections on the existing conditions …

Proposed Yew Street Uga Environmental Impact Assessment, Leah Grassl, Lester Johnstone, Andrew Majeske, Christian Shope, Erin Thorson

College of the Environment Graduate and Undergraduate Publications

The purpose of this Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is to analyze the probable significant environmental impacts associated with annexation and increased development of the Yew Street corridor. The proposal will encompass the northern Yew Street UGA and southern Yew Street UGA Reserve. This document evaluates the impacts on elements of the natural and built environment. The most significant impact in the natural environment would be the degradation of water quality due to an increase in impervious surfaces. Two alternatives are presented, as well as required and recommended measures to mitigate significant impacts to the natural and built environments. Proposed Action …

Environmental Impact Assessment: Smith Gardens Slope Stabilization And Long Plat Applications, Wesley Dyer, Cory Fakkema, Corey Holloran, Hailey Morgan, Kaitlin Rogers, Christian Warman

College of the Environment Graduate and Undergraduate Publications

Smith Gardens, Inc is a supplier of garden products in the northwest. Operating as a family-owned business, owned by Terry and Carolyn Smith, the company has been functioning for over 100 years. The site (1265 Marine Drive) is located just outside the Urban Growth Area of Bellingham and is over 15 acres. There are two applications for this property: (1) a proposal to subdivide the parcel and build 15 new houses, and (2) to stabilize the bluff near Bellingham Bay, which is at the south tip of the property.

Bellingham Public Development Authority Proposed Cornwall Development Environmental Impact Assessment, Ryan Fung, Elise Keim, Nadine Kohl, Michael Olney, Lauren Squires, Nicholas Sund

College of the Environment Graduate and Undergraduate Publications

The formerly City-owned monthly permit parking lot at the corner of Cornwall Avenue and Maple Street (1115 Cornwall Ave.) was conveyed to the Bellingham Public Development Authority (BPDA) in December 2010. The City Council deeded this property over to the BPDA at the cost of $1.5 million. Subject to further study and planning, the BPDA anticipates to leverage private ownership of the nearby 1100 Cornwall site to support the construction a 45,000-60,000 sq. ft. structure that will provide lower-level parking with surplus capacity for shared public use especially during off-hours. The structure above the parking structure provides the possibility for …

Boulevard Park Shoreline Improvements Project:Environmental Impact Assessment, Sara Desitter, Greg Kornelis, Travis Mabee, Caitlin Switaj, Greg Coulter

College of the Environment Graduate and Undergraduate Publications

The purpose of the Boulevard Park Shoreline Improvements Project is to remove fill, riprap, and sod from the shoreline along Boulevard Park and replace this hardened shoreline with sloping gravel, sand beaches, and rock groins. Ultimately, this alteration of the shoreline will hinder erosion, improve habitat, improve public access to the bay, and decrease the impact of storm surges.

Samish Rezone: Environmental Impact Assessment, Philip Grant Bowman, Ryan Nicolas Joyner, Kelsey Erin Lorberau, Alexander Joseph Riedo

College of the Environment Graduate and Undergraduate Publications

The proposed action would rezone 113 acres between I5 and Samish Way from single family to multi-family in order to densely cluster newly constructed homes. This action would create approximately 245 homes, and urbanize the area.

Cornwall Avenue Revitalization: South Anchor Site, Greg Jilek, Jesse Jones, Kathlyn Kinney, Matt Kurle, Haylie Miller

College of the Environment Graduate and Undergraduate Publications

This project proposes a revitalization of the downtown area of Bellingham, WA, in an attempt to reestablish the city center's primacy as a commercial center. This EIA focuses on the southern section of the entire proposal. New development proposed for this project includes a four-story mixed use department store on the corner of Chestnut Street and Cornwall Avenue as well as a 260-space, four-story, above-ground parking structure on the corner of Cornwall Avenue and East Maple Street Mixed-use infill is also proposed for existing structures on Cornwall Avenue Addressing transportation issues, the project proposes that certain one-way streets be converted …

Leed Neighborhood Development: Revitalization Of Cornwall Avenue South Anchor Site, Cory Ragan, Cameron Zapata, Karsten Lundquist, Calen Clark

College of the Environment Graduate and Undergraduate Publications

"Planning processes such as 'smart growth' and 'urban infill' help to better manage development and slow down sprawl. Central to smart growth are brownfields and infill development, because smart growth strives to use underdeveloped areas within the urban environment more efficiently. Urban infill, such as brownfields redevelopment, holds the promise of enabling cities and communities to grow and evolve over time through many incremental changes. By creating places of enduring value and by restoring and reusing buildings and other urban spaces, we can build common ground between sustainability and historic preservation efforts, and provide alternatives to developing greenfield sites" (Dorsey, …

Leed Neighborhood Development Assessment: The North Anchor, Kailey Kimball, Dylan Klinesteker, Arnica Luther, Chris Mccoy, Kendall Wals

College of the Environment Graduate and Undergraduate Publications

Downtown Bellingham is in need of revitalization. For the past 20 years retail stores along Cornwall Avenue have struggled to compete with the Bellis Fair Mall just 2 miles away. In order for Bellingham's historic downtown to reclaim its position as the retail core of the city, major changes need to occur. Over the past year the City of Bellingham has teamed up with Western Washington University in order to discuss the possibility of bringing vitality to Bellingham's struggling downtown. The following report discusses the potential LEED-ND certification of the proposed North Anchor Development and the immediate area along Cornwall …

Leed Neighborhood And Design Assessment: The Bellingham Downtown Alleyway Revitalization, Douglas Elwin, Frances Fernyhough, Ian Dewhurst, Rebecca Avery, Tyler Fey

College of the Environment Graduate and Undergraduate Publications

Bellingham is a vibrant city nestled amid the Northwestern Cascades in close proximity to Canada, surrounded by vast agricultural flood plains, rolling foothills and striking snowcapped peaks. A crown jewel of the Pacific Northwest, Bellingham attracts people from across the country for a spectacular quality of life, higher education and a unique sense of community available only there. Needless to say, the population in Bellingham is projected to grow in the coming decades. By 2022, Bellingham is expected to grow over 50%, by almost 30,000 people, adding to the current population of 76,100 (COB, 2009), creating a significant impact on …

Whatcom County Adult Correction Facilities Environmental Impact Statement, Mark Biehl, Hans Harper, Bowei He, Sean Hendryx, Danielle Launders, Nicholas Lennartz, Kayleigh Schwab

College of the Environment Graduate and Undergraduate Publications

Whatcom County is concerned with the current poor conditions of its adult correctional facilities and has proposed to construct a new facility. The new facility is proposed to hold up to 2,450 beds by 2050. For operational purposes, a horizontally designed facility is preferred.

Yew Street Urbanization: Environmental Impact Assessment (Eia), Alyssa Fritz, Patrick Danner, Renae Fisher, Reid Haefer, Emily Lewis

College of the Environment Graduate and Undergraduate Publications

The proposed action is the development of approximately 545 acres located in the Yew Street area within the Lake Padden watershed. The area will be rezoned from R10 densities to UR3, UR4, RR2, and ROS. This will result in the urbanization of this area, which will include approximately 900 additional housing units.

Post Point Wastewater Treatment Plant: Environmental Impact Assessment, Devon Gilliand, Miles Gilmore, Blake Larimer, Noelani Penney, Megan Watson, William Wyler

College of the Environment Graduate and Undergraduate Publications

The Post Point Wastewater Treatment Plant is approaching capacity and must be expanded to meet current and future needs, as the City of Bellingham continues to grow. The plant presently has a peak capacity of 72 million gallons a day and services 83,000 customers over approximately 30 square miles.

Revitalizing The Alleyways Of Downtown Bellingham, Washington: Environmental Impact Assessment, Brandon Gimper, Danny Huth, Cory Olson, Jacqueline Quarre, Stefanie Tetreault

College of the Environment Graduate and Undergraduate Publications

The proposed project seeks to bring life and energy to underutilized sections of alleyways on either side of Cornwall Avenue in Bellingham's central business district. A major component of the revitalization project is proposing infill development to increase potential retail space, provide housing opportunities and create a more attractive pedestrian corridor. Other elements include capital improvements such as pervious alleyway pavement, consolidating dumpsters, improving lighting, installing archways, bike racks and benches, as well as burying power lines. The project also proposes restricting vehicle access with removable bollards and keeping deliveries to off hours.

Urban Chicken Farming Environmental Impact Assessment, Bellingham, Wa, Amanda Jobmann, Jessie Rosanbalm, Ian Shives, Annita Ferderer, Maddie Eckmann

College of the Environment Graduate and Undergraduate Publications

"The purpose of this Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is to determine the effects of backyard chicken-farming in the City of Bellingham (COB). The impacts associated with raising farm animals within the city limits of Bellingham are thoroughly investigated with regard to water quality, soil pollution, air quality, environmental health, plants, animals and land use. This EIA investigates the positives and negatives of allowing chickens within an urban environment, two alternatives which include a remediated ordinance with greater restrictions for better environmental security and a no tolerance for chickens, along with a No Action Alternative of allowing the current ordinance to …

Whatcom Creek Hydropower: Environmental Impact Assessment, Margaret Taylor, Jena Christiansen, Graham Goodman, Duncan Kunkel-Patterson, John Marshall

College of the Environment Graduate and Undergraduate Publications

"The primary proposal is the installation of a small hydroelectric system at the end of a 48" pipeline that was formerly used to supply the now-defunct Georgia Pacific paper mill with water. The power generation unit will run at full capacity year round and generate an estimated 1480 kW of electricity."

Bellingham Waterfront Wind Power Proposal: Environmental Impact Assessment, Stephanie Grow, Emily Linroth, Peter Mattioli, Erin Trainor, Carrie Veldman

College of the Environment Graduate and Undergraduate Publications

"The goal of the project is to construct a single 100-meter tall, 2.5-MW Fuhrländer wind turbine at the former Georgia-Pacific West (GP West) industrial site on the Bellingham waterfront as a component of the Port of Bellingham's revitalization project of the GP site. A wind turbine would serve as both a tangible symbol of Huxley College of the Environment's commitment to environmental stewardship and a viable energy source for the Huxley campus extension."

Environmental Impact Assessment L.E.E.D. Neighborhood Development Evaluation: Fairhaven Harbor Development, Sean Crotty, Kara Drovdahl, Taylor Knowles, Jonathan Potts, Liesel Schilperoort

College of the Environment Graduate and Undergraduate Publications

This report is a mock analysis of the Fairhaven Harbor Development for L.E.E.D.-ND. L.E.E.D.-ND (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design-Neighborhood Development) is a pilot program that promotes sustainability and green building. Fairhaven Harbor is a mixed-use neighborhood development located in the historic district of Fairhaven, between 8th street and Harris Avenue on Padden Creek. This development is a prime candidate for L.E.E.D.-ND certification in that it is easily attainable. To be L.E.E.D.-ND certified the development must meet all of the prerequisites for each of the three main categories and score at least 40 credits. Currently the development does not meet …

Leed Neighborhood Development Assessment: The Fountain District, Courtney Amerine, Mason Fidino, Amne Hiraiwa, Ethan Rommen, Michael Stephen-Mcrae

College of the Environment Graduate and Undergraduate Publications

The Fountain District of Bellingham, Washington offers the perfect location for a LEED-ND development project. In 2007 residents from the Columbia, Cornwall Park and Lettered Streets Neighborhoods launched an outreach to revamp the commercial area commonly known as the Fountain District (City of Bellingham, 2009). Since 2007 the City of Bellingham has been formulating an Urban Village master plan for the Fountain District and based on those plans we developed our site design proposal. The Fountain District encompasses the area of Meridian Street beginning at the intersection of Illinois and running south to the intersections of Girard and Broadway, providing …

Squalicum Lofts: A Leed Nd Project, Jenny Blythe, Cameron Plommer, Craig Corliss, Sam Ripley, Michelle Agne

College of the Environment Graduate and Undergraduate Publications

The Squalicum Lofts development is currently under construction in the 900 block of Squalicum Parkway, in the Columbia neighborhood of Bellingham, Washington. The property is located within the Bellingham city limits and is zoned Industrial. The Squalicum Lofts project is being constructed on an approximately 7-acre parcel of land and adjacent properties include single family residential homes to the west of the site and Squalicum Creek Park to the north. The homes adjacent to the site are located approximately 40-feet above the site on a bluff and lie within the Columbia Neighborhood. The park is on the same building elevation …

Boulevard Park To Cornwall Overwater Walkway, Deborah Gaiz, Kevin Kasberg, Volha Kudrautsava, Jeff Mallahan, Adam Pfleeger

College of the Environment Graduate and Undergraduate Publications

This project involves the construction of an over-water walkway connecting Boulevard Park to the Cornwall Avenue Landfill site. The purpose of this project is to assess the environmental implications associated with the construction of the boulevard.

Granary Building Environmental Impact Assessment, Shelby Cooper, Devon Fredericksen, Bora Kim, James White, Grant Wilson

College of the Environment Graduate and Undergraduate Publications

The Port of Bellingham proposes to partially demolish the Granary Building on the Bellingham New Whatcom redevelopment site located on the downtown waterfront. Partial demolition of the building--removing the northern portion of the building, increasing the distance between the building and the shoreline--is preferable to either complete preservation or total demolition for a number of reasons. Preserving at least some of the original structure would retain historic value within the proposed historic district of the New Whatcom waterfront space. Removing part of the structure would create more of a shoreline buffer to enhance habitat restoration of the adjacent Whatcom Waterway. …

King Mountain Neighborhood Urban Village Environmental Impact Assessment, Sarah Collins, Thomas Hall, Zoe Nelson, Abby Vincent, Jared Zeretzke

College of the Environment Graduate and Undergraduate Publications

Two-hundred-eighty-six acres of land were recently incorporated into Bellingham's urban growth boundary, allowing the land to be developed at higher densities. Alliance Properties has proposed development of a high-density, mixed-use urban village on 135 acres of undeveloped land on King Mountain near James Street. An extension of James Street will continue up to Van Wyck Road. Sixty-eight acres will be used for residential land, 46 acres for open spaces and parks, and 21 acres for roads. In the proposed development area, an urban village center will be constructed. This center will contain residential and commercial uses, from cafes and stores …

Port Demolition Permit Application Project: Environmental Impact Assessment, Emily Cressman, Carolyn Kinkade, Doug Naftz, Ilyssa Plumer, Andrea Thomas

College of the Environment Graduate and Undergraduate Publications

This environmental impact assessment addresses the Port of Bellingham's Demolition Permit application for the pulp storage building, the pulp screen room, and the bleach plant of the old Georgia-Pacific site located at Section 25, Township 38 North, Range 2 East in the City of Bellingham, Whatcom County, Washington State. The area has long been an industrial zone with a dynamic past of pulp and paper production. In 2008, the tissue mill on the site was demolished, paving the way for the remaining buildings to be demolished to allow for the Port's planned mixed development projects.

Dewey Valley Annexation Environmental Impact Assessment, Benjamin Albers, Kendra Cutting, Jessica Hardy, Deidre Hunsaker, Tyler Llewellyn

College of the Environment Graduate and Undergraduate Publications

"Property owners within the Dewey Valley / Mount Baker Highway annexation area filed a petition for annexation into the City of Bellingham in 2006. The annexation area is approximately 303 acres of Bellingham's Urban Growth Area and is bordered on three sides by Bellingham city limits and Ross Road on the north. The area is currently characterized by single family residences, pasturelands, woodlands, and wetlands."