Digital Subscription

tool name

close
tool goes here

Large apartment-retail building next up in Barkley area

DAVE GALLAGHER; THE BELLINGHAM HERALD
Published: Jan. 3, 2013 at 4:00 a.m. PST — Updated: Jan. 2, 2013 at 4:18 p.m. PST
0 comments
Barkley Company has filed a building permit application to construct a mixed-use building in the empty lot near the Scotty Browns restaurant. The project, valued on the permit at $15.6 million, will have two parking levels along with four stories of apartments totaling 112 units. It also will have about 10,000 square feet of commercial space. (COURTESY TO THE BELLINGHAM HERALD)

BELLINGHAM - With one large project completed, the Barkley Company is wasting little time getting started on the next one.

Last week the company filed a building permit application to construct a mixed-use building in the empty lot near the Scotty Browns restaurant. The project, valued on the permit at $15.6 million, will have two parking levels along with four stories of apartments totaling 112 units. It also will have about 10,000 square feet of commercial space.

If permitting and other pre-construction work go as planned, construction would start in May and take about a year to complete, said Jeff Kochman, president of Barkley Company. It's a project the company can focus on now that the Barkley movie theater is open.

"Residential is something that we are going to emphasize" in terms of future development, Kochman said.

The Cornerstone building will be about three times the size of the nearby Drake residential building, occupying much of the block. Kochman said the apartment units will be larger than the typical Bellingham unit and will have an outdoor area set aside for residents.

The market research indicates demand for the units will be varied, from working professionals and empty nesters to college students. The company determined early on in the project that apartments were a better option than condominiums. Bellingham went through a significant building phase of condos in 2006 and 2007, and this area still hasn't caught up with the supply, he said.

"We're planning to appeal to a variety of renters," Kochman said.

This project is the latest phase for Barkley's urban village concept, which started with retail, commercial and office development, followed by an entertainment center of the movie theater.

Meanwhile, work continues on the property around the movie theater. A permit application was filed to finish work in the structure on the south side of the theater that will be a sushi restaurant.

JOIN THE DISCUSSION | Register here

We welcome comments. Please keep them civil, short and to the point. ALL CAPS, spam, obscene, profane, abusive and off topic comments will be deleted. Repeat offenders will be blocked. Thanks for taking part — and abiding by these simple rules. A thorough explanation of rules of conduct can be found in our Terms of Service. If you have any questions, including why your comment may not be showing immediately after you submit it, be sure to visit the commenting FAQ.

SPORTS
SOUTH SOUND
BLOGS
CONTESTS

Similar stories

  • Whatcom County construction work is making a comeback

    Getting back on track has proven to be a challenge the past five years, but the local construction industry is slowly improving because of an influx of private sector projects.

    While still nowhere near the local construction boom between 2004 and 2007, this spring and summer has the potential of being busier than the years following the global financial meltdown in the fall of 2008.

    "I would say the best way to describe the construction environment is that contractors are cautiously optimistic," said Liz Evans, northern district manager for the Association of General Contractors. "We're not seeing as many public projects, but there are more from the private sector."

  • With low vacancy rates, apartment construction on the rise

    With construction season under way, it appears apartment buildings will be one of the more popular projects in Bellingham.

    More than 450 apartment units are either under construction or in the design/permit phase in Bellingham, significantly more than in recent years. While several projects are in the downtown district, some are scattered in other parts of town, including near Western Washington University as well as the Fairhaven and Barkley neighborhoods.

    One reason for the plethora of apartment construction comes down to supply and demand: A recent study indicates the already low vacancy rate in Whatcom County continues to drop, and rents are still on the rise.

  • A look at some of the larger Whatcom County construction projects

    Here's a list of some major local construction projects either underway or expected to get started this summer. All are in Bellingham unless otherwise noted.

    Hotels

    • Springfield Suites/Marriott Hotel on Northwest Avenue. Expected to be finished around August.

  • Fires, coal terminal among Whatcom County's top stories of 2012

    Whatcom County residents made history in a variety of ways in 2012. A Sandy Point boy traveled to the Vatican and met the pope as his recovery from flesh-eating bacteria was the final miracle needed for the canonization of a saint. Local voters joined the state in approving legalization of marijuana and gay marriage.

    The county said goodbye to its biggest resort (at least temporarily) and hello to its largest movie theater. And it lost two residents in a massive harbor fire.

    But by far the biggest story of 2012 in the county was the battle over the proposed Gateway Pacific Terminal that would export coal out of Cherry Point.

  • For second year in a row, Ferndale outpaces Bellingham with home building permits

    FERNDALE - The bursting of the housing bubble five years ago still echoes in places such as Bellingham, where home construction hasn't rebounded anywhere near where it was before the recession.

    Ferndale is the exception. Building permits for single-family homes in 2012 exceeded those of any previous year, including the peak of the housing boom, Community Development Director Jori Burnett said.

    In 2007, Bellingham approved 31/2 times the number of home building permits issued in Ferndale. That should have been expected because Bellingham's population is seven times greater.