Downtown Bellingham

The Dahlquist Project

Prepared by: Corrine Matthews, Alyson Marczynski,

Amanda McCoy, & Oriana Osborn,

Executive Summary

Bellingham’s downtown neighborhood is currently in a state of transition from a historic

business center to a more mixed-use urban neighborhood. The Downtown Renaissance

Network and the City of Bellingham have developed a vision for the future of this neighborhood

which includes a thriving city center with locally owned businesses, housing, and tourism.

This proposal seeks to create an opportunity to provide these aspects through a community

project which would address the needs of populations within the community while working to

beautify historic downtown Bellingham. The renovation of a historic downtown building – The

Figure 1 Map of Downtown Bellingham

Figure 2 Front view of the Dahlquist Building

Dahlquist (see Figure 2) – and the creation of a discount hotel would provide numerous benefits

to the downtown community.

The intent of this document is to provide a clear set of recommendations based on the needs of

the community in order to develop a plan of action for the proposed project.

Summary of Recommendations

Provide employment opportunities in downtown Bellingham, lowering unemployment

and stimulating economy.

o Employ local trades people to do renovation work

o Focus employment for the finished hotel on those people with criminal records

or other limitations that prevent them from finding work.

Utilize these community members during the renovation as well for tasks

that do not require specific skill sets (clearing unneeded materials,

painting, etc.)

Continue efforts to beautify and restore downtown Bellingham in order to uphold the

rich traditional neighborhood consisting of mixed use buildings with easy accessibility.

Provide economic stimulus for the downtown Bellingham area by attracting more

businesses; therefore increasing employment, public use, and tourism.

o Addition of a discount hotel could bring additional tourists to the downtown

Bellingham area

Decrease homeless population by providing more temporary low-income housing and

jobs

o Coordinate case-management with community organizations to help address the

needs of this population.

Needs Assessment

Problem Description

People become homeless for many reasons. Many homeless

people have a difficult time qualifying for housing due to barriers

such as, mental illness, alcohol or drug addiction, inability to pay

mortgage or rent, disbanded family, domestic violence, loss of

income, temporary living situation ended, felony conviction,

medical disability, poor credit, deficient job skills, or they have recently been released from an

institution.

Any given day in Bellingham, there are over a thousand homeless people. Mike, the owner of

Mac’s Motel (see Figure 4) on Samish Way had this to say, “Due to the bad economy, I am

seeing more and more families come through here. It is sad. Many are on a waiting list for low-

income housing but the wait is anywhere from 2 years or more” (M. Mike, personal

communication, February 5, 2009).

The magnitude of the homeless problem in

Whatcom County could be estimated by the

number of homeless people who are affected

by barriers which most directly prevent

affordable housing placement. These

barriers are prior felonies, poor credit, and

Figure 3 Homeless person on State St.

Figure 4 Mac's Motel, Samish Way

recent institutional release; such as from juvenile detention, jail, or mental intuition. According

to Whatcom County’s 2008 Homeless Count, 24% of homeless persons have been convicted of

a felony, 12% have a poor credit rating, and 21% have been discharged from an institution

within 6 months prior to the census.

Unfortunately, even with the many resources that Whatcom County has for people

experiencing homelessness, there are hundreds of people who are chronically homeless in

Whatcom County. Furthermore, many people who are homeless do not want permanent

housing. O. Osborn recently interviewed several homeless people January 29, 2009, as a census

volunteer at Whatcom County’s 2009 Homeless Count. Many of the homeless people she

interviewed said that they did not want to acquire permanent housing. Some of the reasons

given were, “I’m not sure how long I’ll be in the area,” “I don’t want to sign a lease,” and,

“Housing requires a lot of work.”

Even so, the Homeless Service Center’s waiting list expanded from 1 month to 2 or 3 months for

people who wanted to get into permanent housing once the Whatcom County 2009 Homeless

Counts were completed. Worse still are the numbers of people who have to wait months or

even years for affordable housing. Mac’s Motel owner Mike had this to say about the housing

wait, “One family with 5 kids just moved (out) and they were here for over a year. Many people

that stay here don't have the money to get out.” (M. Mike, personal communication, February

5, 2009).

Since the inception of Whatcom County 10 Year Homeless Housing Plan in 2005, there are a lot

of Organizations working together in Whatcom County to help end homelessness. The

following organizations work in concert with the Homeless Service Center branch of the

Opportunity Council: Dorothy Place, Lydia Place, Catholic Community Services, and Northwest

Youth Services. Case workers from these organizations advocate for homeless people who

want to try to find and maintain permanent housing. Still, what about the people who don’t

want permanent housing? It is possible that they might want a roof over their head in the

mean time?

Prevalence

According to the Whatcom County Point-in-Time Homeless Count (2008), “At any point in time,

at least 1,326 people in Whatcom County are homeless” (p. 2). Many of the people who are

homeless in our community spend the night in vehicles, motels, encampments, in the homes of

friends and family, under bridges, or in shelters located in downtown Bellingham. There are

not currently any nonprofit run motels that can be used as temporary shelter for low income

families in Bellingham.

Potential Solutions

The Archdiocese Housing Authority has renovated

several local historical buildings for businesses and low

income permanent housing. Additionally, there are 72

motel vouchers available and offered between the

Opportunity Council and Old Town Christian Ministries. These nonprofits could potentially help

more people if they owned the building where their motel vouchers were used. There has been

a lot of talk about the renovation of several historical buildings in the Bellingham area and

Figure 5 Mt. Baker Apartments

considerable debate about whether or not the ventures will successfully blend the current

downtown culture with the culture of condo owners and their families (Paben, 2008, ¶12).

However, optimists “point to Seattle's Belltown as an example where condominiums

successfully moved in next to homeless services”

(Paben, 2008,¶ 18).

Another Seattle motel near the Queen Anne district,

the Aloha Inn, is owned by Catholic Community

Services and operates successfully in much the same

way the Dahlquist Building will upon renovation.

“The Aloha Inn not only houses homeless people

temporarily, but allows qualified applicants to save money for permanent housing while

learning skills to acquire better jobs. The Aloha helps people by letting them help themselves

and others” (The Aloha Inn, 2009, ¶ 4).

Back in 1991, when the Aloha Inn started opening its doors to the homeless community, it was

met with neighborhood outcry. It seems that oftentimes when a city wants to improve

conditions for the homeless, there is a certain amount of community uproar, but then there are

the people who understand the greater community need and forge ahead.

Figure 6 The Dahlquist Building

Table 1 Downtown Bellingham Asset Map

Statement of Need

Downtown Bellingham is a growing thriving community. That being said, current economic

times are poor and getting worse. The need for: 1. Tourism income, 2. Employment, and 3.

Housing will only continue to grow in the current economic climate. In order to meet

Bellingham’s needs of continued historic renovation/preservation, employment, and decreasing

the homeless population, we have devised a solution that will meet all three issues head-on. As

Homan (2008) notes, “For most Americans, the quality of our lives is strongly affected by the

conditions that exist in the area captured by the view from our front doors” (p. 368). Our

proposal will indeed meet Bellingham’s downtown neighborhood right where they live and be a

positive contribution to the entire city.

Ultimate Desired Condition

The City of Bellingham City Center Master Plan (2002) states, “The City Center should preserve

its historic landmarks to maintain a link with the community’s heritage and to help contribute

to the economic development and vitality of the city” (p. 5). In following the City of

Bellingham’s lead, our ultimate goal is to:

1. Provide employment income

2. Provide low-income housing

3. Increase the historic value of the City of Bellingham. This will:

a. Increase heritage tourism

b. Bring a higher city value to its citizens

Specific Target

Restoration and renovation of the Dahlquist building, at 1313 North State Street; for the

intended creation of a discount hotel that could double as a place of temporary low-income

housing.

Why Restoration is the Key

Many historic towns have sought to re-invigorate their downtown areas by renovation and

preservation of their historic buildings. Bellingham has done this on numerous occasions in the

past but there are still many abandoned pieces of historic architecture that need attention to

bring them back to their former beauty. In restoring a building, the city of Bellingham not only

saves a piece of history, but brings pride to its city and residents. It creates a sense of place,

purpose, and historical value. According to the City of Bellingham City Center Master Plan

(2002), there are over 74 buildings of historic value in the downtown area alone (p. 8). The

Dahlquist is one of those buildings.

Restoration of the Dahlquist building provides employment to local trade people and crafts

people. In so doing, we not only stimulate the economy of Bellingham, but we bring local pride

and craftsmanship to the people employed. As restoration continues, the materials needed to

furnish the Dahlquist can also be acquired locally, both by in-kind donation and also by

purchase. By furnishing all employment and the purchasing of products locally, we will foster a

further sense of ownership in downtown Bellingham.

After restoration of the Dahlquist is

complete, it will be used as both a

discount hotel and low-income

temporary housing. This will in turn

provide a more vibrant tourism

economy and also be a stable place for

those that need housing while they

apply for permanent low-income

housing relief, which can take years. The goal of the Dahlquist restoration project in housing

low-income residents is to provide respite for those that cannot find it elsewhere. Due to the

economic downturn, many people’s credit is gone, their houses foreclosed, and they have

nowhere else to turn. Also, there are many people in Bellingham that have a former criminal

history that limits them from living anywhere where a background check must be passed. The

people living in hotels on Samish Way are an example of such a population. According to Mike,

the manager of Mac’s Motel on Samish Way, Over 50% of the people staying at the hotels on

Samish are long-term renters who have nowhere else to go (M. Mike, personal communication,

February 5, 2009). Allen Matsumoto, president of the Sehome Neighborhood Association and

the Sehome representative to the Mayor’s Neighborhood Advisory Commission noted that, “Six

of the hotels on Samish Way received the highest amount of 911 calls in the past three years,

compared to other city hotels” (Bellingham Business Journal, 2005, ¶12) (See Figure 7). If the

people in such situations were given better permanent housing and offered a form of

employment, the crime rates and 911 calls would hopefully decrease.

Figure 7 Mac's Motel on Samish Way

Further employment would be offered at the Hotel Dahlquist to said low-income residents. This

could either offset their rent or supply them with income for other necessities in getting ‘on

their feet.’ Employment to these residents would not only provide them with income though,

but would also provide work experience to those with little or no employable skills. Jobs would

be offered in hotel maintenance, front desk work, janitorial services, and etc.

Dahlquist Strategic plan

Major Activities to Accomplish

The Dahlquist project has been divided into a four-level strategic plan that must be

accomplished in order for completion of the project. Some of these steps are ongoing

throughout the project and have been noted as such.

Ongoing: Financing

Based on the size of the project/building and comparisons to similar undertakings both in the

Bellingham community and elsewhere, the proposed renovation will cost an estimated two

million dollars. Obviously, a project of this cost will require extensive financing and the

committee has addressed this through several different methods.

The funding for this project would take place in two phases: Renovation (Phase I) and Post-

Renovation (Phase II). The intended use of the renovated building is for it to be a discount hotel

and/or short-term apartments, and therefore once the renovation was complete, the funding

for the project would be cyclical.

Renovation Phase I

In-kind Assistance: A large portion of

funding for this project would come

from donations of goods and services

from the community. This has been

done before in Bellingham with the

renovation of the Pickford Film

Center in downtown Bellingham (See

Figure 8). This renovation of a historic

downtown building is currently taking place through community donations of money,

services and materials from individuals and local businesses. Through the help of various

construction companies and volunteer help during the demolition phase, the Pickford has

made significant progress in the renovation already and will continue to do so with the

additional money from community donations.

Grants and Foundations: Another major source of financing for this project will come from

grants or other forms of funding from the local government institutions, along with funding

from local foundations. Some possible sources of these funds could be the City of

Bellingham, The Whatcom Community Foundation and the Washington State Department

of Community, Trade, and Economic Development.

Loans: If further funding is necessary, loans can be obtained preferably from a local bank

such as the Whatcom Educational Credit Union. These loans can be paid off later from

further donations and through the funding provided during Phase II.

Figure 8: Future Site of the Pickford Film Center

Post-Renovation Phase II

Hotel Rooms and Apartment Rentals: Once the building is renovated it can be used as a

discount hotel and also temporary housing for people in transition situations. This will

provide continuous income for the project and can be used to help with building

maintenance and employee pay.

State Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD): For those that use The

Dahlquist as a place for temporary low-income housing, it may be possible to gain

supplemental funds from the Washington State HUD program.

Level I: Acquiring the Building

The Dahlquist building is currently owned by Wayne Chin and unfortunately is not on the

market. However, the building is not being used on the upper floors and there are no known

plans in place for renovation or restoration. While these are some obstacles that need to be

overcome, this particular building was chosen because of its historic value, size, and location

which make it a perfect candidate for the proposed building project. With the right amount of

community pressure and influence, these problems can be resolved in order to acquire the

property.

Level II: Renovation

After the building has been acquired and adequate funding has been obtained, the actual

renovation can begin. As previously discussed, the major portion of renovations would be

completed by local companies through either in-kind donation of services and materials or

purchase. Volunteers can also be used for unskilled work, as needed. The intent is to make this

a true community project using local materials, businesses and people.

Level III: Partnerships

Partnerships with local organizations will obviously be needed to keep the Dahlquist project

running. Since the intended use of the building is to be a discount hotel and temporary housing

for low-income people, a non-profit organization that works with the homeless population

would be an ideal candidate for obtaining control of the finished building, or even earlier in the

process if necessary. One such organization is the Opportunity Council, which is a great

candidate because it already owns several properties and would likely benefit from having an

additional mixed-use property that would not only provide additional housing but would also

bring in money that could further benefit the organization.

The use of several organizations is also a possibility considering the size and scope of the

project; other organizations that could be of assistance and partnered with during various

stages of the project would be Habitat for Humanity, Womencare Shelter, and Catholic

Community Services.

Ongoing: Employment

The renovation of the Dahlquist Building would provide employment for various community

members as well as an economic boost to local businesses. During the renovation phase, local

companies may receive some payment for work completed, as well as benefiting from positive

public exposure.

Upon completion of the renovation, the Dahlquist Building could employ some low-income

residents. Residents could work in positions such as hotel janitors, desk clerks, room cleaners,

and hotel maintenance. This would give these residents a stable form of employment as well as

a way to earn money and allow for a reduction in rent, since as Homan (2008) points out,

“ninety percent of renter households are in counties where a two-bedroom apartment is

unaffordable for workers earning an average renter wage” (p. 372).

The eventual goal of the Dahlquist Building is to be able to provide two types of economic

stimulus: Increased business for local companies/businesses and employment for those in

desperate need of work such as the homeless population or transients who are unable to find

work due to either past criminal history or lack of skills. Both of these groups will benefit from

the renovation of the Dahlquist Building and in turn impact the community by boosting its

economic stability.

Level IV: Use of Renovated Building

Mixed Used Building

Upon renovation, the Dahlquist

Building will be utilized as a mixed-use

building; meaning that the top three

floors will be converted into low-

income apartments/discount hotel and the bottom floor will remain in business as the

bar/restaurant, The Rogue Hero. A couple of examples of mixed use buildings are the buildings

at the corner of Railroad and Holly St. (See Figures 9 & 10)

Figure 9 Apartments & Cresswell Bogs mixed use building

Discount Hotel

Part of the completed renovation will

be used as a discount hotel for

tourists, or visiting students. There are

currently no hotels that are located

directly in the downtown area, so this

would be a great benefit to both

visitors to Bellingham and downtown

businesses alike. Downtown Bellingham’s location is perfect for those visiting the Western

Washington University campus; and with the Olympics coming to Vancouver in 2010, the need

for more conveniently priced hotel rooms may rise.

Low-Income and Temporary Housing

The purpose of converting part of the building into temporary housing is to be able to provide

stable housing for low-income people who cannot find adequate or safe housing due to poor

credit or past criminal history.

The Dahlquist Building will also provide a place for people to live temporarily while they are on

the waiting list for section 8 housing, which can take a minimum of two years to be approved

for. By providing housing in a centralized location, we could possibly lower the current

population of homeless/transients that frequent the downtown street-corners and give them

opportunities they do not currently have.

Figure 10 Apartments & Starbucks mixed use building

Conclusion

Development of the Dahlquist Building is a 2-5 year project that will require significant public

and private investments both in services, time and money and will result in incredible

opportunities for the community. The proposal put forth in this document is an effort to

provide a clear direction and path forward for this project.

References

The Aloha Inn. (n.d.). The Aloha Inn: History. Retrieved February 7, 2009, from

http://www.alohainn.org/aloha.htm

City of Bellingham. (2002). City center master plan, Bellingham, Washington. Bellingham, WA:

Winter & Company.

Homan, M. S. (2008). Promoting community change: Making it happen in the real world (4th

ed.). Belmont, CA: Thompson, Brooks/Cole.

Lanphear, N. (2005). Neighborhoods look to revamp business districts. The Bellingham Business

Journal. Retrieved February 6, 2009, from

http://www.thebellinghambusinessjournal.com/may_07/revamp.html

Paben, J. (2008, November 9). Will Bellingham homeless, condo owners co-exist? The

Bellingham Herald. Retrieved February 7, 2009, from http://seattlepi.nwsource.com

/local/387116_homeless10.html

Whatcom County Homeless Count. (2008). A point-in-time census of homeless residents.

Retrieved February 9, 2009, from http://www.co.whatcom.wa.us/health/pdf

/2008 pit_report_final.pdf