A homeless encampment on private property at Northwest Avenue and Bakerview Road has prompted growing complaints from neighbors, and increasing attention from the City of Bellingham.
With roughly 50-70 residents, the encampment has increased in size over the last several months behind the Jack in the Box, with tents, debris and shopping carts spilling into view from the street.
The Fred Meyer store across the street has reported an increase in shoplifting and theft, while Bellingham Public Schools moved a nearby school bus stop 30 yards in response to “safety concerns,” Communications Assistant Director Dana Smith confirmed.
The encampment spans six pieces of private property and Assistant City Attorney Michael Good said the city wants to “empower” owners to clean up the area. City staff said they’ve hosted three meetings between the five owners of the properties to urge them all to work together to clean and secure properties with fencing.
Mayor Kim Lund told property owners to take immediate action at an early November meeting, according to a city news release, or “face enforcement actions” — these could include civil infractions, criminal nuisance citations or civil lawsuits for maintaining a nuisance on one’s property, City of Bellingham Deputy Administrator Janice Keller said. The city will be meeting with the property owners again in December for an update on the owners’ “coordinated action.”
A coalition of concerned neighbors and business owners is hosting a meeting at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 19 at La Quinta Inn & Suites on Bakerview Road to discuss the encampment. Keller confirmed some city staff and officials plan to attend.
The city’s contractor, Abatement & Decontamination Specialists, reported people in “dire living conditions, occupants in mental health crisis, potential incivility or threats of violence from occupants,” as well as evidence of building materials, sharps, weapons, illicit narcotics, and “dioxins and carcinogens associated with fire and burning wood.”
Estimates provided by the contractor suggest the full cleanup will cost around $96,000, split between the property owners based on the extent of the impact on their land. Fencing estimates provided by the city suggest an additional cost of just over $500,000, split between owners, to secure the property.
Keller said the city conducted a walkthrough in October with city staff, police officers, Whatcom County Health and Community Services staff, and owners or representatives for all the properties. Keller said the area has “nowhere near the damage or long-term residence” as the Walmart encampment on private property on East Stuart Road that the city is also addressing. In that case, the city sued the property owner for not addressing the encampment and is now embarking on a potential multi-year cleanup effort with cost estimates of $4-6 million.
“This one feels far more doable,” Keller said.
[ Read more: City will begin cleanup of Walmart encampment property next week ]
Tensions have risen between property owners in meetings over spending money to keep properties tidy.
Dennis Peterson, who owns two of the properties, said he and his wife used to spend between $1,000 to $4,000 a month to clean and secure the properties, but stopped a few months ago after the nearby property owners failed to do the same.
“We did that for a good amount of time,” he said. “After that, [it] seemed to be going nowhere and the properties around us seemed to be getting worse.”
As for those currently living in the encampment, Keller emphasized that the people are vulnerable, and public health solutions will help them.
“So, in other settings, we’re champions of public health solutions to address substance use disorder, to address behavioral health needs, to address homelessness,” Keller said. “We’re trying to make sure that we center that while talking about abatement and property lines and the cost of fencing.”
Good said outreach workers consistently visit the site to provide resources. Teams go out to “plant the seed” in people’s minds to leave encampments. For some, it takes many interactions with outreach workers to feel ready to leave.
Homeless Outreach Team coordinator Marisa Schoeppach previously told CDN that some common misconceptions about encampments are that people want to be living there, that only negative things are happening there, and that people aren’t willing to leave. Some people in encampments can be hesitant to seek indoor shelter due to having a conflict with someone at a shelter, an active domestic violence situation, or just feeling like their needs aren’t being met, Schoeppach told CDN.
Impacts on neighbors
Cordata Neighborhood Association Board President Kate McDonald said the association has been hearing concerns about the encampment for several months, initially about safety on Bakerview Road: Drivers reported people visiting or living in the encampment walking onto the road and not paying attention to traffic. McDonald said she’s also heard concerns about people acting “erratically.” She said she wants a solution that ensures safety for everyone.
Max Napoles, the manager of the Jack in the Box right next to the encampment, said it’s grown a lot over the last year. He said he sees people from the camp coming in to take drinks and napkins, and they’ve had issues with vandalism. The company spent $7,000 to install wiring around the shop’s dumpster to prevent damage, he said.
To mediate some of the neighborhood impacts, the city has worked with Fred Meyer leadership and Bellingham Police to conduct “shoplifting blitzes,” Keller said. Todd Kammeyer, president of Fred Meyer stores, said this has meant Fred Meyer’s “asset protection team” has worked with police officers to apprehend shoplifters or other “bad actors.” That’s included having some undercover law enforcement officers in the store.
“What we know is we have all kinds of vulnerable people living and visiting these locations and others and we don’t want to criminalize them, and sometimes these draw criminal activities,” Keller said. “If we can work with Fred Meyer, for example, to reduce the criminal impact of things going on in the area, we’re willing to do that while at the same time acknowledging that homelessness isn’t a crime.”
Cascadia Daily News has reached out to Bellingham Police for comment.
Kammeyer said police have come by the store more routinely in recent months, even doing paperwork or processing in the parking lot to keep an eye on things. The store has also increased security in the store and has “LiveView towers” in the parking lot, conducting video surveillance.
“At the end of the day at Fred Meyer, it’s our goal to be a place where customers and associates can come to day or night and get what they need, and have a great shopping experience,” he said.
Charlotte Alden is CDN’s general assignment/enterprise reporter; reach her at charlottealden@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 123.
