I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday. 

This next year will should be a very pivotal one for the future of Edgemoor.  After 2 plus years, there is finally movement on Horizon Bank’s plans to develop their 739 unit Fairhaven Highlands project on Chuckanut Ridge. The City of Bellingham has required that an Environmental Impact Study be done on the project.  This EIS will help determine what is environmentally feasible on that property.  The first stage of the EIS will be to determine the scope of the study.  To help educate and prepare Neighborhoods that will be directly affected by this development, the CSN will be having a meeting January 7^th – 7:00 at the Fairhaven Library’s Fire Place room.  A city sponsored Public meeting will be held on Jan 16 at the county courthouse to allow for people to verbally comment on what should be included in the scope of the EIS.  Written comment will be accepted until Jan 23^rd.  After the scoping, the contractors that have been hired to do the EIS will create a Draft EIS, which will be open to public comment after it is released (March?).  Needless to say this project will have significant impact on Edgemoor and weather you are for or against this project; everyone should try and become involved in this process.

As for the ENA, we are looking forward to another busy year.  One of the main focuses will be continuing to work on the Edgemoor Neighborhood Plan update which we hope to have ready and submitted to the city well before the December 1^st deadline.  After the fantastic participation in our Neighborhood Survey (Results on the ENA website) the Neighborhood Plan Update committee has taken the initiative to get our plan updated to better reflect the desires of the neighborhood.  Participation by all is encouraged and desired.   There will be opportunities to help work on, comment on and ad input to the update through out the year.

The ENA will be holding elections for officers at the next General Meeting. The position of Treasurer needs to be filled as Lois would like to focus on Neighborhood Disaster Preparedness. Lois has been our treasurer since the ENA’s inception and has done a great job – thanks Lois.  Anyone interested in the treasurer position, or part of any ENA committee should let any of the board members know so you can be included.  Even if you do not want to be an officer in the ENA, your participation at meetings and committees is vital to the effectiveness of the ENA.

I look forward to a great 2008 and hopefully will see you at the various ENA meetings and functions.

Thank You

Brad Rose

President, Edgemoor Neighborhood Association

The city of Bellingham is experiencing a recent increase in residential burglaries and thefts from vehicles.  This in not unusual during the holiday season and as a reminder, there are several preventative measures that people can take to avoid becoming the victim of a property crime.

Please continue to lock your vehicles and remove all valuables when doing your holiday shopping.

Keep your homes locked, even during the daytime and well lit during hours of darkness.

Neighborhood Block Watches provide a valuable service to their community by continuing to be the "eyes and ears" of the neighborhood.  The police department asks that you call 911 if you observe any of the following in your neighborhood or on your street:

    Suspicious people walking through side/backyards or stopping to look into car or home windows/doors.

    People trespassing or loitering

    Anyone trying to open car doors or mailboxes

Remember, citizens can frequently provide valuable observations that assist law enforcement in investigating crime, preventing criminal activity and holding suspects accountable for their actions.

As always, we appreciate you assistance,

Officer Tara Fleetwood

Crime Prevention

Bellingham Police Dept.

360-676-6924

During our discussions of growth and land use, many Edgemoor neighbors have expressed interest (and at times concern) about growth in adjacent neighborhoods.  Because of this interest, we share the following reports:

A mixed use residential and commercial building called "Fairhaven Harbor" that will be between three and eight stories tall with underground parking has been approved by the city. It will be located at 800 Harris, the block bound by Harris, 9th, McKenzie and 8th (in front of the tennis club).

For more details and information please visit: http://www.cob.org/government/departments/pcd/fairhaven-harbor.aspx

Also, an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) requirement is proceeding for the proposed "Fairhaven Highlands" development. This is a housing development proposed by Greenbriar Northwest Associates, LLC on property located between Fairhaven Park, Chuckanut Drive and Old Samish Highway. The proposed development includes construction of 739 housing units on approximately 85 acres of land, including single-family detached, townhouse, and multi-family structures, a 6,000 square-foot clubhouse, and related public and private infrastructure. Primary vehicular access to the development is proposed from Chuckanut Drive at the intersection with Viewcrest Road, plus two emergency-only access points.

There will be a public hearing on the scope of the EIS on Wednesday January 16, 2008 at 6:30 PM at Bellingham Municipal Court 2014 C Street to obtain public comment on the EIS. Interested neighbors are encouraged to attend. The public is invited to comment on the scope of this EIS. In addition, written comments will be accepted up until Jan 23rd 4:30 PM, by the Planning Department.

This is our first chance to have our wishes officially recorded regarding this project, so take some time to think about and study the implications for the future on the south side and speak out. Responsible Development (RD) has a website www.rdnow.org  that you can visit for more info on this issue, as well as the www.cob.org, Bellingham city website with official documents.

For more details and information please visit: http://www.cob.org/government/departments/pcd/fairhaven-highlands.aspx

Pam Went,

ENA Growth & Land Use

The MANC meet on December 13, 2007.  The main topics discussed were items form the neighborhoods and the new plans for the Bellingham Public Library – Including the new main branch, the $2+ million retrofit of the Fairhaven Branch and the possibilities for new branches to be open at Barkley Village and in Cordata.  There is more information on the city’s web site (cob.org).  Mayor Pike was on hand and discussed some of his goals for MANC in the future.    The final thing discussed was the new Neighborhood News bulletin.  This will replace the “Just so you are aware” bulletin that the city has been publishing on a monthly basis. 

IF you have anything that you want brought to the city’s attention regarding our neighborhood, please let me know so I can relay it to the commission and the mayor.

Thank You

Brad Rose

Coalition of Southside Neighborhoods (CSN) will hold a meeting on Monday, January 7, 2008 at Fairhaven Library Fireplace Room, 6:30 to 9:00 PM, to discuss a unified position and  CSN comment regarding EIS Scoping for Chuckanut Ridge/Fairhaven Highlands. Everyone welcome. For more info, call Vince at 671-1559.

Thanks! Vince Biciunas, President, Fairhaven Neighbors

 As you may know, Horizon Bank and David Edelstein are moving full speed ahead with the Fairhaven Highlands development that will destroy Chuckanut Ridge and could:

Create severe traffic congestion;

Threaten pedestrian safety;

Unduly burden the  12^th Street Bridge;

Overcrowd our parks and recreational resources;

Increase the likelihood of flooding and landslides in our neighborhoods; and

Adversely impact property values.

Now is a critical time in our mission to save this magnificent urban forest and wetland habitat.  The city has determined that Fairhaven Highlands would have a significant impact on the environment and has hired ESA Adolfson to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to study these adverse impacts. 

The adverse impacts of this development will be widespread.  Residents from all five Southside neighborhoods, including South, Happy Valley, Edgemoor, Fairhaven and South Hill, will be affected.  Additionally, all of Whatcom County will deeply regret the loss of this highly valued forest and wildlife habitat if we allow this destruction to occur.