Editing Bellingham, Washington (section)

===Waterfront redevelopment===
{{Main|Bellingham Waterfront}}
[[File:Bellingham, Washington, harbor, filled with logs, 1972.jpg|thumb|The harbor of Bellingham, Washington, filled with logs, 1972]]
The Bellingham waterfront has served as an industrial center for more than a century, starting with the arrival of Henry Roeder and Russell Peabody in the mid-1800s.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Mittendorf|first1=Robert|title=See how Bellingham waterfront has changed since first European settlers|url=http://www.bellinghamherald.com/news/local/article105036241.html|access-date=May 29, 2017|work=The Bellingham Herald|date=September 30, 2016}}</ref>

[[Georgia-Pacific]] (G-P) purchased the Puget Sound Pulp and Timber Company in 1963 and operated a pulp mill on the central downtown waterfront until 2001. In 1965, G-P built a [[Chloralkali process|chlor-alkali]] facility, which became a source of [[Mercury (element)|mercury]] contamination in the Whatcom Waterway and on the uplands of the site for decades. The documentary film, "Smells Like Money&nbsp;– The Story of Bellingham's Georgia Pacific Plant"<ref>{{cite AV media |people=David Albright, Brett Bonner, Colin Short |date=2006 |title=Smells Like Money: The Story of Bellingham's Georgia Pacific Plant |medium=DVD |publisher=[[Northwest Film School]] and [[Western Washington University]] |oclc=163579824}}</ref> tells the story of the site, which has since been purchased by the [[Port of Bellingham]] chiefly to create a marina in the {{convert|37|acre|ha|adj=on}} wastewater lagoon.{{Citation needed|date=May 2017}} The Port of Bellingham purchased the G-P site for $10 with the understanding that the port would assume liability for the contamination.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Stark|first=John|date=January 21, 2005|title=Ceremony marks first step in creating city's new front door|url=https://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/doc/nb/news/107DAAD1F10C9773?p=NewsBank|journal=The Bellingham Herald |pages=Local, p. 1B|via=NewsBank}}</ref> The City of Bellingham and the Port of Bellingham entered into several interlocal agreements in which the City agreed to pay for all infrastructure costs, and the Port would create a marina, clean up the site, and retain all zoning.{{Citation needed|date=May 2017}}

The cleanup site (approximately {{convert|74|acre|ha|disp=}}) was divided into two areas: pulp and tissue mill area and the chlor-alkali area. Contaminated soils and building materials were removed in 2011 and 2013; the Department of Ecology finalized the Interim Cleanup Work Plan in January 2017,<ref name="gpwb-ecology">{{cite web|title=Georgia Pacific West Bellingham|url=https://fortress.wa.gov/ecy/gsp/Sitepage.aspx?csid=2279|website=State of Washington|publisher=Department of Ecology, State of Washington|access-date=May 29, 2017}}</ref> and that work was completed in April 2017 when 31 acres were capped with a protective barrier.<ref>{{cite web|title=It's a Wrap on the Cap: Port of Bellingham completes major cleanup milestone to redevelop Bellingham's Waterfront District|url=https://www.aspectconsulting.com/blog/2017/4/18/its-a-wrap-on-the-cap-port-of-bellingham-completes-major-cleanup-milestone-to-redevelop-bellinghams-waterfront-district|website=Aspect Consulting|date=April 18, 2017 |access-date=May 29, 2017}}</ref> Work continues on evaluating cleanup alternatives for the entire chlor-alkali area of the site.<ref name="gpwb-ecology" />

The City and Port have entered into a partnership to redevelop the property, and in 2013 contracted with Harcourt Developments to develop {{convert|19|acre|ha|disp=}}.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Hamann|first1=Emily|title=Harcourt lays out next stages of waterfront redevelopment|url=http://bbjtoday.com/blog/harcourt-lays-out-next-stages-of-waterfront-redevelopment/34561/|access-date=May 29, 2017|work=The Bellingham Business Journal|date=November 28, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170107054328/http://bbjtoday.com/blog/harcourt-lays-out-next-stages-of-waterfront-redevelopment/34561/|archive-date=January 7, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> The Granary Building remodel will be completed in 2017; Harcourt has submitted plans for two waterfront condo buildings in 2018 and 2019; the city planned to construct two main roads through the side in 2017.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Wohlfeil|first1=Samantha|title=Granary Building puts up fight; other waterfront projects in the works|url=http://www.bellinghamherald.com/news/local/article122562484.html|access-date=May 29, 2017|date=December 23, 2016}}</ref>