Bellingham Design Review Board
The Bellingham Design Review Board conducted an early design guidance meeting for a proposed 31-unit multifamily apartment building at the corner of North State Street and Rose Street. The four-story development includes structured parking, a live-work space on the ground floor, and loft units on the top floor. The project represents a significant infill development in the Urban Village North district, situated between the industrial area and residential neighborhood. The applicant, represented by Ali Taysi with Service Architects (Whitney Madison and Jed Ballew), presented a complex design responding to the site's unique constraints. The property lacks alley access, forcing creative solutions for garbage collection and parking access. The building will eliminate an existing curb cut on State Street, replacing it with parallel parking, while accessing structured parking via Rose Street. Key design features include a corner entry with extensive glazing, a mixed-material facade combining fiber cement with different ground-floor materials, and a distinctive gabled roof form for the loft units. The live-work space represents a hybrid approach to ground-floor activation, combining commercial space with residential living in a confined area. Board discussion focused heavily on four staff-identified areas: Rose Street elevation treatment, roof form and materials, corner entry design, and exterior building materials. The most intensive debate centered on the live-work unit's privacy concerns, with board members expressing significant reservations about the "fishbowl" effect of having residential space directly visible from the sidewalk. The garbage collection solution proved particularly unique, with SSC agreeing to roll totes from a ground-floor enclosure to the intersection using the ADA ramp. This unconventional approach stems from Rose Street's grade being too steep for standard collection and the absence of alley access.
This was an early design guidance meeting with no formal votes taken. The board provided guidance on: **Primary Areas of Focus (as identified by staff):** - Rose Street elevation design and structured parking treatment - Roof form and material selection (TPO membrane vs. alternatives) - Corner entry glazing and mailbox integration - Exterior building material palette and ground-floor differentiation **Board Guidance Provided:** -…
**Design Development Requirements:** The applicant will return for final design review after addressing board guidance, particularly privacy solutions for the live-work unit and material specifications. **Construction Timeline:** Next phase involves detailed structural engineering and construction drawings, when tree preservation impacts and foundation design will be finalized. **City Process:** - Proje…