Fairhaven: Yet another renaissance
Local developers transform tourist destination into upscale mixed-use neighborhood

By Dan Aznoff


Phyllis McKee, president of the Fairhaven Association, finds Fairhaven’s most unique quality is that development dollars come from local investors.

Good things happen to people who wait. And for Chuck Robinson, the good times have been worth every idyllic moment.
Robinson has seen a myriad of changes to his beloved Fairhaven community in the 27 years he has owned and lived above Village Books on 11th Street in the historic neighborhood. But nothing could have compared him for the rapid development that has engulfed Fairhaven during the past three years.
“We’ve seen incremental changes beginning as far back as in 1980 when we first opened our store,” said Robinson. “But there has been nothing incremental about last three years. They have been nothing short of a boom. Condominiums have brought baby-boomers and empty nesters who seek the pedestrian lifestyle that is only available with a true urban village.”
The growth in Fairhaven has not come at the expense of local business owners. The ground-floor retail businesses that have moved into Fairhaven cater primarily to the residential community. The change is visible on summer evenings when the community streets are filled with music and patrons from local restaurants as well as neighbors enjoying the long days and warm weather at local watering holes.
“How many gift shops can one community support?” Robinson asked with a rhetorical grin. “We now have grocery stores within walking distance. We’ve even seen a hardware store make a go of it in Fairhaven. It’s all part of a natural progress that has changed this community for the better.
“Personally, I would have loved to have seen the service businesses 20 years ago, but we’re happy to see them now. We love it.”

Serving multiple communities
The residential side of the mixed-use community has finally reached the point of reality, according to Phyllis McKee, business owner and president of the Fairhaven (Merchants) Association. Local businesses have opened to serve the residents of Fairhaven, as well as the communities of South Hill, Edgemore and the central core of Bellingham.
McKee compares Fairhaven to the best parts of La Connor and Carmel, Calif.
“The majority of the new service businesses are owned by people who live right here in the neighborhood,” said McKee. “What makes Fairhaven unique is that even the millions of investment dollars to enhance the neighborhood have come from local residents, not venture capitalists from California or British Columbia.
“This is the true definition of hometown growth from within.”
It’s an understatement to say Fairhaven has a colorful history.
The community south of downtown Bellingham was a bustling town with a sawmill, boat works, shipping terminal, a thriving fishing industry and dozens of other businesses in the days following World War II. When the mill closed in the mid-1950s, more than 300 workers were forced to look for work elsewhere, turning Fairhaven into a virtual ghost town. The storefronts were boarded up with the exception of a few bars and the local pharmacy.
So-called hippie entrepreneurs brought life back to a few of the old buildings in the 1960s and the Fairhaven neighborhood survived for more than three decades on its reputation for eclectic shops and “colorful” street people.
Good Earth Pottery and the bike shop are the only survivors from that hippie era. The food co-op moved downtown and has since become one of the most successful grocery stores in Bellingham. Some of Fairhaven’s funky influences have continued to prosper after relocating to La Conner.
Fairhaven may have never overcome its tie-dye reputation if hometown protégé Ken Imus did not return to his roots in 1972 with an impressive nest egg built from establishing numerous auto dealerships on the East and West coasts as well as Hawaii. Imus began his mission to reclaim the old neighborhood “overgrown with hippies and blackberries” by purchasing several prominent buildings, including the historic structure that once housed the area’s only bank and its first newspaper.

Imus embargo
Imus’ grand plans for sky bridges and underground tunnels for the community at the south end of Bellingham scared off more investors than it attracted. The visionary scaled back his plans when the community staged an unofficial boycott of Imus and his “outside dollars.” The embargo was blamed for keeping many Fairhaven storefronts vacant for several years.
The wild ideas Imus brought to Fairhaven remain evident throughout the community in its refurbished buildings, the double-decker bus shipped here from England, a cobblestone walkway, the new hotel on 10th Street and, of course, what’s left of the gum trees.
Imus spearheaded the project to plant the decorative trees in 1973. The self-appointed community leader hired a jackhammer to punch holes in the sidewalk and purchased enough trees to line Harris Avenue from 10th to 13th, as well as 11th Street from Mill to McKenzie. A few extras were planted along 12th. The city removed the trees, unceremoniously, 30 years later.
Brad Imus adds quotes around his title of “president” of his father’s Jacaranda Corporation. According to his son, Ken Imus (now 81) still calls all the shots and adds the tourism factor into each decision. The company currently owns 40 properties and 12 historic buildings within the Fairhaven Historic District.
“We have nothing currently on the drawing board,” Brad told Northwest Business Monthly. “Ken has sold off several of his properties and everything we have left is focused on smaller-scaled, mixed-use projects with less than 14,000 square feet of commercial space.
“It’s been a combination of challenges, and, personally, I have no desire to get much more involved in what’s happening now in Fairhaven.”
Five years ago, the elder Imus described Fairhaven district as a thriving business community. His opinion was apparently shared by developers who have since updated the neighborhood with upscale housing to match the recent influx of shops and restaurants.
Tim Stewart, Bellingham’s director of planning and community development, modestly described Fairhaven as one of the best places in America to “live, work and enjoy life.” Stewart credits cooperation between local business owners who share the same philosophy as property managers and residents of the community. The single mindset has helped the city avoid many of the usual pitfalls that come with updating a piece of local history.
“Progress, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder,” said Stewart. “Growth and change are issues everywhere in Washington. The people who love Fairhaven have worked together to guarantee the changes in their neighborhood do not eliminate the charm that attracted them here in the first place.”
Stewart described the challenges facing Fairhaven as similar to other communities that have attempted to keep the character of the community while broadening its tax base with residential developments and commercial properties. The major difference in Fairhaven, according to Stewart, is that the concepts and the money are both from its core group of grass roots investors.

Walking distance
One of those investors is Ted Mischaikov of AT Investments who heads up the group attempting to finalize plans for Fairhaven Harbor, a mixed-use waterfront development that includes 200 residential units. Fairhaven Harbor has been the most controversial project in Fairhaven, primarily because of the proposed height of the project on the drawing board.
“We envision the premier living space in one of the most desirable locations anywhere,” said Mischaikov. “Fairhaven Harbor will offer an abundance of amenities, including six parks, hiking trails, restaurants, the central business district, an off-leash dog park, recreation, Chuckanut Drive and an award-winning park all within a five-minute walk.”
The project will feature “the best of big city living with the small town charm of Bellingham,” said Mischaikov. Waterfront units will feature unobstructed views of the San Juan Islands, a short walk to the ferry and Amtrak stations and deep-water moorage. He compared the community to Carillon Point in Kirkland, English Bay in Vancouver, B.C., and the better neighborhoods in San Francisco.
As submitted, the separate structures in Fairhaven Harbor will vary in height from 2.5 stories up to 6-, 9- and 10-story buildings. A full 25 percent of the property has been reserved as open space in the courtyard between buildings.
The commercial portion of Fairhaven Harbor will be limited to offerings with appeal to the residents of the development, according to Mischaikov.
“That means we will focus on attorneys and other professionals,” he said. “There will be no T-shirt shops or boutique retailers.”
Stewart said the city has listened to both sides of the debate over the proposed height of Fairhaven Harbor. The city’s hearing examiner has approved the application, but Stewart emphasized that no building permits have been issued.
“Fairhaven is unique, but the issues facing the community are not dissimilar to issues faced by other communities. Everybody wants the same thing,” said Stewart. “We all want development that enhances the community and adds to the charm that makes Fairhaven a special place to live and shop.”
Five years after competition of its first phase, the 100-unit Harris Square condominium project bordered by Harris and McKenzie avenues and 9th and 10th streets has only recently reached full capacity, according to Robinson of Village Books. Prior to this summer the majority of units were owned as either second homes or as rental units owned by investors. Harris Square is a three-building, 100,000-square-foot development with underground parking by Troy Muljat.
Located at the corner of Old Fairhaven Parkway and 12th Street in Fairhaven, the 12th Street Village was completed in 2005. The 20,000-square-foot facility features four condominium buildings and two commercial buildings with more than adequate parking. The mixed-use center features 30 upscale condominiums, office, retail and restaurant space surrounding an enclosed courtyard.
Developers have plans for yet another multi-use building behind the Fairhaven Market at the corner of 13th Street and McKenzie Avenue. The initial phase includes a 26,000-square-foot mixed-use building with incorporated space for commercial use as well as multi-family housing.

Parking & Parks
Business owners, residents and developers all agree that the single biggest challenge to the growth of Fairhaven is the lack of available parking. A short-term solution was enacted two years ago when developers, business owners and real estate agents pooled their resources to provide temporary space for 70-80 cars north of Mill Avenue between 10th and 11th streets.
“Construction limits the number of available spaces for parking in the immediate area,” said Robinson. “Hopefully the squeeze on parking will ease when the number of construction projects eventually slows down.”
Despite the changes in the complexion of the community, one amenity has remained a consistent draw for locals and tourists alike: A collection of neighborhood parks that take advantage of the area’s scenic beauty.
The 16-acre Fairhaven Park is just a short walk from the historic neighborhood. Visitors traveling south on Chuckanut Drive are greeted by a series of brick archways that span the entrance to the nature preserve. Fairhaven Park is a planned balance of open spaces, basketball hoops and swing sets to satisfy every possible recreational endeavor. An intricate series of trails crisscross the park, matching up paths that connect to the Interurban Trail System. Many trails are designed to be accessible by people in wheelchairs, and all are dog friendly.
At the foot of Harris Avenue lies the small Marine Park, a quiet strip of land with views of the islands. Once a rocky shore, a redevelopment transformed the shoreline to sandy beach access. The park is within walking distance of the ferry terminal.
From the Village Green in the center of Fairhaven a small path leads north to 10th Street and the Taylor Avenue Dock and Boardwalk. The boardwalk is the southern gateway to one of the Bellingham park system’s gems, Boulevard Park, a little over of a quarter-mile away. The 12-acre park that runs along Bellingham Bay will soon be home to the fifth location of local coffee shop The Woods.

The good life
Chuck Robinson is leading the good life he has waited almost 30 years to enjoy. Village Books supports online extension classes through Western Washington University and serves as host for visiting authors, various book groups, reading challenges and the popular Chuckanut Radio Hour. His daily recorded telephone message includes educational morsels for avid readers to devour.
Despite all the improvements, Village Books maintains its reputation as Whatcom County’s favorite bookstore for browsing.
The owner maintains his proper distance from the day-to-day operation of the bookstore by allowing his staff to select the books that appear on the shelves and secluding himself upstairs on his self-imposed mandatory days off.
“We have dreamed of this day and this change for years,” said Robinson. “We all knew it would come. It just took a little longer than we had anticipated. Fairhaven is now a self-sustaining community that thrives from its own energy and provides almost everything we could ever need.”
Robinson stopped for a moment, then added, “There is still no place for a guy to buy a decent shirt he can wear to work in Fairhaven. But I’m sure somebody will come along to fill that void soon enough.”

The Marketplace Building, now called Sycamore Square, was nearly derelict at one time but is now filled with restaurants, shops and businesses.




Fairhaven Gardens is a mixed-use building built and owned by Ken Imus. The new construction located at 11th and Mill streets.



A rendering of the proposed Fairhaven Harbor project shows its 9th Street elevation.