Western Washington University - Waterfront Redevelopment

Acting on an exciting opportunity, Western Washington University (WWU) accepted an invitation in 2005 to expand beyond its landlocked campus to a 15-20 acre parcel of waterfront property on Bellingham Bay. The opportunity was part of an innovative new project by the Port and City of Bellingham to redevelop 220 acres of land and water through private/public partnerships.  For strategic assistance in planning and implementation, the university engaged Stratus, a division of Heery International, in a multi-year, comprehensive planning project. 

Stratus assessed the nature of the overall Bellingham waterfront initiative; assisted members of the university’s faculty, administration and staff with identifying programs compatible with the Port’s waterfront master plan; provided the conceptual framework for WWU’s future presence on the waterfront; prepared materials and reports for presentation to the campus, local communities, state and local government agencies and potential private partners; conducted public meetings; and assisted the university in the alternative site selection process mandated by both Bellingham and the university’s institutional master plan.

Completed in 2007, the planning project achieved pivotal results. The university successfully established working relationships with port and city agencies, which in turn has already attracted public/private funding. University faculty reached consensus on moving the Huxley College of the Environment to the waterfront location where it will have access to a natural marine habitat laboratory for expanded research and potential high profile partners such as the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Association. Finally, the state has provided more than $1 million in funds to support planning for the waterfront project.

Heery’s local team of architectural designers lead the engineering evaluation and were a vital part of the conceptual planning effort that will ultimately yield a vibrant academic campus amidst one of the most exciting waterfront developments in the Puget Sound region.