City plans to develop alley below Peace Portal Drive

The city of Blaine has plans to develop the alley that is located below and to the west of Peace Portal Drive and is roughly parallel to the BNSF railroad tracks. By building a road on the lower level of the Peace Portal corridor between F and H streets, the city hopes to encourage mixed uses in the area, bringing in more sales tax and other revenue.

With the development of the west side of Peace Portal Drive proceeding at a steady pace, development of the lower level could be an interesting next step. The project could create a hidden enclave of businesses, offices and even residential spaces, adding an exciting new dimension to Blaine’s downtown core.

The alley next to the railroad tracks that will be developed is known as the “Peace Portal West Alley” or the “BNSF Alley,” a reference to the Burlington Northern Santa Fe railway company that operates cross-border freight trains that run through downtown Blaine.

Using a grant from the Port of Bellingham, the city of Blaine hired an engineer in 2017 in order to study the project. The grant came from the port’s Small City Economic Development Fund, and it funded 50 percent of a $30,000 design for a road along the lower section of Peace Portal Drive between F Street and H Street. “The fact that we were able to get grant funding for the design was terrific,” said Blaine public works director Ravyn Whitewolf.

The engineering firm, Bellingham-based Pacific Survey and Engineering Inc., did a topographic survey and developed plan drawings for the city’s access easement that is adjacent to the BNSF mainline. “They took that [access easement], surveyed it and essentially developed plan drawings for bid in that easement,” said Whitewolf.

The new road adjacent to the railroad tracks would be funded entirely by the city of Blaine, using revenue from the city’s Transportation Benefit District (TBD). “With Hughes Avenue and [the second phase of] the Peace Portal Community Trail done, we decided to go ahead and fund this entirely with local funds for construction,” said Whitewolf.

Whitewolf estimated that the new road could be completed by the end of 2020. “With the passage of the 2020 budget, public works will be shaking the dust off the design and building some specifications so that it can be bid and built in 2020,” she said.

The building at 685 Peace Portal Drive sets a precedent for future development of the alley. The three-story, 5,300-square-foot building houses the Drayton Harbor Oyster Company and other businesses as well as a luxury Airbnb apartment. “There are three levels – they built up and down,” said Whitewolf. “That is the kind of stuff that we want to see coming into our downtown.”

Whitewolf credited city manager Michael Jones for helping to get the project off the ground. “I have to give our city manager credit for this,” she said. “It was his effort to get this started.”

Pedestrians would access the lower level of Peace Portal Drive by using staircases that are built into the G Street and H Street plazas. Currently, the only way for vehicles to access the lower level of Peace Portal is by going down the F Street hill west towards the railroad tracks and making a left turn. The new road would include a turnaround area for vehicles at the bottom of the H Street Plaza’s stairs, where the project would end.