Bellingham City Council Parks and Recreation Committee

**Nicole Oliver, on community engagement momentum:** "We had an extraordinary amount of people who participated in this plan. We had people come to our open houses on very rainy days. We had just a lot of people participating online and in person, and we are really excited about the momentum that has come from this project, and we are not going to waste it." **Bryce (MXM), on community-driven planning:** "No one who gave feedback is going to find this plan meets all of their objectives, but hopefully they'll find something that they responded to within the plan." **Bryce, on the accessibility spine:** "This is a path that everyone can use and becomes what we're calling that civic spine to getting you from the north end of the site to the south end of the site." **Council Member Hamill, on legacy impact:** "It's a great reminder that this is indeed a legacy that we can leave for future generations. The proximity of where it's located at in Bellingham really matters. It's sort of almo

## Meeting Overview On March 23, 2026, the Bellingham City Council Parks and Recreation Committee convened for what would prove to be a significant milestone in the city's recreational planning history. Committee Chair Edwin "Skip" Williams welcomed Council Members Daniel Hamill and Jace Cotton to hear a comprehensive presentation on the Civic Athletic Complex Master Plan — a long-awaited blueprint that reimagines one of Bellingham's most important recreational assets. The meeting, initially noting Council Member Anderson's presence before correcting to acknowledge Council Member Hamill as the proper committee member, focused entirely on this single agenda item. What emerged was a detailed vision for transforming the existing Civic Athletic Complex into what planners now call the "Civic Athletic Campus" — a premier recreational destination that could serve Northwest Washington for the next 20 years. The presentation marked the culmination of a planning process that began in 2022, involving extensive public engagement, user group consortium meetings, and over 1,000 online survey responses. The plan had already received endorsement from the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board on February 11th, setting the stage for this committee's consideration. ## The Civic Athletic Campus Vision Nicole Oliver, Parks and Recreation Director, opened the presentation by acknowledging the extensive team effort that brought the master plan to fruition. "We are really excited to be here today. This has been a very long and wonderful process," Oliver said, crediting the work of park project engineer Gina Austin who led the first phase, along with recreation manager Melissa Bianconi, design and development manager Lane Potter, communications specialist Melissa Morin, recently retired Neil McCarthy, and consultant Bryce from MXM. The public engagement had been remarkable in its scope and dedication. "We had people come to our open houses on very rainy days. We had just a lot of people participating online and in person, and we are really excited about the momentum that has come from this project, and we are not going to waste it," Oliver emphasized. Bryce from MXM, the consulting firm leading the master planning effort, took the committee through the comprehensive vision. The project had evolved through two distinct phases: an initial site assessment and discovery phase beginning in 2022 to understand existing conditions at the legacy site, followed by the master planning process that launched in fall 2024 and was now concluding in early 2026. "The framework vision that we're presenting here is that Civic can and should be a premier civic and recreational destination in Northwest Washington," Bryce explained. The fundamental shift in thinking moved away from the current "Civic Athletic Complex" toward a "Civic Athletic Campus" — a connected space with diverse recreational and ecological amenities that would feel like "a single legible whole." The vision encompasses multiple community functions: "a hub for community gatherings, for sporting events, for play, for food, for arts, for exploration of the natural world, and also for exceptional education opportunities." ## The Master Plan's Components ### Circulation and Access Strategy One of the primary challenges the planning team addressed was circulation and access to the site, which sits adjacent to Interstate 5 with Lakeway Boulevard on its southern border and Puget Street serving as both a biking and transit spine. The solution centers on creating two distinct circulation systems: an access spine remaining on Puget for vehicle traffic, and a new "civic spine" — a north-south pedestrian corridor designed for community connection and safe passage. "The civic spine, the place for people to connect, the place that is safe for everyone in the community, is really this north-south spine that connects between the civic athletic, or sorry, the sports plex, the stadium, Joe Martin Field, as well as Downer Fields down at the south end," Bryce explained. This circulation system would be anchored by a series of gateways marking entry into the site, building on planned Public Works improvements including a roundabout at Potter and Lincoln and a protected bike lane along Lakeway. ### The Northern Campus: School Partnership and Youth Athletics At the site's northern end, a significant 5-acre area has been designated for the potential relocation of Carl Cozier Elementary School, pending agreements with Bellingham Public Schools. The school placement, shown in a blue box in the upper right corner of the site plan, was strategically positioned to move children away from Lakeway traffic and noise while anchoring the north end with an active user group. "We went through in an early planning process, some different places where that could land on the site. All of them had positives and negatives. This is the one that felt like it made the most sense because it moves the kids away from Lakeway," Bryce noted. Surrounding the potential school site, the plan includes softball fields, baseball and little league fields, and mixed-use fields for youth soccer. A particularly innovative element connects educational opportunity with environmental stewardship through a wetland overlook that would allow school users to "learn about the creeks and how it falls down Whatcom Creek towards the sound." However, as Oliver later clarified, the school district partnership faced uncertainty: "Most recently, the school district has kind of pulled back from some of their rethinking their capital investments due to declining birth rates. And there aren't as many children to serve." While the city remains ready to proceed when the school district is prepared, this component may not be the first phase of implementation. ### The All-Abilities Civic Spine Perhaps the most transformative element of the master plan is the creation of an "all ages, all abilities, mixed-use path" that would serve as the organizing principle for the entire campus. This orange-coded pathway in the plan addresses one of the site's current major challenges: its series of terraces with steep slopes between flat areas. "What if we could make that a more gradual path? And really that gradual path became the entire spine, the entire organizing principle for the entire site," Bryce explained. "This is a path that everyone can use and becomes what we're calling that civic spine to getting you from the north end of the site to the south end of the site." The pathway is designed to accommodate "whether you're in a wheelchair, whether you're a parent pushing a stroller, whether you are a kid lugging your catcher's bag down to the fields" — creating universal accessibility across the campus's elevation changes. ### Forest Preservation and Activation Community input had been "loud and clear" about protecting the existing forest on the site. "At one point, as we were exploring different ways that the school could land, there was an impact to the forest, and I think that people responded, that's not the right move for us," Bryce noted. The plan proposes a "relatively light footprint" in the forest while addressing community concerns about negative activities that had occurred there over the years. One activation concept presented was a professionally designed disc golf course, though Bryce emphasized "we're not wed to that idea, but it's one of the ideas about how we might activate the area under the forest while having a light footprint and making sure that it's safe for everyone." President Stone later inquired about other forest activation options, and Oliver acknowledged some concerns had been raised about disc golf based on tree impacts at Cornwall Memorial Park. The city was working with the disc golf community on better tree protection measures, but "we just would want to make sure that they would be willing and able to take that on again if we were to do an expansion." ### Indoor Recreation Expansion The plan identifies significant opportunities for expanding indoor sports and recreation facilities. North of the existing SportsPlex, a new building (shown in blue on the plan) could house either a new ice sheet or additional indoor soccer space — needs that planners "heard time and time again" during community engagement. "This is space that we would expect to be managed in the same way that it's, you know, the city owned building, but managed by a partner," Bryce explained, following the current SportsPlex operational model. ### The Civic Promenade One of the plan's boldest moves creates a car-free civic promenade along what is currently a vehicular street adjacent to Joe Martin Field. This stretch, while not public right-of-way, sits on publicly owned parkland, allowing for its conversion to pedestrian use. "This can allow anyone, again, whether you're kids running up and down, whether you're an elderly person going to a game, anyone in the community to navigate safely along this north-south corridor," Bryce said. The promenade would connect the future community recreation center to Joe Martin Stadium, Civic Field, and the SportsPlex, enhanced with new street trees, benches, and flexible programming space. The vision for this space extends beyond circulation to community activation: "We could see it in certain days of the week, certain times of the year, being filled with food trucks to help provide food. We could see it be a festival Street, you know, farmer's market type of situation, really being a flexible space that anyone in the community can find something to do with different days of the year, different times of day." An artist's rendering showed the promenade transformation using bollards, pavement markings, street trees, and overhead lighting to create "this space that really feels like a sticky gathering place and a magnetic spot that anyone can come to." ### Community Recreation Center and Aquatics Anchoring the southern end of the campus, the plan envisions a new community recreation center with expanded aquatics facilities. This represents a significant upgrade from the current Arnie Hannah facility, which Committee Member Cotton noted the community had clearly outgrown since its construction in the early 1990s when "it was like this big deal that there was a building with an external water slide." The recreation center footprint encompasses not just the current Arnie Hannah building but also the space between it and the existing Carl Cozier Elementary building — "really twice as big as Arnie Hannah right now," according to Oliver. A feasibility study had confirmed this expanded facility could be accommodated within the available space, allowing for phased construction while maintaining current operations. Additional recreational elements at the southern campus include a destination playground for both visitors and neighborhood children, plus two additional turf ball fields formalizing the current Downer Fields offerings. ## Parking and Transportation Solutions The committee heard detailed discussion about parking and circulation challenges. The plan maintains the existing 571 parking stalls in the large parking field while creating more efficient layouts through re-striping and streetscape organization. New parking areas would be established, but perhaps more importantly, the plan includes extensive "load and unload" opportunities marked in blue bars on the circulation diagram. "We certainly heard from the athletic users that one of the challenges of the site is being able to just get all of your gear from your vehicle into the facility that you're going to," Bryce explained. The solution provides curb space for temporary loading, allowing people to "unload their stuff, drop it off for a couple minutes, you know, drop their kids off, go run in the parking lot and go see the event that they're going to." President Stone raised questions about transit access beyond current bus stops on Lakeway, particularly given the potential for high-volume events. While Oliver didn't have specific answers about expanded WTA service, she noted the plan's focus on making the site "more accessible and friendly and user-friendly" to support larger festivals and events, including the upcoming April Brews Day event planned for the Civic campus. ## Implementation Strategy and Phasing The master plan outlines a three-phase implementation approach, though planners emphasized this represents an "opportunistic blueprint" that could be accelerated based on funding availability. Phase One would focus on the northern campus, including the school district partnership and upgrades to existing fields. As Bryce noted, "One of the things that in our site assessment phase we were really learning is some of those Jerry fields at the north end of the site are getting soggy, getting a little run down. So they need some TLC sooner rather than later." Phase Two centers on constructing the civic promenade and civic spine — "a discrete capital project, but it's one that ties all these different pieces together." This phase is seen as having multiplier effects: "We see it as one of those 2 plus 2 equals 5 types of investments because it amplifies every other asset that's already along the corridor." Phase Three encompasses the larger capital-intensive investments: SportsPlex expansion and the community recreation center. However, given the school district's current uncertainty, implementation may need to begin with Phase Two. "We may, that may not be the first thing we do. We may have to move to phase two," Oliver acknowledged. ## Community Recreation Center Planning Committee Member Cotton inquired about the timeline for community recreation center planning. Oliver reported that planning was already underway with $200,000 in state funding for developing a business plan. The process includes focus groups and analysis of revenue-generating options and regional capacity for athletic facilities. "There's interest, there's things percolating all over the place right now over this topic," Oliver said. The city had completed preliminary evaluation confirming that expanded aquatics and community center facilities could be accommodated on the available property, providing certainty for planning regardless of school district timing. Multiple partnership opportunities were being explored, including potential YMCA involvement and Boys and Girls Club participation. "There's multiple planning efforts underway right now around these topics. I think our project has really lifted the awareness of the need. And so there's a lot of interest right now." When Committee Member Cotton asked about the bigger challenge between capital and operating costs, Oliver identified capital funding as the primary hurdle. Mayor Fleetwood had coined the term "as yet to be defined funding mechanism" for the capital needs, though Oliver noted "there's a lot of good examples in Puget Sound about how to pull something like this off." Operationally, the vision involved current recreation staff from the pool working at the future community center, potentially supplemented by partnership arrangements. The planning approach emphasized capturing current community momentum: "We're going to try and capture it." ## Council Questions and Community Priorities Committee Member Hamill raised practical questions about existing facilities. Regarding the current Carl Cozier building, Oliver explained that under the previously negotiated school district arrangement, the building would serve as a swing school temporarily before being offered to the city for purchase at market value, with the understanding that the site would be cleared and demolished before city acquisition. For the Arnie Hannah facility, Oliver clarified that the new community recreation center would incorporate both the current Arnie Hannah footprint and adjacent space, allowing for phased construction that could maintain operations during transition. Committee Member Cotton praised the planning approach, particularly the shift from "complex" to "campus" framing and the accessibility solutions provided by the civic spine. Walking the site over the weekend with his wife, Cotton noted its central location and the importance of addressing circulation challenges for families with equipment. Council Member Anderson emphasized the long-term nature of the planning while expressing optimism about seeing Phase One implementation within five to six years, contingent on funding availability. She specifically appreciated the forest preservation approach: "The trees were very important to a lot of the constituents that I talked to. So I'm glad to see that there's kind of an adaptive, holistic use of it, but keeping the forest preserved." ## Committee Approval and Legacy Vision Committee Chair Williams concluded the discussion by reflecting on the transformation from the complex's origins in the 1990s to its future potential. "Growing this now from what it is to what it's going to be is a big, huge step forward," he noted. The evolution reflects both Bellingham's growth and the need for "more diverse activities" that could incorporate school functions, additional sports opportunities, and enhanced community gathering spaces. Williams recalled earlier discussions about the promenade concept enabling bus access and pedestrian circulation as alternatives to driving, though he acknowledged those specific discussions would continue as the project develops. Without further discussion, Committee Member Cotton moved to recommend approval of the Civic Athletic Campus Master Plan. The motion passed unanimously, sending the recommendation to the full City Council for consideration at the evening meeting. ## Closing and What's Ahead The meeting concluded with expressions of appreciation for the extensive work that brought the master plan to completion. Chair Williams thanked all participants "for everything you have done to get this going," while acknowledging the significance of having a comprehensive vision to guide future investments. The unanimous committee approval represented more than procedural advancement — it marked community consensus around a transformative vision for one of Bellingham's most important recreational assets. With over 1,000 community members contributing input, Parks and Recreation Advisory Board endorsement, and now committee approval, the master plan moves forward with substantial public support and clear implementation strategy. As the committee adjourned and the morning's meetings concluded, President Stone announced the afternoon's continuation with the Public Health, Safety, Justice, and Equity Committee. But the legacy of this morning's work — creating a 20-year blueprint for the Civic Athletic Campus — would extend far beyond the day's proceedings, potentially shaping recreational opportunities for generations of Bellingham residents and regional visitors. The master plan now advances to full Council consideration, carrying with it the community's vision of transforming a legacy athletic complex into a premier civic campus that serves diverse recreational, educational, and community gathering needs. Whether implementation begins with northern campus improvements, the civic spine construction, or accelerates based on opportunistic funding, the framework now exists to guide Bellingham's most significant recreational investment in decades.