CitiesGoGreen - October 2008 - (Page 18) Background Perhaps the statistic that best expresses this fact is the portion of potential sales From its incorporation in 1907 until the captured by Ferndale, which translates mid-1960s, Ferndale was an agricultural into sales taxes, and ultimately, into City community. From 1966 to 1971, several services. In 2006, the City captured 21% refineries and aluminum smelters were of potential sales. This means that Fernestablished five miles west of the city. Redale residents spend seventy-nine cents finery workers generally lived in Ferndale out of every dollar outside of their homeand the City began to grow. Bellingham, town. By comparison, Bellingham capthree miles south of Ferndale and the tures 305% of potential sales. largest city in Whatcom County, increased The growing population of the entire its population dramatically, from approxiarea, its central location between Seattle mately 46,000 in 1980 to nearly 80,000 in and Vancouver, British Columbia, CanaAlthough the retail program process resulted in da, and its position along Interstate 5 a unique approach to retail development, one of the have made it an atlasting legacies of the process is that the policies tractive destination for new retail develreflect the people. opment. Throughout the 1990s, sev2008. Bellingham is the population and eral new national retail stores were built employment center of Whatcom County, in Bellingham, including Wal-Mart, Lowes, and hundreds of Ferndale residents make Home Depot, Fred Meyer, and Costco. In the daily commute down Interstate 5 2005, the City of Ferndale implemented to work and shop in the larger town. As specific retail design standards to ensure such, Ferndale has in many ways become that future retail development within the a bedroom community of Bellingham. City was visually appealing. In 2006, Wal-Mart expressed interest in expanding its Bellingham store to include grocery items. Prior to a formal application by Wal-Mart, the Bellingham City Council established a moratorium (later a ban) on retail buildings more than 90,000 square feet and capping existing structures at their current size. Other cities in the area followed suit. In April 2007, with widespread community support, Ferndale established a moratorium on new retail structures more than 75,000 square feet. Process Following the establishment of this moratorium, the City conducted three public meetings to identify concerns over retail development, possible positive impacts of such development, and more. Hundreds of suggestions and concerns were discussed at these meetings, and were then broken down into several general categories: • Retail design and appearance, including abandoned properties • Traffic impacts and responsibility for mitigations Indicator/ Available Points ENERGY EFFICIENT DESIGN Energy Efficient Lighting Green Power Solar Orientation Passive Solar Design Active Solar Design Low Emissions Water Efficient Plumbing Fixtures Energy Efficient Appliances Drought Tolerant Landscaping Water Conservation Construction Waste Reduction Plan Decreased Thermal Conductivity ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES Energy Efficient Lighting Green Power Alternate Heat Source Recycled Materials Innovative Design Improved Indoor Air Quality Advanced Lighting Controls Design Integrated with Nature 94 Points 8 16 5 7 10 10 4 4 4 7 7 12 100 Points 8 16 16 20 20 4 4 12 Public Meeting Space Onsite Daycare Living Wage Jobs Health Benefits Evening Activities Equal Access Weekend Activities Development Progress Updates Encourage Mixed Residential Development Public Gathering Spot Promotion of Public Art Recreation Opportunities Design for Pedestrians Public Transportation Facility Delivery Service Bicycle Storage Shuttle Bus Smart Trips/ Commute Trip Reduction Participant Vertical Construction Targeted Offsite Improvements LOW IMPACT Additional Wetland Mitigation Reduction of Impervious Surfaces Onsite Storm water Control Natural Landscaping Maintenance Water Conservation Passive Open Space Use of Recycled Materials Reduce Sprawl 9 16 10 8 9 2 4 5 22 8 12 6 6 6 2 3 18 10 20 16 Redevelop Brownfield Reduction of Night Sky Illumination Habitat Restoration Member Whatcom EnviroStars Waste Composting Interior Parking Vertical Construction Permanent Waste Reduction Plan Targeted Offsite Improvements Rain Water Harvesting Preserve or Enhance Natural Vegetation Distributed Storm Water Management Systems Noise Abatement Shopping Bag Reduction 15 4 6 1 12 18 20 10 16 4 12 12 8 14 GREATER GOOD 244 Points 16 Active Open Space Park 15 Community Foundation 8 Sponsor of City Event 10 Member Ferndale Chamber of Commerce 3 18 245 Points 8 16 7 4 7 16 20 15 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT 109 Points 4 Whatcom or Skagit County-based business Local Development 6 Use of Local Materials 8 Adaptive Reuse 15 Information Kiosk for Downtown 4 Diversity of Use 22 Year Round Use 2 Contributes to the Success of Downtown 6 Small Retail Establishments 12 Anchor Effectiveness 5 Maintain and Enhance Natural Resource Industries 1 Sale of Local Materials 2 Revolving Loan Fund 12 Restoration/ Reuse of Historical Buildings 10 October 2008 http://citiesgogreen.com
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