Ballard has become a verb for some residents in Bellingham who are urging their city to take a measured approach to growth.
“Here in Bellingham we want to learn from the Ballard experience,” explains the Bellingham Neighborhood Coalition, a small advocacy group. “We have adopted the slogan, ‘Don’t Ballardize Bellingham’ to create awareness and activate a neighborhood-based movement.”
The group created a 40-minute YouTube documentary of the same name — you can watch an excerpt here — that explores Ballard’s recent growth and urges viewers to “ensure development reflects the needs of our community, not the needs of non-resident property developers.” It opens with scenes from the Disney movie “Up” and Edith Macefield’s home.
The population in Bellingham grew 2.2% from 2015-2016 — the latest available numbers — which made it #26 of the fastest-growing metros in the country, according to the Bellingham Herald.
(Thanks Cris for sharing the link in the My Ballard Facebook Group)