What's New and Coming Soon to Bellingham WA in 2027: 19 Openings and Projects

By Tommy Mutchler — Real Estate Agent, Managing Broker, Real Broker LLC, Whatcom County WA

Bellingham WA is about to look very new and very different in 2027. As of October 30, 2026, Amtrak's new Airo trains are already running through Fairhaven, Bellis Fair is filling some of its empty storefronts, Bellingham International Airport is set to close from July 20 to August 19, 2027 for runway work, and the downtown Central Library is closing in 2027 for an $8.5 million remodel. Below are all 19 things that are new or coming soon to Bellingham, Ferndale, Lynden, Blaine, Birch Bay and Custer, and whether each one is open, approved or only proposed.

Last updated November 2026. Facts checked against the named sources on October 30, 2026.

1. Amtrak's new Airo trains are here

Photo: Joe Mabel, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped).

Here's what's going on. If you've ever caught the train at Fairhaven Station, you know the old Amtrak Cascades trains. On September 30, 2026, the new Airo trains started carrying passengers on the Cascades route, the first route in the country to put them into service (Cascadia Daily News, September 30, 2026). Each Airo train has about 300 seats, roughly 50 more than the old Talgo trains, and one Airo round trip a day runs between Seattle and Vancouver BC through Bellingham (same story).

Here's the interesting part: only 2 of the 8 new trainsets were running at launch. The rest roll out over the next few months, and the old fleet is set to be completely replaced by early 2027 (Cascadia Daily News, September 30, 2026).

Here's the catch: the trip isn't any faster yet, and there aren't any extra trains. It's the same schedule with newer, bigger trains.

2. Every new spot that opened in Bellingham since summer

Photo: Robert Ashworth, CC BY 2.0, via Flickr (cropped).

Here are the new places that opened around Bellingham between August and October 2026, starting up north:

• Wingstop, 177 Telegraph Rd: opened in early August (Bellingham Herald, August 7, 2026).
• Nothing Bundt Cakes, Cordata Center next to Trader Joe's: opened August 17, the chain's first Whatcom County shop (Bellingham Herald, August 21, 2026).
• Mt. Baker Ski Area shop, Barkley Village: the ski area's first store off the mountain opened October 1 (Bellingham Herald, October 2, 2026; My Bellingham Now).
• Chewzy Cookies drive-thru, 1259 Barkley Blvd (across from Lowe's): grand opening October 3 (Cascadia Daily News, October 1, 2026).
• A café and aquarium lounge at 1135 Railroad Ave, the old Woods Coffee spot downtown: Café Hazeltree and Emmaquatics Aquarium & Lounge opened October 3 (Bellingham Herald, October 2, 2026).
• Sweet Bay's late-night café on North State Street: open until 10 p.m. every day (Cascadia Daily News, October 7, 2026).
• Jackalope Coffee & Lounge, 300 W. Champion St: now open downtown (Bellingham Herald, October 30, 2026).

Here's the interesting part: not everything is food. Appliance Outlet opened in the old Rite Aid building at 3227 Northwest Ave (Bellingham Herald, October 23, 2026).

3. Bellis Fair is filling back up

If you've walked Bellis Fair lately, you've probably noticed some empty storefronts. Some of them are getting filled:

• BoxLunch, the pop-culture gift store, opened Saturday, August 29 (Bellingham Herald, September 9, 2026).
• Cosmic Games moved into the old DSW space next to Buffalo Wild Wings and soft-opened October 2 (Bellingham Herald, October 2, 2026).
• Mama's Dumplings and Pockets is set to open in the food court in December (same Herald story).
• Build-A-Bear Workshop is coming as a kiosk in the middle of the mall in early 2027 (same Herald story).

That's good news for the mall. Over the past year, Bellis Fair's vacancy rate dropped from 9.2% to 8.6% (Bellingham Herald, October 20, 2026). But here's the catch: most of the new tenants are smaller shops, and some of the big storefronts are still empty.

4. 4 national chains filed to come to Bellingham

Photo: Reg Natarajan, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped; license plates blurred).

When a business wants to build or remodel in Bellingham, it files with the city first. Over the last few months, four national names showed up in those filings:

• Tractor Supply: proposed on a 13.6-acre property along Meridian Street near Horton Road. It's a pre-application, the earliest stage of city review (Bellingham Metro News, September 13, 2026).
• J.Crew Factory: a city permit filed in September names the retailer as the tenant for a store in Sehome Village, near CVS (Bellingham Metro News, September 18, 2026).
• Jersey Mike's Subs: a building permit was filed July 6 for 330 36th St, also in Sehome Village, and hadn't been approved as of July 10 (Bellingham Herald, July 17, 2026).
• Planet Fitness: a permit for the former JOANN space at Sunset Square, 1125 E. Sunset Dr, is under review, and no opening date has been announced (Bellingham Metro News, September 18, 2026).

To be clear, these are filings, not openings. As of October 30, 2026, none of the four had announced an opening date.

5. Fairhaven is getting a floating kayak dock

The Port of Bellingham is building a 140-foot floating dock for kayaks and paddleboards by the Community Boating Center in Fairhaven, plus a small pocket beach for launching by hand. It costs about $2.47 million, including a $500,000 state Recreation and Conservation Office grant. Construction started in October, and the port says it will be ready for use in early 2027 (Port of Bellingham, October 23, 2026).

Here's the interesting part: Fairhaven is getting something else too. On October 20, 2026, the city approved a new two-story, 20,000-square-foot commercial building at 610 Harris Ave (City of Bellingham notice of decision DR2026-0025). No tenant has been announced, and it still needs a state shoreline permit.

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6. Bellingham's downtown waterfront gets a do-over

Photo: Allyn, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped).

If you've been down by Waypoint Park or the Granary Building, you've seen the start of the waterfront, but most of that land is still empty. For years, one developer, Harcourt, held the rights to build there. After missed deadlines, the Port of Bellingham ended its master developer agreement in spring 2025 and took back the undeveloped land, about 16 acres (Cascadia Daily News, October 14, 2026).

Here's the interesting part. The historic brick BoardMill building is planned to become a hotel with a conference center and more housing (Cascadia Daily News, March 1, 2026). The plan includes about 166 homes, and it was headed to the city's Design Review Board for early guidance in May 2026 (Daily Journal of Commerce, May 4, 2026). For the rest of the district, the port says it will work with real estate and development consulting firms to guide the next phase (Port of Bellingham, Waterfront District).

Here's the catch: nothing new is under construction there yet, and the hotel has no date. On November 3, 2026, voters elect two new Port of Bellingham commissioners, who will help decide what comes next (Cascadia Daily News, October 14, 2026).

7. Old Town is becoming a new neighborhood next to downtown

Photo: Allyn, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped). Taken in 2018.

If you've driven down West Holly toward the water, you've driven through Old Town. The city has been planning this area for about 20 years, and it's finally filling in (City of Bellingham, Old Town project page).

• Ironworks at Old Town, 711 Astor St: the first new building, six stories with 84 apartments, is now leasing (City of Bellingham; Cascadia Daily News, January 20, 2026).
• New streets: new curbs, lighting and power lines moved underground on C, D and E streets and Astor Street. The city says that work is largely complete (City of Bellingham, Old Town streetscape, fall 2026).

Here's the interesting part: two more projects are approved. One is 74 affordable apartments at 1303 E St, which got its land use permits on July 21, 2026. The other is a pair of mixed-use buildings at 800 W. Holly St and 1315 D St, approved March 10, 2026 (City of Bellingham, Old Town project page). Old Town is also home to the 1858 Territorial Courthouse, which Cascadia Daily News calls the state's oldest surviving brick building.

So how big could this get? The city plans for about 500 homes in Old Town over the next 10 years (City of Bellingham, Old Town project page).

8. Salish Landing is racing the fish

We covered Salish Landing in Bellingham's biggest megaprojects last month. It's a 17-acre waterfront park going in at the end of Cornwall Avenue, on a former industrial site that's being cleaned up (City of Bellingham, Salish Landing). It's projected to be done in late 2028 or early 2029 (WhatcomTalk, August 9, 2026).

Here's what's going on right now. The hardest part is happening underwater, and crews may only work below the water from early August to mid-February. That's the window regulators allow, to protect fish (City of Bellingham, R.G. Haley site, fall 2026 status). So they're moving fast:

• September 2026: crews started laying a clean cap of gravel, cobble and gravelly sand on the bottom of the bay, designed to help eelgrass grow.
• October 2026: a large crane started driving interlocking steel sheets into the ground to build a temporary watertight wall, called a cofferdam, so the area can be pumped dry for work below the waterline.

Here's the interesting part: some of this can only happen at low tide, so there's night work too. The next windows are November 22–29, December 20–27 and January 19–24 (City of Bellingham, R.G. Haley site). When it's done, the construction roads become permanent trails, the park gets the city's first accessible hand-launch site for small boats, and the cap is expected to last more than 100 years (Salish Current, September 16, 2026).

Here's the catch: Glass Beach and its gravel parking lot stay closed for the whole project (City of Bellingham, R.G. Haley site). The good news is Glass Beach keeps its name (Whatcom Watch, February 2026).

9. Bellingham International Airport closes for a month in 2027

Photo: Eric Salard, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped). Taken in 2015.

Bellingham International Airport (BLI) has only one runway, and it needs a major fix. From July 20 through August 19, 2027, the airport will close completely for runway repairs (KAFE). The work includes fixing the runway, rebuilding three taxiways and switching to LED lighting. It's about a $25 million project, and grants are expected to cover 90% to 95% of it (KAFE). Port commissioners unanimously approved the closure on February 17, 2026 (Cascadia Daily News, February 17, 2026).

Here's the interesting part: before that, flights are being added. In May 2026, Alaska Airlines announced a second daily round trip to Portland starting November 1, 2026 (Bellingham Herald, May 13, 2026). If you're flying out of Bellingham next year, plan around late July and most of August.

10. Meridian Street is getting a roundabout

Photo: Robert Ashworth, CC BY 2.0, via Flickr (cropped).

If you've driven Meridian Street by Cornwall Park, you know the stretch where Squalicum Way and Birchwood Avenue come in: two traffic signals very close together. The city plans to replace both signals with one roundabout (City of Bellingham, Meridian-Birchwood project, fall 2026 status; Cascadia Daily News, February 27, 2026).

• Trucks headed to the waterfront on Squalicum Way get a new route.
• The Bay to Baker Trail extends west from Cornwall Park.
• An unused stretch of Squalicum Way gets torn out so the creek next to it can be restored.

The project is estimated at about $17.5 million, and the city says it has fully funded the updated scope for construction (City of Bellingham). Here's the catch: construction isn't planned until late 2027 at the earliest.

11. The downtown Central Library is closing for a remodel

Bellingham's Central Library downtown is getting an $8.53 million Phase 2 remodel: new children's and teen areas, a new main help desk, new restrooms, staff areas, and new heating and ventilation (Bellingham Public Library). To do it, the building has to close. The city expects construction to begin in early 2027 and continue through late 2027 at least, so it could run longer (City of Bellingham, library renovation).

Here's the interesting part: the other branches pick up the slack. The Bellis Fair, Barkley and Fairhaven branches get longer hours, and the Bellis Fair branch gets a temporary expansion (City of Bellingham). And about $3.5 million of the cost is coming from private fundraising (Bellingham Public Library).

12. Bellingham is getting its first Catholic high school

Photo: Robert Ashworth, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped).

Next fall, Northern Deanery Regional Catholic High School opens in Bellingham, the city's first Catholic high school. It will start small, with 18 to 25 ninth graders, and add a grade every year after that (Cascadia Daily News, October 4, 2026).

Here's the interesting part: for now, the school is going into the Sacred Heart Parish Hall at 1110 14th St on South Hill. That's a temporary home (same story).

13. The new county jail is going in Bellingham, not Ferndale

For a while, the plan was to build Whatcom County's new jail on LaBounty Drive in Ferndale. In March 2026, the county picked a different site: a 19-acre property at 4160 Hannegan Road, just south of the Hannegan Speedway in Bellingham (Whatcom County, March 25, 2026).

It's planned for about 450 to 460 beds, with a design and construction budget cap of $205 million, and it's expected to open in 2028 (Cascadia Daily News, August 11, 2026). It's still being designed, and construction is scheduled to begin in 2027 (Whatcom County Council newsletter, August 27, 2026).

Here's the interesting part: it's one of two big county projects. The other is a Behavioral Care Center on Division Street with 32 beds for mental health and substance-use treatment, with construction expected to start in spring 2027 (Cascadia Daily News, January 27, 2026).

14. The Birch Bay Waterslides land is being sold

If you grew up around here, you've probably spent a summer day at the Birch Bay Waterslides. The park has been there for more than 40 years, but it didn't open this summer. In May 2026, the whole property went up for sale: 14.5 acres listed at $6 million. The water park takes up only about a third of it (Cascadia Daily News, May 12, 2026).

Here's the interesting part. The land is zoned general commercial, which the listing says allows mixed-use residential, retail, lodging, restaurants and recreational businesses (same story). By August, a sale was pending to buyers from Whatcom County (The Northern Light, August 13, 2026), and the listing agent said the buyers have a long-term vision that will take years to develop (Cascadia Daily News, August 6, 2026).

Here's the catch: the buyer hasn't been named, no closing had been reported as of October 30, 2026, and nothing has been proposed for the land. So we don't know yet whether it reopens, gets new shops, gets housing, or something else.

15. Birch Bay is getting its first library

Photo: Robert Ashworth, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped).

On Birch Bay Drive, the Whatcom County Library System is turning the historic Vogt home at 7948 Birch Bay Dr into the Birch Bay Vogt Library Express. It's small, about 1,700 square feet, but you'll be able to pick up holds, use a computer and bring the kids to storytime. There's also a meeting room for about 40 people and a reading porch (Whatcom County Library System).

Here's the interesting part: even when no staff are on site, you can get in with your library card. Construction started in June 2026, and it's scheduled to open to the public in January 2027 (Whatcom County Library System).

Nearby, the county is looking at a compact roundabout at the Birch Bay-Lynden Road and Blaine Road intersection. Its budget went from $800,000 to about $3.75 million (Whatcom County Public Works memo, October 13, 2026). That's still a proposal, with no construction date yet.

16. Up to 490 new homes are coming to Blaine

Photo: Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped).

Just south of Semiahmoo Parkway, inside Blaine city limits near Birch Point, a 181-acre planned development called Avista at Birch Point could eventually have up to 490 homes, mostly single-family, built in five phases. The first phase is 79 lots (Cascadia Daily News, January 30, 2026; City of Blaine, Avista at Birch Point).

Here's the interesting part: the project was appealed, but in January 2026 the city council denied the appeal 5–0 (Cascadia Daily News, January 30, 2026). The city's project page now lists the phase 1 grading, stormwater and civil plans as approved (City of Blaine).

It's not the only thing changing in Blaine. Semiahmoo Resort is up for sale, with offers due October 30, 2026 (Hotel News Resource, October 19, 2026). And the city wants a developer to build a new downtown library, more than 30 homes and a childcare space on the city-owned library site at 610 Third St (Cascadia Daily News, June 22, 2026).

Here's the catch: 490 is the most Avista could hold, and the full build-out will take years.

17. Ferndale is getting a new City Hall

If you've driven through Ferndale lately, you've seen the new Civic Campus going up. It's a two-story building of about 19,000 square feet that will hold City Hall, the municipal court, council chambers and meeting rooms. It costs about $15.5 million to build, and about $6.75 million of that is grants. Furniture is scheduled to go in in mid-December, and the campus is expected to be complete in spring 2027 (Ferndale Record, October 7, 2026).

Here's the interesting part: it's not the only thing going up on Main Street.

• Cascade Connections broke ground on October 16 on a new headquarters on Main Street, also due in spring 2027 (Ferndale Record, October 28, 2026).
• The city has applied for permits to rebuild Main Street from Barrett Road to Old Settler Drive, with a center turn lane, new sidewalks, crosswalks, streetlights and bus pullouts (Lynden Tribune legal notice, August 19, 2026). No construction date has been set.
• On October 19, 2026, the city council unanimously approved the Church Road annexation petition (Ferndale Record, October 28, 2026). The city's own fiscal study estimates the land could someday hold about 750 homes (City of Ferndale staff report and fiscal study). It still has steps to go: the Boundary Review Board, then a final city ordinance.

18. The Lynden border crossing upgrade is on hold

Photo: SounderBruce, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped; a license plate blurred). Taken in 2020.

Remember the big Lynden border crossing upgrade from our megaprojects breakdown? The plan was to take the Lynden crossing from 3 car lanes to 5 and from 1 commercial lane to 4 (U.S. General Services Administration, Lynden port of entry). Sumas had its own upgrade planned (GSA, Sumas port of entry).

Here's the catch: in August 2026, the GSA, the federal agency that runs these buildings, put nine planned border crossing upgrades on hold, including Lynden and Sumas (My Bellingham Now, October 16, 2026). In October, Sen. Patty Murray and Rep. Rick Larsen pressed the GSA about the two projects (same story). As of October 30, 2026, both are still on hold.

19. Two battery farms could come to Custer

Photo: Robert Ashworth, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped).

A battery farm stores electricity in large banks of batteries so the power grid can use it later, when it needs it. Two companies want to build them in Custer (Cascadia Daily News, September 21, 2026):

• GridStor has proposed a 100-megawatt, 7-acre lithium-ion battery site on a 27-acre lot, connected to Puget Sound Energy's Portal Way substation.
• NextEra has a second 100-megawatt project just across Vista Drive.

Here's the interesting part: Blaine just hit pause. On October 26, 2026, the Blaine City Council voted 6–0 for a one-year moratorium on new battery farms and data centers inside city limits, even though none had been proposed there (Cascadia Daily News, October 27, 2026).

Here's the catch: the Custer projects are only proposed. The county is still reviewing them, and a public hearing is still to come, with no date set (Cascadia Daily News, September 21, 2026).

What this means for Whatcom homeowners

Put it all together and Whatcom County is growing in every direction. There's new housing planned in Old Town, on the waterfront, in Blaine and on Ferndale's edge. There are new public buildings in Ferndale and Birch Bay, a remodeled library downtown, and a new high school. And a few big projects, from the Lynden border crossing to the Custer battery farms, are still waiting on decisions.

If you own a home near any of these, it's worth knowing what's approved and what's only proposed, because that's what buyers will ask about. If you want to see how prices are moving right now, here's my breakdown of whether Bellingham home prices are dropping.

Frequently asked questions

When is Bellingham's airport closing in 2027?

Bellingham International Airport is scheduled to close completely from July 20 through August 19, 2027, for about $25 million in runway, taxiway and lighting work. Port commissioners approved the closure on February 17, 2026, and grants are expected to cover 90% to 95% of the cost (KAFE; Cascadia Daily News, February 17, 2026).

When does Bellingham's Central Library close for the remodel?

The city expects construction on the $8.53 million Phase 2 remodel to begin in early 2027 and continue through late 2027 at least. The downtown library closes during construction, and the Bellis Fair, Barkley and Fairhaven branches get longer hours (City of Bellingham; Bellingham Public Library).

What new stores are coming to Bellis Fair?

BoxLunch opened August 29, 2026, and Cosmic Games opened in the old DSW space on October 2. Mama's Dumplings and Pockets is set to open in the food court in December, and a Build-A-Bear Workshop kiosk is coming in early 2027. The mall's vacancy rate fell from 9.2% to 8.6% over the past year (Bellingham Herald, September 9, October 2 and October 20, 2026).

How many homes are planned at Avista at Birch Point in Blaine?

Up to 490 homes, mostly single-family, on 181 acres, built in five phases. The first phase is 79 lots. The Blaine City Council denied an appeal of the project 5–0 in January 2026, and the city lists the phase 1 grading, stormwater and civil plans as approved (Cascadia Daily News, January 30, 2026; City of Blaine).

Has the Birch Bay Waterslides property sold?

Not as of October 30, 2026. The 14.5-acre property was listed for $6 million in May 2026, and a sale to Whatcom County buyers was pending by August. No buyer has been named, no closing has been reported and nothing has been proposed for the land (Cascadia Daily News, May 12 and August 6, 2026; The Northern Light, August 13, 2026).

Book a free call

With all these changes coming to Bellingham, Ferndale, Lynden, Blaine and the rest of Whatcom County, if you're thinking about buying or selling, I'd love to help with your next move. Just pick a day and time that works for you.

What's your home worth right now? Text VALUE to (360) 312-4410

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Tommy Mutchler | Realtor, Managing Broker @ Real Broker, LLC