Bellingham Board of Health Requires Deed Restriction Before King Street Renovation Proceeds

BELLINGHAM — April 8, 2026 — Bellingham Board of Health votes to require deed restriction before 100 King Street renovation proceeds. The board, chaired by Kevin Davis and joined by members Dan Kane and Kevin Baker, voted 3-0 to continue a dispute over a proposed third-floor attic renovation at 100 King Street, where a four-bedroom septic system permitted in 2004 has come into conflict with a room count that staff said would reach 11 under the proposed plans. Health department staff member Francis Id presented records — including a 2007 sale listing describing the third floor as "walk-up third floor expansion potential" — that the board said indicated the space was not historically considered habitable. The board resolved the count to 10 rooms by excluding a small anteroom with insufficient ceiling clearance, allowing the project to proceed with a deed restriction rather than a full septic upgrade, pending revised drawings. In a separate 3-0 vote, the board directed staff to begin advertising a draft tobacco regulation for a public hearing. Staff also flagged an unresolved question about whether a required second phase of wastewater upgrades at a local commercial development was ever completed, with new tenants including a juicery and a Barnes and Noble potentially affected by the outcome of a pending DEP inquiry.