BELLINGHAM, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – Construction aimed at revitalizing Bellingham’s Old Town district is now underway.

The City of Bellingham says its project to bring more housing and commercial space to the historic neighborhood broke ground last Friday. Roughly 800 new residential units are expected to be built through eight city blocks in Old Town.

The city says the project will boost the supply of housing for low to moderate-income households in a historically underdeveloped part of Bellingham.

“This development is a visionary project that will inject new energy into Old Town, support economic vitality in our city center, and create hundreds of new housing opportunities over the next decade,” Mayor Kim Lund said.

It adds that the central location of the housing will support the downtown economy, promote walkability and reduce car trips.

The construction comes as part of the city’s broader development plan for Old Town, which will take place over the next 10 years. The 84-unit apartment building on Astor Street, which is the first to be built, is expected to be finished by summer 2026.

In addition to the new housing opportunities, the city state that Whatcom County and the City of Bellingham are working together to execute publicly funded “streetscape” improvements. In total, Whatcom County and the City of Bellingham are investing $5 million.

More information on this project by the City of Bellingham can be found at cob.org.