Former Telegraph Road mobile park property for sale

JARED PABEN - THE BELLINGHAM HERALD

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BELLINGHAM - Low-income residents protested and affordable-housing advocates lamented when investors bought the Baker Creek Mobile Park and closed it in June, making way for a major housing-shopping project.

An early drawing showed a 24-story tower, which would have been the tallest in the city, and 250,000 square feet of office and retail space along Telegraph Road across the street from Home Depot.

It's now unlikely that will happen.

| PHILIP A. DWYER | THE BELLINGHAM HERALD

2007 archives: Mobile home park closed

A sale deal between a potential buyer and landowner Bayfield at Telegraph LLC fell through, and the land is up for sale, said Ron Faber, co-owner of Faber Brothers Construction. The company is one of the investors that own the property.

Bayfield at Telegraph first bought the property from Rodney and Sharon Graber for $4.74 million in March 2007. The company bought 3.23 acres the 22-home mobile home park sat on and a separate 4.54 acres nearby.

Shortly after, all tenants of the mobile home park were ordered to move out before June 1, 2008.

The previous project counted on building on both properties, but the properties are now listed for sale separately, Faber said. If somebody bought the former trailer park property, its size would probably only be large enough to build a restaurant or small store.

The trailer park property is listed for $3.38 million and the neighboring property for $5.74 million, according to an ad from Bellmar Commercial real estate.

Meanwhile, Faber Brothers is working with city planners to complete a planned contract for the mobile home park property. The contract will spell out for potential buyers what kind of development would be allowed there. The other property already has a completed contract.

"We're in no hurry because we know a property becomes a lot more valuable when that happens," Faber said. For buyers, a complete planned contract takes a lot of risk out of future development. The contract will probably be done next March or so, Faber said.

Meanwhile, a high-rise isn't likely to go there.

People aren't ready to pay for $600,000 or $700,000 condominiums in a high-rise tower in Bellingham, Faber said, although a nice mid-rise building of 12 to 13 stories with $300,000 to $500,000 condos would work.

In the meantime, Faber Brothers has received no formal offers on the property, but three or four potential buyers have looked at it.