Project Benefits
When land is developed in the public interest, returns are counted not just in dollars for owners, but in all the ways it helps a community prosper.
Traditional development projects are designed to maximize profits for their owners. While Community Benefit projects do not forgo financial return, they do prioritize community dividends.
The goal of the Millworks is to generate maximum economic and community development benefits for the people of Whatcom County, and aligns with our community’s biggest challenges: housing, childcare, economic prosperity and development, equity, public health and regional resilience.
The benefits of the Millworks range from services (affordable housing, childcare) to standards and practices (green building, local procurement) in Phase 1. Once Phase 2 is complete, the additional benefits will comprise economic opportunities in the food sector and beyond, including jobs, workforce training and increased food system infrastructure, as well as a hub of small business supports and the promotion and facilitation of more employee-owned enterprises. The project will also offer amenities such as public gathering and other open spaces.
By creating opportunities for a broader swath of the population than traditional projects, community benefit real estate developments, like the Millworks, over a very long period, help reduce the need for human services while bolstering social, cultural and commercial connections. The Millworks will make our community more resilient.
Housing
Address a critical community need and drive economic resiliency with workforce housing.
Workforce Housing
- 2-3% rental vacancy rate (Fall 2024)
- $1,900 – median rent in Bellingham
- 39% of Whatcom County residents spend more than the recommended maximum of 30% of household income on housing
- 747 households are waiting for housing; of those, 463 qualify for permanent, supportive housing (June 2024)
- Affordable units will continue to be in short supply
- Home prices are expected to remain high and out of reach for many
- Population growth on top of the current housing deficit means that housing insecurity and houselessness will likely increase
Who can’t afford to own a home?
- Childcare workers
- Nurses
- Small business owners
- Electricians
- Foodservice staff
- Bank tellers
- Natural resources occupations
- Administrative personnel
- Teachers & school counselors
- First responders
- Web developers
Childcare
Invest in the best possible start for all children.
Affordable Childcare and Early Learning
- Whatcom County is considered a childcare and early learning desert
- Local childcare costs are among the most expensive in Washington
- 5,817 – FTE formal childcare slots for children 0-5 needed by 2025
- 6,252 – FTE for school-age care needed by 2025
- A lack of affordable, quality childcare is affecting families, care providers, employers, and the local economy
Source: Western Washington University Center for Economic and Business Research, Preliminary Report: Whatcom County Child Care Demand Study (2021)
Prosperity and Resilience
Strengthen economy and increase opportunity by building on local food system.
Economic Vitality
Food and Farming
The local food campus at Millworks builds on a core element of Whatcom County’s economy. The campus will offer agriculture – with infrastructure and events that highlight the local food and ag economy, its importance and benefits.
- Whatcom County ranks in the top 3% of farm production in the US
- 100,000 acres of fertile Pacific Northwest farmland
- 1,700+ farms, from to third generation to new and emerging farmers
- $360 million in annual agricultural revenue
- The campus will bring together a myriad of food-related businesses, organizations and activities to create natural synergies that create jobs and fuel economic growth, foster innovation and improve community health and wellness
Employee Ownership
Employee-owned businesses yield numerous benefits, from the employee-owners to the businesses themselves and the communities in which they operate.
- Sellers get fair market value for their business and sell to a known and trusted entity – the team that helped grow their successful enterprise
- Employee-owners have higher wages and typically enjoy better benefits, higher retirement savings and greater job security in a recession
- Employee-owned businesses are often more productive, more profitable and experience faster growth
- Communities benefit from more wealth sharing (resulting in more broad-based prosperity), a more resilient economy and increased civic participation
- The Washington Center for Employee Ownership (WACEO) empowers business owners, workers and service providers to build a thriving, broad-based employee-owned business sector across the state, working to create a thriving future for all
Good Works Lab
Nonprofit organizations, including those working in economic development, play significant and vital roles in the health and wellbeing of Whatcom County, including the local economy. The Millworks will include co-op spaces for organizations to share ideas and information more easily while also establishing a stable permanent home.
Public Gathering
Connection, with family, friends and others, is essential to individual and community wellbeing.
Housing
Address a critical community need and drive economic resiliency with workforce housing.
Workforce Housing
- 2-3% rental vacancy rate (Fall 2024)
- $1,900 – median rent in Bellingham
- 39% of Whatcom County residents spend more than the recommended maximum of 30% of household income on housing
- 747 households are waiting for housing; of those, 463 qualify for permanent, supportive housing (June 2024)
- Affordable units will continue to be in short supply
- Home prices are expected to remain high and out of reach for many
- Population growth on top of the current housing deficit means that housing insecurity and houselessness will likely increase
Who can’t afford to own a home?
- Childcare workers
- Nurses
- Small business owners
- Electricians
- Foodservice staff
- Bank tellers
- Natural resources occupations
- Administrative personnel
- Teachers & school counselors
- First responders
- Web developers
Childcare
Invest in the best possible start for all children.
Affordable Childcare and Early Learning
- Whatcom County is considered a childcare and early learning desert
- Local childcare costs are among the most expensive in Washington
- 5,817 – FTE formal childcare slots for children 0-5 needed by 2025
- 6,252 – FTE for school-age care needed by 2025
- A lack of affordable, quality childcare is affecting families, care providers, employers, and the local economy
Source: Western Washington University Center for Economic and Business Research, Preliminary Report: Whatcom County Child Care Demand Study (2021)
Prosperity and Resilience
Strengthen economy and increase opportunity by building on local food system.
Economic Vitality
Food and Farming
The local food campus at Millworks builds on a core element of Whatcom County’s economy. The campus will offer agriculture – with infrastructure and events that highlight the local food and ag economy, its importance and benefits.
- Whatcom County ranks in the top 3% of farm production in the US
- 100,000 acres of fertile Pacific Northwest farmland
- 1,700+ farms, from to third generation to new and emerging farmers
- $360 million in annual agricultural revenue
- The campus will bring together a myriad of food-related businesses, organizations and activities to create natural synergies that create jobs and fuel economic growth, foster innovation and improve community health and wellness
Employee Ownership
Employee-owned businesses yield numerous benefits, from the employee-owners to the business itself and the communities in which they operate.
- Sellers get fair market value for their business and sell to a known and trusted entity – the team that helped grow their successful enterprise
- Employee-owners have higher wages and typically enjoy better benefits, higher retirement savings and greater job security in a recession
- Employee-owned businesses are often more productive, more profitable and experience faster growth
- Communities benefit from more wealth sharing (resulting in more broad-based prosperity), a more resilient economy and increased civic participation
Good Works Lab
Nonprofit organizations, including those working in economic development, play significant and vital roles in the health and wellbeing of Whatcom County, including the local economy. The Millworks will include co-op spaces for organizations to share ideas and information more easily while also establishing a stable permanent home.
Public Gathering
Connection, with family, friends and others, is essential to individual and community wellbeing.
“A project that meets both community and business needs is a no-brainer. The Millworks will foster long-term economic resilience and job growth in our community. It brings support and efficiency in the food sector and adds much needed workforce housing along with public space in a beautiful waterfront setting — if that’s not a great investment I don’t know what is.”
Mike Hammes – RAM Construction, CEO
