As Bellingham grows, the local tourism/hospitality industry would love to promote it as an ideal location for conferences and conventions. The beautiful scenery, proximity to major airports (Sea-Tac or Vancouver), excellent recreation (including golf and skiing) and of course the fantastic residents all make it an ideal place. The major drawback - there isn’t a facility large enough to hold these events.

Enter Emerald Bay Events and Faber Brothers Construction. They are proposing a 80,000 square foot center in Ferndale. The project would be on 11 acres on Rural and Sunset Avenues and would feature:

• 40,000 square feet of exhibit space
• Wedding Chapel
• Kitchen
• Retail space (ideally for a tux shop, florist, jeweler and bakery)

The closest event space is currently the Everett Events Center (excluding Canadian event centers) with 57,000 square feet of space. The largest facility that Bellingham offers is 11,000 square feet of meeting space at the Lakeway Inn.

Ferndale city council will be considering the proposal.
Comment Deadline: Wednesday January 11
Public Hearing
When: 7pm, Thursday, January 19
Where: Ferndale City Hall Annex, 5694 Second Ave.

For more info, call 384-4006 or click here.