News from Blaine City Council

News from the Blaine City Council meeting on September 10 at City Hall.

Blaine doctor announces plans to retire this December

Dr. Marta Kazymyra confirmed to Blaine City Council that she and her husband Dr. David Allan will retire from Bay Medical Clinic, 377 C Street in Blaine, this December – potentially resulting in a loss of medical care for an estimated 3,000 patients and jobs for six full-time staff members.

“I just wanted to bring everybody back up to speed as to what has been happening,” Kazymyra said during a public comment period. “We’ve been here for 38 years and tentatively we’re going to be closing our doors on December 28.”

In a series of stern remarks to Blaine councilmembers, Kazymyra said she and her husband have attempted to recruit replacement physicians, but can’t do it alone.

“We have tried, for well over a year, to find somebody to step in and have been unsuccessful,” she said. “Unfortunately, I feel we did not get much support from the city of Blaine and I am deeply saddened by that.”

Councilmember Meg Olson asked Kazymyra what the city could do to help.

In response, Kazymyra suggested the city help pay for a professional recruiter, which she said costs about $45,000, or help fund the purchase of property to build a new facility, which she said is

currently in poor condition.

“The bigger news, possibly, is out of the blue we had someone approach us 10 days ago and we’re going to be meeting with them [on September 11],” Kazymyra said. “If something happens, I would encourage the city council, city of Blaine, whoever can do anything, to take this seriously and to be able to help.”

Letters will be sent to all Bay Medical Clinic patients notifying them of Kazymyra and Allan’s retirement by the end of the month, she said.

After the meeting, city manager Michael Jones said that without an established hospital district, the city is limited in its ability to build a medical clinic. He added the city has been working with the Port of Bellingham’s economic development staff to attract another medical provider to Blaine.

Touchstone Behavioral Health, located at 288 Martin Street in Blaine, he said, may also be able to take on more patients.

“We would love for someone to buy the existing doctor’s office,” he said, adding there has been no interest.

City grants final extension to east Blaine development project

Blaine City Council voted 6-0, in the absence of councilmember Steve Lawrenson, to approve a final, one-year extension for a 349-unit, mixed-use subdivision planned for east Blaine called East Maple Ridge.

Located east of Lincoln Park, the project consists of mixed-use, residential and commercial properties.

Project applicants Douglas and Louise Connelly received preliminary plat and planned unit development approvals from the city in July 2010 and were given seven years to begin construction.

In a letter sent to the city on June 25, 2018, the pair cited a lack of interest from investors to extend the sewer line as the main source of the project’s delay. 

“Although East Maple Ridge is a beautiful, legacy quality property, developers normally are never asked to bear such disproportionately large costs of infrastructure outside the boundaries of the plat that they are constructing,” read the letter.

However, it continued, “now that the city has found a funding source for extending the sewer services, we are expectant of an upcoming sale,” referencing the $1.2 million that was allocated by state lawmakers to extend utility infrastructure to east Blaine during the short term legislative session this year.

Permit amendments approved for Bridges Plat, Sea Smoke

With little discussion, Blaine City Council voted 6-0 to approve amendments to separate Planned Unit Development (PUD) permits for two development projects, called Bridges Plat and Sea Smoke.

Bridges Plat – which consists of a 40-lot subdivision planned on 10 acres located along D Street east of Lincoln Park – now has new architectural standards for single-family homes and requirements for side yard setbacks and lot coverage as a result of the amendment.

Bellingham-based Skeers Construction wants to build the first phase of the project, which includes 18 lots, a small playground and a stormwater open-space tract.

“I think they will do a really good job with this,” mayor Bonnie Onyon said.

Sea Smoke includes 119 residential units, a neighborhood commercial space and a storage facility planned on 19.4 acres at the southwest corner of Semiahmoo Parkway and Drayton Harbor Road.

Council approved a PUD permit amendment that allows for an office and maintenance building facility for the Semiahmoo Resort Association and makes changes to the maximum building height limit in ‘Tract A.’ It also includes changes to the width of future internal roadways, architectural materials, hours of operation for commercial spaces, landscaping maintenance requirements and exterior color choices.

“It’s pretty straightforward,” Onyon said of the amendment.