Bellingham's development authority scrambles for success
The Bellingham Public Development Authority and its executive director, Jim Long, are scrambling to make some progress on the development of city-owned real estate parcels, to show Mayor Kelli Linville and City Council that the independent entity is worth saving.
Former Mayor Dan Pike convinced the council to set up the PDA in 2008, in the hope the new agency and its citizen board could find revenue-producing projects for underused city real estate and help the city deal with recession-driven deficits.