About the York Neighborhood Association

Revised 2019-07-12 1300

Mission Statement of the York Neighborhood Association

• To reduce isolation among residents;

• To enhance the quality of life in a low- and moderate-income urban neighborhood;

• To create a sense of community;

• To reduce or prevent crime; and

• To preserve the historic character of the neighborhood.

Features and Accomplishments of the York Neighborhood Association (YNA)

Security

Environment & Community Pride

Public Forums

Quality of Life & Aesthetics

YNA Structure

YNA is incorporated as a not-for-profit organization with the State of Washington. YNA has bylaws and an elected Board of Directors, including a President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and other appointed positions. Appointed positions include representatives to the Mayor’s Neighborhood Advisory Commission. Other positions are appointed as needed or if a person demonstrates a desire to serve in a manner beneficial to the organization and the neighborhood.

Dues are collected on a strictly voluntary donation basis. However, all York residents, businesses, and landowners are considered members of the association with full voting rights and included in YNA activities as long as they so desire. As noted, dues have no relationship to voting status.

The Yorker

The Yorker is published as needed or roughly on a quarterly basis and ranges from simple announcements of calendar items to feature articles in many issues.

Our current and archive issues of The Yorker are available via the main menu item labeled, of course, "The Yorker Newsletter"

Meeting Locations

This varies. Most common sites are the Garden Street United Methodist Church or Nelson’s Market. During warmer times and during events, meetings may be held at one of our parks.

Brief History

The YNA was founded sometime before 1977.

Some issues that YNA has shouldered include:

• Block Grants for:
  • 2008: $2,500—Franklin Street Island (new trail, improved path, replaced invasive non-native plants, stone benches)
  • 2005–2009: Multiple grants and funding sources totaling more than $450K—Harriet Spanel Park (then Franklin Park) renovation (see below)
  • 199X: $2,500—Neighborhood sign on Magnolia and Ellis streets
  • 1994: $10,093—Rock Hill Park improvements (landscaping, lights, picnic table, pathway, basketball court)
  • 1990: $11,502—Harriet Spanel Park (then Franklin Park) playground equipment, turf restoration
  • 1989: $4,920—Rock Hill improvements (signage, trees, lamppost, table tree planting, parking area repair - upper level)
  • 1982: $13,000—500-foot sidewalk repair
  • 1982: $33,000—Rock Hill land acquisition
  

  Harriet Spanel Park (formerly Franklin Park)

• Harriet Spanel Park renovation (then Franklin Park). YNA and the City started planning in 2005 or earlier. YNA and the City were successful in acquiring grants and other funding in excess of $450 thousand to replace aging playground equipment, create a new peripheral walk, new picnic tables, new pavilion, new basketball hoop and partial court, and other new play apparatus. Drainage was improved for the “sports area.” Existing trees were addressed by an arborist, and new trees and other landscaping were added or improved. Work started in fall 2005 and continued through 2009. The park grand opening was on November 14, 2009.
• Communications with the City
  • Represented on the Mayor’s Neighborhood Advisory Commission
  • Park Stewards for Harriet Spanel Park and Rock Hill Park
  • Traffic Liaison
  • Other liaison positions, some ad hoc
  • Through various association committee direct communications with the City such as YNA Planning and YNA Preservation committees
• Neighborhood security
  • Lighting the neighborhood, one house at a time
  • Block Watch
  • Partnering with police
  • Getting to know your neighbor
  • And more…
• Neighborhood quality of life
• Positive ways to deal with problem neighbors
• Positive ways to deal with “party houses”
• Positive ways to deal with inattentive landlords
• Greenways improvements (the tree project, etc.)
• Neighborhood Plan amendments and updates
• One of the driving forces behind the Samish Way Urban Village initiative and resulting plans.
  • Successfully proposed the concept transitional height limits on the border of “tall” sub areas directly next to “shorter” residential sub areas. In in the transition, the height limitations were graduated in 10 foot increments to avoid loss of sunlight, disproportion, privacy, and other issues.
  • Identified and championed an unused area for considerable infill opportunity (as much as 800 additional housing units).
• Negotiated “mixed-use” and parking modifications in an area close to down town that has since been utilized in new development resulting in additional housing units not previously available.

Geography & Demographics

The York Addition or York Neighborhood

 

Part of the original York Addition, the York Neighborhood is divided into three sub-neighborhoods.

North

This section is bounded by Whatcom Creek to the north, I-5 to the east, Lakeway Drive to the south, and Ellis Street to the west. The North section is the largest geographically and demographically (residents). The North section includes the Bellingham Grocery Outlet, Nelson’s Market, a hearing center, medical practices, realtors (on Lakeway), and a number of home office businesses.

South

South is the next-largest section, bounded to the north by Lakeway Drive, to the east by I-5, on the south by Maple Street and Samish Way, and on the west by Ellis Street. The South section has a number of businesses at its south end on or near Samish Way, including a motel, three restaurants, and an auto-wash and automotive lubrication business. The businesses are, for the most part, segregated from the greater part of the South section by Edwards Street. The cul-de-sacs of the cross streets of Edwards help to segregate the north side (the greater part) of the South section from the retail businesses in the southern end. However, realty companies on Lakeway and a number of home-office-based businesses do reside in the north side of this section as well.

West

The West section is roughly triangular and is bordered by State Street to the northwest, Ellis Street to the east, and Holly Street to the southwest. The West has the most businesses and is a transition from residential to downtown business in nature as well as in zoning. The businesses range from professional to retail. The largest church in the neighborhood, the Garden Street United Methodist Church, is located here as well. Most of the residences are constructed as “single-family,” this section is home to the wood-frame apartment building Magnolia Court, with a new multi-unit building built in 2017.

Generalized Demographics

As implied above, York is a mix of residences and small businesses. Of the residences roughly half are owner-occupied and half are rented. In the late ’80s, owner occupancy grew over 50% and has “hovered” around there since. However, there are a number of apartment buildings scattered throughout as well as a number of single-family-residence rental properties, some of which have been remodeled to accommodate multiple renters. Many of the latter are rented by students attending Western Washington University (WWU), Whatcom Community College (WCC), Bellingham Technical College (BTC), and Northwest Indian College (NIC); other renters include some of the university’s professors and staff as well as residents just getting started in life.

The demographics described here is by no means the result of scientific study.

Surrounding Neighborhoods, Districts, and Areas

North of York

To the north is a relatively medium-density business area with small to medium businesses, in one- or two-story structures, including car dealerships, automotive shops, a restaurant, small retail businesses, and others. This is the south edge of the Sunnyland neighborhood, as well as the southwestern corner of the Roosevelt neighborhood.

Also, the Whatcom Creek Trail runs along York’s northern edge, mostly along Meador Avenue. This trail connects Bellingham Bay with Lake Whatcom and includes a marvelous stretch along the creek starting at York’s northeast corner, just west of the I-5 underpass near Meador Avenue and King Street…a treat for pedestrians and cyclists alike alongside reconstructed meanders created to mitigate this hitherto flood-prone stretch of Whatcom Creek.

East of York

East of York and I-5 is the Puget neighborhood, a residential area with some homes and a number of apartments. It’s a lower-density business area including two of Bellingham’s largest hotels to smaller strip malls with larger grocery and hardware stores as well as small retail and restaurant storefronts, realtors, and other restaurants and small businesses.

Not far from I-5 and York is the location of the Bellingham sports complex, including Arne Hanna Aquatic Center, Civic Stadium (football, soccer, lacrosse, track and field), the Bellingham Sportsplex (indoor soccer, hockey, ice skating, indoor pole vaulting), the skate park, Frank Geri softball fields (amateur baseball/softball), and Joe Martin baseball stadium (semi-pro and amateur). The complex is the home field for a number of semi-pro teams playing football, baseball, and soccer and for Bellingham’s high schools for most of the sports noted before. These are reached from York either via Lakeway at the midpoint or by passing under I-5 via Meador Avenue, along the north edge of York.

This is also the location of the closest elementary school, Carl Cozier Elementary. However, York has been districted or gerrymandered out of Carl Cozier’s coverage area, and York students are bused to other schools farther away. This situation is also true at the middle-school and high-school levels. Not that anyone minds. It’s a long story.

A little past the business area and sports complex is one of the largest residential areas geographically and by population in city limits.

South/Southeast of York

The Samish Strip includes a number of small to almost medium size motels/hotels as well as gas stations, a small strip mall, and a large strip mall with a large grocery store. A number of other restaurants and small businesses are located here as well. This is the southeast corner of the Sehome neighborhood, where it adjoins with both York and the more southeastern and extensive Samish neighborhood.

South/Southwest of York

The Sehome (pronounced “SEE-home”) Neighborhood. Aside from the parts of Sehome that merge into or border on Samish (pronounced “SAM-ish”), this is principally a residential neighborhood with a mix of owner-occupied residences and the largest number of student-occupied houses as well as the northern portion of the university.

West of York

City Center (part of which used be referenced as the Bellingham’s Central Business District). The City Center is where nearly all the tallest buildings are located in Bellingham and Whatcom County. This includes the Bellingham Towers (although really just one tower). The Center has the largest concentration of Bellingham businesses including restaurants, small to medium retail storefronts, professional offices, banks, and more. Some buildings are multi-use including businesses on lower floors with apartments on upper floors. The City and County governments are located at the north end of this neighborhood.