Value built by and for the community

At The Millworks, success is measured by more than occupancy rates or financial performance. The Goal: More families housed, workers staying close to the community they serve, and a waterfront alive with activity, connection, and potential.

 

The solution starts with a better question

A conventional project asks

“What can this site produce financially?”

Traditional financing rewards the highest and fastest return and pushes affordability, shared infrastructure, and public good to the margins.

The Millworks asks

“What can this site make possible for the community?”

That shift changes what gets built, who it’s for, how partners come together, how it’s financed, and how success is measured.

Value returned to the community, in many forms

Each piece of The Millworks matters on its own, and together they create a space designed to strengthen Whatcom County for generations.

Affordable Housing at The Millworks icon

Housing Stability

83 permanently affordable family homes are already fully occupied. The next phase adds 100+ attainable workforce units for the people who keep the community running.

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Early Learning

A six-classroom childcare center operated by the Whatcom Family YMCA supporting children, parents, employers, and the local economy.

Local Food Systems at The Millworks icon

Food Infrastructure

Shared commercial kitchen and food production space for caterers, bakers, and other emerging food entrepreneurs that offers a more affordable way to start, grow, and sell.

Economic Prosperity Opportunities at The Millworks icon

Mission Driven Collaboration

A shared, affordable work space for community-serving organizations striving to improve Whatcom County.

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Community Gathering Spaces

A street-level plaza and an elevated public space on Bellingham’s historic waterfront, designed for community gathering, belonging, and celebration

Connected systems people rely on every day

Resilience

A community that invests in all the moving parts—housing, transit, childcare and more—builds the strength to adapt, recover, and care for all of its members through any challenge.

Millworks is the innovative solution our community needs

Traditional development often measures success by financial return alone. We’re doing things differently. Every element of The Millworks is designed to generate community dividends, helping everyone prosper.

In Phase 2, that return will show up in practical, lasting ways: jobs created during construction, ongoing employment after opening, new infrastructure for local food businesses, stronger nonprofit collaboration, and public access to open-air gathering space on Bellingham’s waterfront. Our goal is to create community value that continues to grow over time.

Rendering of the Millworks coworking space with people at desks
Modern outdoor coworking space with tables, chairs, and greenery
Dedicated volunteers work together in a bustling kitchen
Boy playing with a toy crouching on sand
House keys being held in the palm between hands

Help advance a different kind of development

The Millworks shows what’s possible when development is measured by lasting community benefit, not financial return alone. If you’re a donor, funder, impact investor, partner, or community leader who believes in a solution that can work differently, we’d welcome a conversation.