Steve's Brother Developing Mall in Bellingham

J.J.Jensen While thousands of new homes, apartments and residents are expected in the Cordata area in the coming years, local developer Morgan Bartlett believes something’s missing there — convenient, retail shopping. So he’s addressing that void with Bakerview Square, a 50,000-square-foot retail shopping center planned in the 400 block of West Bakerview Road. The $6.5 million project, which is currently in the permitting and application phases with the city, could initially have 15 to 20 tenants in its retail strips and will have two larger stand-alone buildings. A coffee company is currently considering leasing one of the larger locations. “I think what we’re trying to accomplish is giving the folks in the Cordata area a more-convenient shopping option,” said Bartlett. “It will be a little nicer, upscale center they can walk to, rather than having to get in their cars and drive.” Construction is scheduled to begin next spring, with completion anticipated in late fall. If all goes well, Bartlett said, there could be a second phase to the project, which would see an additional 60,000 square feet of retail space constructed on adjacent property. No time frame, however, has been set for phase two. “I’m totally focused on phase one and will make my decision (on phase two) based on the success of phase one,” Bartlett said. “I’ll make a final decision on phase two in six monthsto a year.” Bakerview Square will be the first dip into retail development for Bartlett, 38, director of operations for Madrona Bay LLC, a real-estate investments firm. Bartlett, a Stanwood native who moved to Bellingham after graduating from the University of Washington in 1989, began developing properties locally in 1995. Today, he owns about 100,000 square feet of multi-family properties in various complexes around town. Currently, Bartlett is building a 19-unit, 22,000-square-foot apartment complex near the corner of 32nd Street and Ferry Avenue. The $1.9 million complex should be finished in about five months. In entering the realm of retail development, Bartlett said he needed to surround himself with a good team. He’s hired Faber Brothers Construction to do architectural design and permitting, and brought in Troy Muljat, of Muljat Group Realtors, and Brian Finnegan, of Westcom Properties, to handle leasing and marketing. A general contractor has yet to be selected for the project. Bartlett said the new experience — his largest project yet — is a little nervewracking, but he believes he’s up to the challenge. “I don’t care what project it is, there’s always a risk factor,” he said. “There are so many variables to doing projects, that’s why not everybody is in this business. If it was easy, everybody would be doing it.”