A new chapter in Bellingham's affordable housing story opened this week as Opportunity Council hosted a celebration for Phase 1 of Cedar Commons, the new apartment complex at the corner of Eliza Avenue and Bellis Fair Parkway. Residents have already begun moving in, and the open house brought together city and county officials to mark the occasion.
Cedar Commons is a project years in the making. Opportunity Council, the Bellingham-based nonprofit housing and community services organization, renamed the project Cedar Commons in 2025 to reflect its core vision -- a place built around connection, shared green space, intergenerational community, and stability for families across different life stages. The name replaced the earlier working title and signaled a deliberate shift toward emphasizing community identity over building function.
The project at 33 Bellis Fair Parkway offers studio, one-bedroom, two-bedroom, and three-bedroom units with rents starting at $569 per month for a studio. Utilities are included in rent, and the complex features on-site laundry facilities and, critically, an on-site early learning center. The combination of stable affordable housing and on-site childcare is designed to support working families who might otherwise face impossible trade-offs between cost, commute, and childcare access.
The open house drew remarks from Mayor Kim Lund, Patty Murray's Northwest Washington Director Hayden Jenkins, Whatcom County Executive Satpal Sidhu, and Opportunity Council Executive Director Greg Winter. Each emphasized what it means for a project of this scale to reach fruition in Bellingham's tight housing market.
Bellingham has faced sustained pressure on affordable housing availability over the past several years. Median rents have risen significantly, and the availability of family-sized units with rents accessible to households earning below the area median income has been a persistent challenge. Cedar Commons Phase 1 adds meaningful supply at price points well below market rate for the area.
Phase 2 of Cedar Commons is planned to bring the total development to more than 120 affordable apartments combined with the five-classroom early learning center, according to previous project reporting from the Bellingham Herald. Phase 2 timelines and unit counts will depend on financing and permitting progress.
For families interested in housing availability at Cedar Commons, information on waitlists and unit availability can be found through Opportunity Council's housing programs. The organization serves Whatcom and Skagit counties and operates multiple affordable housing properties in the region.
The opening of Cedar Commons represents exactly the kind of investment Bellingham officials have pointed to as necessary to address the city's housing gap -- nonprofit-led, deeply affordable, and designed to serve families rather than maximize returns. That it includes an early learning center on the same campus makes it a model worth watching as Bellingham continues to work through its housing challenges.
