Whatcom County is inviting residents to attend the third Community Engagement Workshop for the Justice Project on Wednesday, July 23, 2026, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Squalicum Boathouse, located at 2600 N. Harbor Loop in Bellingham. The session offers one of the final public opportunities to weigh in on the project before planning shifts to the design-build phase.
The Justice Project is the county's sweeping plan to replace its aging jail infrastructure and build a new Behavioral Care Center, a facility designed to divert people with mental health and substance use disorders away from traditional incarceration and into treatment-oriented settings. The project has been years in development and has drawn significant public attention as county officials grapple with both the cost and the philosophy behind how Whatcom County handles public safety and behavioral health crises.
What This Workshop Will Cover
Wednesday's session is structured around three main areas. Attendees will get a detailed look at the proposed size, facility features, and programming details for both the Behavioral Care Center and the new jail. County officials will also walk participants through how public input gathered in earlier workshops, combined with data-driven studies, shaped the current proposal. Finally, the session will explain what comes next for the Justice Project after the community engagement phase wraps up and the design-build team takes over.
The third workshop represents a pivotal moment in the process. Once planning is handed off to the design-build team, the window for significant community influence over the project's basic parameters begins to close. Residents who have opinions about the size of the new jail, the programming model for the Behavioral Care Center, or the balance between incarceration and treatment have a direct opportunity to share those views with elected officials and decision-makers who will be present at the event.
Whatcom County has emphasized that elected officials will be on hand for face-to-face conversation, not just staff presenters. That distinguishes this workshop from a typical public information meeting and gives attendees the chance to engage directly with the people who hold voting authority over the project's future.
Background on the Justice Project
Whatcom County's current jail, located on Grand Avenue in Bellingham, has faced persistent overcrowding and aging infrastructure challenges for decades. The facility was not designed for modern incarceration standards, and the county has been under pressure to address conditions that critics have called inadequate for both staff and inmates. The push for a new facility gained momentum alongside growing recognition that a substantial portion of the jail population consists of people with untreated mental illness and addiction, populations who often cycle repeatedly through the criminal justice system without ever receiving effective treatment.
The Behavioral Care Center concept was developed in response to that reality. The facility would be designed to provide stabilization, assessment, and short-term treatment services for people who would otherwise end up in the jail or the emergency room. Several similar facilities have been built in other Washington counties, and Whatcom County officials have studied those models in shaping the local proposal.
The county selected a site on Hannegan Road for the new jail facility earlier this year, a 19-acre property that offers significantly more space than the current downtown location. The Hannegan Road site is expected to allow for a purpose-built facility that addresses the shortcomings of the current jail while accommodating the integrated behavioral health services envisioned in the Justice Project plan.
How to Participate
The Squalicum Boathouse is located on the north end of Bellingham's waterfront, accessible from Roeder Avenue and N. Harbor Loop. Parking is available in the waterfront area. The meeting runs from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., and county officials have indicated that the format will allow for real dialogue rather than a one-way presentation.
Residents who want to review materials from earlier workshops or catch up on the Justice Project's history before attending can visit the Whatcom County Government website, where documentation from prior community sessions has been posted. The county has committed to transparency throughout the engagement process, and workshop materials have generally been made available to the public before and after each session.
The July 23 meeting comes as the project moves into a critical transition. Once the design-build team is engaged, construction timelines, costs, and facility specifications will move toward finalization. Community members who want their voices reflected in those outcomes should plan to attend Wednesday's workshop at the Squalicum Boathouse. For context on Whatcom County's broader civic planning conversations, earlier reporting on the Hannegan Road jail site selection provides useful background on how the project reached this stage.
