With supply still tight, these Bellingham apartment projects are being considered

A steady stream of apartment construction projects continue to go through Bellingham’s building permit process as vacancy rates remain tight throughout the city.

The city’s development dashboard indicates more than 1,200 multifamily units are currently under construction, while nearly 800 units are in permitting. The website indicates 189 single family homes are under construction while 160 are in permitting.

The flurry of apartment construction is attempting to meet the pent-up demand around the city. According to the University of Washington’s spring 2021 apartment survey, Bellingham’s apartment vacancy rate was under 1%. Typically a balanced market has around a 5% vacancy rate.