Join Your Neighbors...
The Archdiocese of Seattle is petitioning Bellingham to renovate and temporarily occupy the Sacred Heart Parish Hall at 14th Street and Knox Avenue on South Hill, operating a private regional high school there for up to three years. During that time, the Archdiocese plans to develop plans for a permanent school facility — with the Sacred Heart property itself among the potential building sites. We believe that decision should never be made. A permanent school on this site would raise serious concerns for neighborhood safety, increase community liability, and threaten the character that makes South Hill special. Join our mailing list and stand with us before that decision is made.
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Here is the story:
Background
Since 2023, the Archdiocese of Seattle has pursued a plan to establish a private regional high school in Bellingham (the North Deanery Catholic High School, or NDCHS) in two stages:
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A temporary school in the Sacred Heart Parish community hall at 14th Street and Knox Avenue, opening fall 2027 with roughly 24 students bused in from a five-county catchment area.
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Within a few years, a permanent facility serving at least 200 students — either newly built on the Sacred Heart property or built/renovated elsewhere in Bellingham.
The Temporary School: CUP Exemption Under Review
The school committee has asked the City to exempt the temporary school from Conditional Use Permit (CUP) requirements. We strongly oppose this exemption. The temporary school raises real safety and congestion concerns for the site, and it should be required to go through a full CUP public hearing before a Hearing Examiner, so the community has a chance to weigh in and the school is required to justify its legitimacy. We may not prevail — but the process itself matters.
The City has already pushed back on the exemption request once: it has required the school to locate and provide the original CUP for the site, issued in 1960. The school's 120-day response window began May 22, 2026, and runs through September 19, 2026 (extendable at the Archdiocese's request). If that documentation can't be found, NDCHS will be required to apply for a new or amended CUP — which triggers the Hearing Examiner process, giving the community its opportunity to be heard.
Our Bigger Concern: Permanent Construction at Sacred Heart Parish
Separately, and more urgently, we oppose any permanent construction on the Sacred Heart site. A temporary hall conversion is one thing; a purpose-built regional high school — for 200+ students, on land currently zoned residential — is a fundamentally different proposal, and one the neighborhood has not had a chance to weigh in on.
Who We Are
14thStreetVoices.org is an affiliation of neighbors and friends concerned about the negative community impacts of a large-scale private regional high school operating in this residential neighborhood.
You Are Needed
The City of Bellingham Planning and Community Development department needs to hear from you — at community meetings and permit hearings. Community voices can significantly influence decisions on permits, waivers, and exemptions. Right now, our top priority is growing the number of informed neighbors, so we're ready to mobilize the moment a hearing is scheduled.
Join our mailing list and share the information — we'll alert you the moment a hearing date is set. Then forward that alert to friends and neighbors, and share www.14thstreetvoices.org with everyone you know.
Intensity of Use:
From Local Accessory Use to Regional Institution
The Archdiocese's claim that the temporary school merely "converts existing classrooms" is misleading. These spaces have historically hosted low-intensity weekend parish events — a stark contrast to a daily high-intensity school operation drawing students from five counties. If the Archdiocese's school projections are accurate, total site occupancy will surge past 50 people at peak (students, faculty, staff), generating an estimated 50–100 daily vehicle trips — noise, light, and traffic incompatible with a quiet residential zone.
Public Safety:
Infrastructure Deficiencies and Cumulative Risk
Placing a high school just one block from Lowell Elementary School compounds an existing traffic choke-point. This historic neighborhood cannot handle the simultaneous "peak hour surges" of two near-adjacent school drop-off zones. The lack of continuous sidewalks and crosswalks forces teenagers and young elementary students to navigate uncurbed shoulders together, dramatically increasing pedestrian safety risks. Furthermore, the intersection at 14th & Knox is already a notorious collector route plagued by speeding and ignored stop signs. Adding inexperienced high school drivers to this mix, alongside hazardous chemical storage required for science labs, creates a severe liability for the City.
Regulatory and Zoning Conflicts:
Requiring Public Input on a Conditional Use Permit
Labeling this facility a "school" to avoid a new CUP relies on the claim that the building's function isn't changing — despite its 1960 permit authorizing only a "parish community hall." Under Bellingham Municipal Code 20.16.020(L)(1), schools are recognized as potential detriments to residential quality of life. Shifting to this high-intensity use, on a site that already falls short of standard open-space requirements (BMC 20.12.010), requires a formal public balancing test by a Hearing Examiner.
Harmonizing with the COB Comprehensive Plan:
Contradicting the Neighborhood Priorities
The current private regional high school proposal stands in direct contradiction to the Bellingham Comprehensive Plan's mandatory guidelines. Policy LU-1 explicitly requires the City to protect the character of residential neighborhoods while allowing only compatible institutional uses. Additionally, Policy LU-7 mandates that conditional uses must match the surrounding scale and must not create adverse noise, light, or traffic impacts. By seeking a total exemption, the applicant is actively attempting to bypass the exact CUP process designed to enforce these strict compatibility standards. Finally, the South Hill Neighborhood Plan (Area 4A) specifically prioritizes site and building design that avoids negative impact such as noise, lighting, refuse and privacy while preserving the historic residential fabric and maintaining neighborhood stability.
TAKE ACTION
Keep informed. Stay updated on upcoming planning board meetings, public comment deadlines, and neighborhood actions.
A hearing could be scheduled at any time. Join the mailing list now so you're not finding out after the decision is made.
Stand With Your Neighbors. Make Your Voice Heard. Share the Issue.