Real Estate Editor
Construction should take about two years, with the townhouses to start during that period.
Up in Bellingham, yesterday marked the official groundbreaking for the 142-unit Manning apartments, at 2401 Rimland Drive. That’s within the larger mixed-use Barkley Village, which is owned and run by Talbot Group.
On a vacant, sloping site, MG2 designed the mostly six-story Manning, with Exxel Pacific as the builder. The anticipated timeline is to open the building, with its two wings, in late 2027. Groundwork began earlier this fall. Goldman Sachs is the construction lender.
MG2 rates the Manning at 290,000 square feet, which includes the parking and about 3,000 square feet of retail/commercial space.
The project also has a separate but related townhouse component, with a half dozen units for the sales market. (That’s still in design.) The broker there may later be Realogics Sotheby’s International Realty, which issued a joint press release with the developer.
Ben Besley of Talbot Group said in the release, “This groundbreaking is a sign of big things to come for Barkley Village. With some of the best tenants in Whatcom County and a great relationship with the city of Bellingham, this vision is attracting development and investment partners to help us build for the benefit of our neighbors and the municipality.”
From RSIR, Dean Jones added, “Barkley Village is defining its own urban center outside a primary city as a next-generation hub of growth — but even better: more urban, more sustainable, more integrated.”
Exxel Pacific began groundwork this fall.
Representing the third generation of family enterprises in Bellingham, including Barkley Village, Stowe Talbot said, “Today’s groundbreaking caps a banner year for us at Barkley Village. The Manning is the result of three years of planning, design and financial analysis.” (Back in the 1980s, the entire property was intended for warehouses to support the family’s Bellingham Cold Storage.)
Units are to run from studios to two-beds. The Manning will benefit from the city’s multifamily property tax exemption program, though all its units will be market-rate. Future tenants will have a gym and other amenities. Mostly underground parking will have about 230 stalls — some for shoppers. The Manning will also pursue the Green Building Initiative’s Green Globes certification, with sustainable features possibly to include rooftop solar panels.
The scene on Tuesday, with Bellingham Mayor Kim Lund in attendance.
The project address may change during or after construction. The Manning will rise on the northeast shoulder of the 255-acre Barkley Village. Its retail space will be represented by Gage Commercial Real Estate, as with the rest of the village.
One significant amenity for future Manning residents is the walkability. Barkley Village is anchored by a Haggen grocery store — which opened 30 years ago — plus many other shops, restaurants and businesses including a Regal multiplex. There are also various pocket parks and greenspace areas.
Development began in the late 1980s. The village currently has about 484 units (both condos and rentals), and the city recently approved a master plan to allow another 2,400 or so. About 300 of those are slated to be affordable. More retail and offices are also likely, with the city having approved up to 2 million square feet of construction, old and new. Much of the expansion will push north to Highway 542.
Copyright 2025 Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce