BELLINGHAM, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – A judge has ordered the property owner to immediately clean up a homeless encampment near the Bellingham Walmart.
Whatcom Superior Court Judge Lee Grochmal granted a Motion for Summary Judgement filed by the City of Bellingham and the owner of a nearby apartment complex against Li-Ching Fang on Wednesday, Sept. 25.
The court also issued a Warrant of Abatement to the city, allowing it to access the property by force if necessary to begin planning for its immediate clearing and clean-up.
Bellingham Public Works has estimated that 1000 to 2000 tons of solid waste needs to be removed from the 20-acre property and clean-up could cost over $2 million.
Rehabilitating the area’s ecosystem could cost as much as $4 million on top of that.
Fang is a resident of Taiwan and court documents state that she has known about the encampment since she bought the property in 2019.
The company that owns the nearby Tullwood Apartments has joined the city’s lawsuit against Fang.
They have expressed concerns in court that the city lacks a plan to relocate people living in the encampment and that the clean-up won’t be done in a timely manner.
