BELLINGHAM, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – The Port of Bellingham has gone to court to back up its effort to sideline the company that has been leading waterfront redevelopment.
The Port contracted with Ireland-based Harcourt Developments in 2015 to serve as Master Developer of almost 19 acres of the former GP site. But the Port says in a lawsuit filed in Whatcom Superior Court that it first notified Harcourt in 2019 that projects were falling behind schedule and the company was in default of the original agreement.
It notified Harcourt again in 2021 that its projects were lagging, and the parties negotiated a replacement agreement that cut Harcourt’s development area by more than half. The Port says delays continued and it rescinded Harcourt’s status as Master Developer last October.
Harcourt in December asked for an extension of the development agreement, which the Port denied.
The Port’s lawsuit asks the court to declare the rights and obligations of the parties, award it attorneys’ fees and legal costs, and any other relief the court finds it should receive.
