WWU students study how to redevelop Bellis Fair, downtown Bellingham

If redeveloped, the Bellis Fair mall property could hold about 7,000 residents, along with commercial and community space, according to some students at Western Washington University. Some of the mall's infrastructure could even be reused.

And Cornwall Avenue between Chestnut and Champion streets could be transformed and revitalized into a bustling residential and retail strip if anchor stores were placed at each end with smaller spaces in between, including in the alleys. Parking structures would be needed, but a shuttle from the bus station and through the retail area could bring in many people without cars.

These are a few of the concepts that WWU planning students will unveil in a public presentation in City Council Chambers, on Wednesday, March 10. It's part of the Urban Transitions Studio, which is new to the university this year. Through the program, students from various disciplines examine a project from their own studies.