Civic Athletic Complex Master Plan + Community Indoor Recreation Center

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This project is complete, and the Civic Compext Master Plan was approved by the City Council on March 23, 2026.

An aerial view of Civic Stadium with the Sportsplex and Sehome Hill in the background

 

See the final plan!   

The Civic Athletic Complex Master Plan was approved by the Bellingham City Council on March 23, 2026.

Watch the video below or ready the Master Plan to learn about the future of recreation at Civic Athletic Complex. With a strong focus on expanded indoor recreation options, plus upgrades to existing fields and sports facilities, see how we’re reimagining Bellingham’s premier recreation hub. 

Key Features of the Plan 

  • North end: We’re reserving space for the potential to build a replacement school for Carl Cozier elementary. New lighted and turfed baseball/softball and multi-use fields will create access to stellar amenities for field sports for both school and community use. 
  • South end: The south end of the complex will include a new community indoor recreation center – with expanded aquatics, gym space, fitness studios, and flexible meeting spaces – to deliver more opportunities to recreate and exercise out of the rain. The exact design of the community center isn’t part of this plan, but you can weigh in below on priorities that will drive the general size and shape it takes. 
  • Improvements and expansion of other amenities: Civic Stadium, Joe Martin Field, and forested trails will also receive much-needed upgrades. Plus, north of the Sportsplex, we’re holding space to expand that building or add a fieldhouse for more space for indoor sports. 
  • Better mobility for everyone: We’ll create better connections and easier navigation with a “Civic Promenade” – a pedestrian-friendly corridor linking the whole campus together. Parking improvements, gateway roundabouts, plazas, and more green space will welcome visitors, improving flow throughout the site.


Thank you for your feedback!

From Dec.10-31, 2025, we received almost 1,200 responses to our survey on priorities for the community indoor recreation center. We’ve heard many ideas about what a community center should include, and your feedback helped us determine what we focus on in both the Master Plan and the next phase of development of a community recreation center.

Read our community engagement summary to learn more about what we heard.

 

See the final plan!   

The Civic Athletic Complex Master Plan was approved by the Bellingham City Council on March 23, 2026.

Watch the video below or ready the Master Plan to learn about the future of recreation at Civic Athletic Complex. With a strong focus on expanded indoor recreation options, plus upgrades to existing fields and sports facilities, see how we’re reimagining Bellingham’s premier recreation hub. 

Key Features of the Plan 

  • North end: We’re reserving space for the potential to build a replacement school for Carl Cozier elementary. New lighted and turfed baseball/softball and multi-use fields will create access to stellar amenities for field sports for both school and community use. 
  • South end: The south end of the complex will include a new community indoor recreation center – with expanded aquatics, gym space, fitness studios, and flexible meeting spaces – to deliver more opportunities to recreate and exercise out of the rain. The exact design of the community center isn’t part of this plan, but you can weigh in below on priorities that will drive the general size and shape it takes. 
  • Improvements and expansion of other amenities: Civic Stadium, Joe Martin Field, and forested trails will also receive much-needed upgrades. Plus, north of the Sportsplex, we’re holding space to expand that building or add a fieldhouse for more space for indoor sports. 
  • Better mobility for everyone: We’ll create better connections and easier navigation with a “Civic Promenade” – a pedestrian-friendly corridor linking the whole campus together. Parking improvements, gateway roundabouts, plazas, and more green space will welcome visitors, improving flow throughout the site.


Thank you for your feedback!

From Dec.10-31, 2025, we received almost 1,200 responses to our survey on priorities for the community indoor recreation center. We’ve heard many ideas about what a community center should include, and your feedback helped us determine what we focus on in both the Master Plan and the next phase of development of a community recreation center.

Read our community engagement summary to learn more about what we heard.

This project is complete, and the Civic Compext Master Plan was approved by the City Council on March 23, 2026.

  • More Details about Emerging Site Plan

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    Based on community feedback, we are moving forward with a site plan for Civic Athletic Complex in which the new elementary school would be built at the corner of Fraser and Puget Streets and expanded or new community recreation facilities could be built at the corner of Lincoln Street and Lakeway Drive. This scenario was the clear favorite in our surveys.

    With this site plan, we also intend to create a new interpretive wetland park and new multiuse fields for softball, baseball, soccer and rugby at the north end of the Complex. It also creates opportunities for a lighted trail through the forested area and space to expand the Sportsplex with more sheets of ice and/or indoor soccer fields.

    View our slideshow summary to find more details about this, as well as our next steps

    Based on community feedback, we are moving forward with a site plan for Civic Athletic Complex in which the new elementary school would be built at the corner of Fraser and Puget Streets and expanded or new community recreation facilities could be built at the corner of Lincoln Street and Lakeway Drive. This scenario was the clear favorite in our surveys.

    With this site plan, we also intend to create a new interpretive wetland park and new multiuse fields for softball, baseball, soccer and rugby at the north end of the Complex. It also creates opportunities for a lighted trail through the forested area and space to expand the Sportsplex with more sheets of ice and/or indoor soccer fields.

    View our slideshow summary to find more details about this, as well as our next steps

    This project is complete, and the Civic Compext Master Plan was approved by the City Council on March 23, 2026.

  • Open House Presentation

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    We hosted a public house on Nov. 6 to get feedback on four scenarios for development at Civic. You can watch the presentation here and get a closer look at the slides.


    We hosted a public house on Nov. 6 to get feedback on four scenarios for development at Civic. You can watch the presentation here and get a closer look at the slides.


    This project is complete, and the Civic Compext Master Plan was approved by the City Council on March 23, 2026.

  • Phase 1 video update

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    Watch our video update about the work we did in the first phase of this project. This video also has background information about the locations we evaluated for high-intensity development.


    Watch our video update about the work we did in the first phase of this project. This video also has background information about the locations we evaluated for high-intensity development.


    This project is complete, and the Civic Compext Master Plan was approved by the City Council on March 23, 2026.