Editor’s note: A previous version of this story did not note the measure will not go into effect until a third reading has occurred. MBN regrets the error.

BELLINGHAM, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – A new ordinance in Bellingham will look to close some area to the public in order to deter crime.

In a 6-0 vote on the night of Monday, March 23, the city council approved the interim ordinance that would allow city officials to close some alleys in downtown Bellingham. The measure will need to go through a third and final reading before approval.

Bellingham chief of police would request the public works director to close an alley, wherein crews install fences on the entrances to the space.

The city of Seattle instituted a similar policy in 2019, but it is unclear how effective this policy has been to deter crime.

During the committee meeting earlier in the day, Mayor Kim Lund emphasized that the Bellingham policy will not be used to target unhoused people or those addicted to drugs.

“This is really the epicenter of illegal and illicit criminal drug dealing in our community,” the mayor said. “It is entrenched and, [because] it’s been there so long in such a public and visible way, it’s also where we know that people are accessing these illegal, very harmful substances for the first time.”

Council chair Holly Huthman also noted that the ordinance likely won’t fix all problems that Bellingham faces.

“This is a very short-term, Band-Aid solution, [The ordinance] stated it’s temporary, it is stated that it is experimental, it is stated that we know the benefits to this are small,” Huthman said.

The ordinance carries the maximum penalty of $1,000 or 90 days incarceration for accessing a closed alley without permission.