Dress Up Downtown

Freeland is about to step out of its role as the “plain Jane” stepsister to Langley.

Friends of Freeland hope to transform the image of this busy, unincorporated community on Holmes Harbor into a pedestrian-friendly community with its look softened by flowers and trees.

The group is dressing up downtown Freeland with landscaping features, making it more attractive and safer for pedestrians.

While Langley has sidewalks and landscaping throughout its downtown, Freeland does not have sidewalks and has wide expanses of asphalt separating some retail from the street. Without defined driveways, cars zip in and out from multiple locations creating a hazard for walkers.

Construction and placement of landscape barriers in several of the town’s parking lots would address beauty and safety concerns.

The beautification project is under the direction of architect Richard Rhydes, who is also vice-president of the Friends of Freeland board of directors.

“We started this project by taking a ‘walkabout’ down Main Street to identify ways to beautify and improve access to walkers and bicycles in downtown Freeland,” Rhydes said.

“Creating a boulevard with signature landscaping will control safety and, as a corollary, beatify our community,” he said.

One result of the review was a design for landscape planters (or barriers) that can help define access to and from parking, improve pedestrian safety and add a touch of color to the area.

For its first two projects, Friends chose the busiest intersection in Freeland: the four-way stop at Main Street and Harbor Avenue where 6,000 vehicles pass by daily.

The first project was beautifying the corner in front of Knitty Pearls, a yarn shop. The transformation of this one corner is vivid.

A year ago, it was an old abandoned gas station with weeds growing out of the crumbling gas pump island in front. Though the shop was painted and spruced up, the wide paved area in front of the station was an eyesore.

Volunteers made a berm in a low planter of cedar over the pump island, and on the side of the building they constructed a one-piece unit with planters and a bench that has a trellis over top.

Cost to the group was $1,100; the remainder was paid with donations and grants. Local businesses donated some materials and landscape plants.

The next project the group will tackle this summer is the area in front of U.S. Bank at the same intersection.

The group plans to paint in a sidewalk along Harbor Avenue, and plant ornamental trees across the front of the building and along the side.

“The hope is people will use their feet more by either walking and biking to town or parking in one location to do all their errands. We want to let the people know this a great place,” Rhydes said.

The committee is developing a multi-phase project plan that will extend over several years and will put together several grant requests as a basis for project funding.

“By approaching the county and property-business owners with a viable project and funding from state and federal grants, we will all benefit,” Rhydes said.

The projects are all temporary and Friends has assured Island County that everything will be removed when sewer construction begins.

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