In an example of political correctness going back several years, Bellingham's mayor and city council did a favor for the union-backed anti-Wal-Mart campaign and restricted big-box stores to 90 thousand sq ft maximum. At the time, this foiled Wal-Mart's plans to add a grocery department to their (only) Bellingham site.

But in the process of undercutting non-union Wal-Mart, there was collateral damage to unionized Costco -- across the street from Wal-Mart -- as well as stores like Lowes and Home Depot.

Having changed mayors (and some councilors) since the original ill-considered moratorium, the council has recently been asked by the mayor to consider lifting the limit. So far, so good...especially for badly-needed city sales tax revenues.

But the proposed change comes with many strings attached -- essentially a liberal wish-list. It's almost funny. The proposed preconditions include "green" building (LEED Silver or better), significantly enhanced landscaping, worker compensation minimum of $12/hour, subsidies for "alternative transportation" of commuting workers, and a fixed minimum percentage of inventory "coming from" Washington. I've just tried to hit the high spots.

Welcome to meddlesome "nanny government," Bellingham style.

My prediction, for what it's worth: (even more) businesses will relocate outside the Bellingham limits in the I-5 corridor or in Ferndale, bypassing Bellingham in much the same way as Mount Vernon's anti-business climate essentially created the Burlington business hub in the 1990s.

I would have speculated that businesses unwelcome in Bellingham might relocate onto the Lummi reservation, but in more recent years the Lummi tribal leadership has been on an avaricious tack, hard to distinguish from extortion. But that might be the subject for a future blog.