BELLINGHAM, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – Judgement day for the Bellingham Walmart encampment’s property owner appears to be on the horizon.

A summary judgement hearing has been scheduled for next Wednesday, Sept. 25, meaning the court could issue a ruling based on the facts of the case without having it go to trial.

The owners of nearby Tullwood Apartments asked the court to consider the motion last month as issues within the encampment continue.

New court documents state that a nuisance abatement specialist hired by encampment property owner Li-Ching Fang conducted a walkthrough of the site on May 7. They were accompanied by members of Bellingham Police, Public Works, Whatcom County Health and Community Services and other city officials.

A Public Works official estimated 1000-2000 tons of solid waste needs to be removed from the 20-acre property. The amount of waste on the property was described in court documents as “staggering” and “overwhelming”. Court documents also state that an access road is needed to be constructed to get to parts of the property.

It’s estimated the cleanup effort alone would cost over $2 million, with another $2 – 4 million needed to further rehabilitate the area’s ecosystem.

The court hasn’t received any legal correspondence from Fang since March.

However, additional court documents state that Fang has known about the homeless encampment since she bought the property in 2019.

A code enforcement officer and Fang’s brother-in-law conducted their own walkthrough in February 2020 as complaints mounted. At least ten different “encampment sites” were noted during the walkthrough.

Fang later expressed remorse over purchasing the property, but efforts to abate the nuisance at that time were shelved due to COVID-19.

The City of Bellingham wants to have Fang clear the encampment by the end 2024.

If the summary judgement is granted and Fang does not have the property cleared by the start of 2025, the city would have the right to do it themselves.