The proposed Tractor Supply development is connected to a 13.64-acre property along Meridian Street near Horton Road in north Bellingham.
BELLINGHAM, Wash, — A new Tractor Supply development is being proposed along Meridian Street in north Bellingham near Walmart, according to newly filed City of Bellingham planning records reviewed by Bellingham Metro News.
A pre-application filed with the city on Sept. 10 identifies the project as the development of a “Tractor Supply” building, display area and parking lot at 4575 Meridian Street near Horton Road.
The application, PRE2026-0070, remains in the early review process. City records do not indicate that construction has been approved, and no opening date is listed.
The property connected to the application is much larger than the address may initially suggest.
City records identify the site as parcel 380201434110, containing approximately 594,301 square feet of land. Whatcom County property records list the same parcel under 4577 Meridian Street and show it contains approximately 13.64 acres.
The 4575 and 4577 Meridian Street addresses correspond with the same large parcel, which stretches west from Meridian Street along the south side of Horton Road. Much of the property is currently undeveloped.
County records list 4577 Meridian LLC as the property owner.
BMN also reviewed public records from several other cities and found connections between the companies and individuals listed on the Bellingham application and previous Tractor Supply Company developments.
The Bellingham application identifies Welkin Engineering of Wilsonville, Oregon, along with Atwater Group of Chicago. David Soto, who is listed on the application with Atwater Group, is identified by the company as one of its principals and is involved in site selection and development projects.
Planning records from Waconia, Minnesota, provide one of the clearest examples.
A September 2024 city planning packet identifies Soto and Atwater Group in connection with a zoning change associated with the possible future construction of a Tractor Supply Co. store. Planning Commission records from the same process also identify a Tractor Supply district manager participating in discussions surrounding the project. Conceptual architectural drawings included in the city’s records are labeled “Tractor Supply Company.”
The same development team appears on another Tractor Supply project in Ellensburg, Washington.
City of Ellensburg records for applications P25-086, P25-087 and P25-088 identify Atwater Group as part of the development team and Edward K. Christensen of Welkin Engineering as the applicant, engineer, planner and owner’s representative.
That project calls for a 21,930-square-foot Tractor Supply commercial building, a 20,000-square-foot fenced outdoor display area, a 3,000-square-foot permanent trailer and equipment display area and an associated parking lot.
Christensen and Welkin Engineering also appear on the new Bellingham application.
Another example can be found in Medford, Oregon.
A City of Medford Land Development Review record for project AC-25-373, titled “Coker Butte Business Park, Tractor Supply,” describes a proposed 21,390-square-foot Tractor Supply store with a 20,000-square-foot display area.
That city record lists Atwater Group as the applicant and Welkin Engineering as the project agent.
Taken together, the records strongly indicate that the Bellingham proposal is connected with the national Tractor Supply Company rather than an unrelated business using a similar name.
However, the Bellingham project remains at the pre-application stage, and BMN has not located a public announcement from Tractor Supply Company confirming the Bellingham location or an opening date.
The size of the Meridian Street property also leaves some questions unanswered.
At approximately 13.64 acres, the property is considerably larger than the building and outdoor display areas involved in the other Tractor Supply developments reviewed by BMN.
That does not necessarily mean the entire property would be used by Tractor Supply. The company could ultimately occupy only a portion of the parcel, leaving additional land available for other uses or future development, but that is just speculation.
At this point, anything beyond the Tractor Supply proposal would be speculation. The current Bellingham pre-application does not identify additional businesses, separate buildings or future phases.
The proposal remains in its earliest stages. No inspections are currently listed on the city record, and the filing is a pre-application rather than a final building permit.
If the project moves forward, it would be one of the first major new retail developments north of Walmart within Bellingham city limits in a long time.
Readers looking to independently verify BMN’s reporting can search the following public records: City of Bellingham application PRE2026-0070; Whatcom County parcel 3802014341100000; City of Ellensburg applications P25-086, P25-087 and P25-088; City of Medford project AC-25-373; and September 2024 City of Waconia Planning Commission records involving David Soto, Atwater Group and Tractor Supply.
BMN will continue following the proposal as additional site plans, building details and city review records become available.
Article by Fernando Gonzalez, Bellingham Metro News. Reporting based on City of Bellingham records, Whatcom County property records, GIS mapping and municipal planning documents.
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