By Emily Hamann 

Bellingham solar panel company itek Energy is in negotiations to purchase a Port of Bellingham warehouse near the waterfront.

The company would use the 48,000-square-foot building at 800 Cornwall Ave. to build its next generation of products, said Karl Unterschuetz, the director of business development at itek.

The port and itek have been working on the purchase agreement since April for the property. The Port Commission could consider the deal at its Oct. 18 commission meeting.

“If approved, this deal will bring 125 employees to the heart of downtown Bellingham,” Port spokesperson Mike Hogan said in an email.

If the deal goes through, itek would begin operations at that building by spring next year. Currently itek is working out of 11,000 square feet of manufacturing space in Bellingham’s Irongate neighborhood.