Council approves $800,000 in affordable housing funds to support OPAL’s Pea Patch Project

||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS |||

During the July 15 meeting, the Council approved supplemental funding for OPAL Community Land Trust’s new rental housing on the Pea Patch Community Campus. This property is on its way to providing permanent space for the Orcas Island Food Bank and a neighborhood of 20 affordable rental homes. The Council approved $800,000 from the Home Fund to support the project and authorized staff to draft a conditional funding commitment letter.  

Background 

Health & Community Services staff received a request from OPAL Community Land Trust on May 9, 2025 to supplement the Home Fund grant awarded to the Cottages at the Pea Patch Project during the 2024 Home Fund funding round.

OPAL was awarded a $540,000 Home Fund grant in 2024 for site acquisition costs and a rehabilitation feasibility analysis of the existing rental units. The County has also supported the project through an Affordable Housing Awards (AHA) grant awarded in 2023 in the amount of $120,000 to support pre-development work on this project. The total development cost for the new housing portion of the campus project is currently estimated at $14.1M.  

OPAL requested these additional supplemental funds due to increases in construction cost estimates, and because the project has not yet been successful in securing a Connecting Housing to Infrastructure Program (CHIP) grant. OPAL is required to show the project is fully funded before it is able to complete its contracts with other granting agencies. Funding this request allows the project to unlock new funds and avoid costly delays.  

Home Fund – By the Numbers  

San Juan County’s Home Fund is now in its seventh year of existence since voters approved it back in 2018. This program contributes funding towards the creation and preservation of affordable housing funded by a Real Estate Excise tax (REET), and a 1/10^th of 1% sales tax.

To date, the County has contributed over $13 million dollars in funding to 13 affordable housing projects throughout the County. These projects represent 104 units of affordable housing that have already been built or preserved, with another 92 units currently in active development. In total the County’s Home Fund has been able to contribute funding to 196 units of affordable housing.

For more information on the Home Fund including project photos, visit www.sjchomefund.com.

About San Juan County’s Department of Health & Community Services    

San Juan County’s Department of Health & Community Services is responsible for community and environmental health, mental health and substance abuse programs, senior services, affordable housing projects, and more. The department has staff and offices on Lopez, Orcas, and San Juan Islands. For more information about San Juan County’s Department of Health & Community Services, visit www.sanjuancountywa.gov/1777/Health-Community-Services.