Developer group seeks major overhaul of downtown Eastsound

||| BY WALTER ZUSTOVICH, theORCASONIAN GUEST REPORTER |||

With the popularity of Orcas Island reaching new post-pandemic highs, a loose coalition of on-and off-island developers called Building the Future is seeing an opportunity to bring Eastsound proper into the 21st century.

Noting two recent projects adding luxury rental suites to Main Street along with upgrades to Prune Alley, a group spokesperson enthused that, “The future of Eastsound is ripe for an upgrade. While the small-town feel has worked in the past, there’s a new generation of visitors that expects an experience more in line with where modern trends of travel are taking us.”

The group has already been in contact with local officials and county departments to examine current regulations and explore strategies for expediting such a makeover. An un-named county official shrugs off the expectation of local pushback, saying “The county has turned a corner, and Orcas Island cannot be excluded. Most residents will come to appreciate that we took action now, before other competitors beat us to the punch. And imagine what we could do with the additional tax revenue!”

Building the Future’s efforts have not gone unnoticed. An opposing coalition of local residents called Fight the Madness has been shadowing the coalition’s initiative, vowing to “mobilize the resources we have to retain the sense of community that has made this place special.” When asked to further clarify what that resistance might look like, the group’s hooded representative, speaking on a Zoom call, simply shook his head. “Whatever it takes.”