— from Janet Alderton —
I became a year-round resident of Orcas in 2005. Since then I have become increasingly aware that many people in our community struggle to find a safe and affordable place to live. Several times, a person helping me in a store has asked, “Do you know of a place to rent? My house is becoming a vacation rental and I must move out within a few weeks.” I feel so sad for them. I know there is an extreme shortage of affordable places to live.
The problem is so extreme that some people resort to camping in the woods without adequate toilet facilities. This cannot be good for them, for public health generally, or for our environment. With so much dense unhealthy forest I am concerned about wildfire. Without a source of water to fully quench campfire embers, there is a risk of wildfire, especially during windy dry weather. A catastrophic wildfire could devastate our island.
Affordable housing is naturally modest in size, especially compared to many privately built homes in our islands. The environmental impacts per person are smaller for affordable homes. The Home Fund initiative will favor low-impact projects.
This is my community. I rely on talented, hard-working island people every day. But a lack of affordable housing is making life ever harder for working people who are essential for our community. I hear of people offered jobs as teachers, chefs, skilled builders, even lawyers, who have declined a job in our county because they cannot afford a place to live. I support the Home Fund on this November’s ballot because it will help create low impact affordable homes.
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Janet- thanks for your insight. It makes me reconsider my stated reservations; your position at Friends of San Juan helps, too. My hesitation has always derived from genuine ecological concern–of increasing the human footprint on a small island that can’t physically grow. Yet we need teachers, chefs, airport staff, skilled builders, nurse assistants, etc…. they obviously add the very real and vibrant humanity to the island ….and they need affordable housing to stay. I’m moved to join your cause in finding a “low impact” solution to bridge the affordability gap while respecting the island’s living, breathing ecology.
Janet; you are someone I admire and deeply respect; thank you for this letter. I would be thrilled to see all the homeless housed (and the drug problem fixed too.) I think there needs to be a clause that no more mixed wood forests (especially madrona forests) be sacrificed in the Urban Growth area for ANY high density housing or VRBOs- especially if in or near wetlands. If that can be codified, I’m 100% behind affordable housing, both in and outside of the UGA and if we have to change our regulations to do it, so be it. Dignity Village in Portland is a fine example of a housing compound for the homeless that became successful for a number of reasons. I think our commissioners might support something like it. (we’re far from being Portland and may we never have all that concrete, but what a creative solution and i love the 5 rules!) https://insidedignityvillage.weebly.com/
As the mixed wood forest across from Children’s house is about to go to the bulldozers for OPAL’s new 45-unit housing project, it pains me no end. I’m FOR the housing and understand the need, but I’m against THAT woods being destroyed, and I’m pained for the creatures who will be “evicted” and have nowhere to go. Many of them will become road kill, unfortunately.
I’ve also seen over a long time that you cannot have effective stormwater treatment without trees to filter and slow the water. We are creating a monster with deforestation. So what are the answers? I want to be someone involved with solving these problems! If not for Lavender Hollow (which I fought being built but have lived here for years now) I’d likely be one of those homeless people.
I’d help Chris Graham help you to find “low impact” ecological solutions to high density housing of ANY kind, but especially affordable housing, since all that’s being built in Eastsound UGA seems to be 2nd, 3rd, or 4th houses and VRBOs. Let’s put a moratorium on VRBOs in the UGA while we’re at it. This was intended to be where people lived – not as vacay rental paradise. that’s what the UGA was for. if we HAVE to build here in the UGA, let’s build affordable housing for the workers.