Rental Housing Site Plan Alternatives at OPAL Open House

— from OPAL Community Land Trust —

An open house is scheduled on Tuesday, July 14, beginning at 6 p.m., so the community can view alternative preliminary site plan concepts for OPAL Community Land Trust’s proposed rental housing in Eastsound.

The meeting will take place in the modular building behind the school Administration Building on School Road.

The future rental project, on nearly four acres on North Beach Road – across from Children’s House and north of the orchard, will have approximately 30 units of affordable housing.

The property, owned by Jim and Betsy Nelson of Olga, will be developed over the next several years, if OPAL is able to secure funding. The Nelsons will retain ownership of the adjoining orchard.

Bill Singer, housing lead at Environmental Works Community Design Center, Seattle, is the project architect. He will be part of the team presenting the site plan concepts. The firm specializes in community facilities, affordable housing and other public works. OPAL’s building committee recommended hiring Environmental Works after reviewing proposals from 11 architectural firms and interviewing five finalists. The landscape architect will be John Barker, and the civil engineer will be Greg Bronn with Hart Pacific Engineering.

OPAL estimates the cost of the new rental housing project at $9.2 million, with over 90 percent of the funding coming from federal and state grants, tax credits and loans. The balance will be raised through donations from private individuals and foundations.

As part of the the design process, OPAL is soliciting community input over the next few months to determine how many homes of what sizes to construct. The first focus group discussion was held on June 23. Local media coverage of that meeting is available at orcasissues.com/opal-affordable-housing-meeting-asks-what-could-go-right-or-wrong

There will also be other opportunities over the summer for the community to discuss the project at the Farmer’s Market and other venues. “We want to hear what the community has to say,” said Lisa Byers, OPAL executive director.

This will be OPAL’s first all-new construction project since building the Wild Rose Meadow neighborhood, across from the Medical Center, from 2005 to 2010. Since then OPAL has concentrated on relocating and “recycling” existing houses and renovating the eight buildings and 22 units of the Lavender Hollow Apartments.

Incorporated in 1989, OPAL serves 132 rental and ownership Orcas Island households and continues to accept applications from people who are not able to purchase a house in the traditional market. For more information, go to: www.opalclt.org or call (360) 376-3191.