Opal's Mt Baker project selected
as county CDBG applicant
posted 10/05/2006
San Juan County Council agreed to select OPAL Community Land Trust's Mount Baker Road Permanently Affordable Housing Project as the county's applicant for the federal Community Development Block Grant funds. The plans call for construction of 34 homes on seven acres across the road from Orcas Island Medical Center.
OPAL Housing Manager Julie Brunner said the organization is asking for a $450,000 grant to be used for site infrastructure.
The 34 homes will be built in three phases. They will be clusterd. The homes will be available for islanders earning incomes between $22,000 to $72,000. There is one pond in the community area.
OPAL has built 53 single-family homes, renovated three homes, constructed seven rental apartments and 3600 sq. feet of office space on Orcas Island since 1989.
County accommodates OPAL request
posted 05/04/05
San Juan County Commissioners voted to make two exceptions to the requirements of the county's revolving down payment assistance loan program. First-time home buyers can borrow up to $30,000 from the county to use as a down payment. Four potential buyers of homes in the Lahari Ridge Neighborhood in Deer Harbor wouldn't be able to borrow the funds without the change.
The program calls for mortgages to be obtained from local banks. The requirement means USDA funding can't be used. OPAL housing manager Julie Brumner said the local banks did not object to the county making an exception for the buyers.
The other potential roadblock was the county loans must be paid back within 20 years. Fannie Mae loans are for 30 years and cannot be used along with shorter term loans. The commissioners agreed to grant an exception and allow 30-year loans for the Lahari Neighborhood buyers.
The commissioners approved similar changes for Salal Neighborhood buyers in San Juan Island last year.
Information about OPAL
OPAL (OF PEOPLE AND LAND) COMMUNITY LAND TRUST
The mission of OPAL Community Land Trust is to acquire and own land so that islanders in need may have access to permanently affordable homes and workplaces. OPAL collaborates with others, develops improvements and stewards the land in a manner that is cooperative, stable, environmentally sensitive and socially responsible.
The Board of Trustees meets the second Thursday of every month from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Reddick Conference Room, 286 Enchanted Forest Road, Eastsound, WA. Please call in advance, 376-3191, to get on the agenda.
Donations and Volunteers are a great help. We have a range of volunteer opportunities completing office tasks and for various fundraising events (the Pie Booth at the Library Fair in August, and our annual Dinner/Auction in October).
CONTACT INFO: Web site:
www.opalclt.org
Lisa Byers, Executive Director
OPAL Community Land Trust
286 Enchanted Forest Road
PO Box 1133
Eastsound, WA 98245
(360) 376-3191
OPAL awarded $248,000
Architect's rendering of one of six 840 square feet houses to be constructed by OPAL Community Land Trust in Deer Harbor.
posted 07/26/04
OPAL Community Land Trust (OPAL CLT) has been awarded a grant of $248,000 from the Washington State Housing Trust Fund to support the purchase of land and development of six permanently affordable homes in Deer Harbor. The homes will be constructed on land to be purchased from Lahari Hospice and Respite Care.
The San Juan Community Home Trust was also awarded funding to complete their 15 home Salal Neighborhood project in Friday Harbor.
"We are extremely pleased that the Housing Trust Fund chose our project," said Lisa Byers, executive director of OPAL. "It was a very competitive funding round. I think we were successful, in part, because Lahari offered to sell us the property below full market value."
Mary Blackstone, OPAL board president added, "Individuals in the community have already contributed more than $100,000 to the project, demonstrating a significant level of commitment by islanders to permanently affordable housing for Orcas Island. The Housing Trust Fund looks for strong community support in evaluating which projects to fund."
The Housing Trust Fund grant will fund 22% of the project. Most of the funding comes from the individuals purchasing a house. Homebuyer mortgages and savings cover 65% of the cost to purchase the land, install the site infrastructure and build the home. The remaining 13% of the project is funded by individual contributors and foundations. OPAL's purchase of the property will proceed after final contingencies are satisfied.
Twelve households are currently pre-qualified to purchase an OPAL home and ten are interested in purchasing one of the homes in Deer Harbor. Most of them have been working with OPAL staff and the architect, Fred Klein, on designing small, one-story cabin-like homes. The homes will be 840 square feet in size, and can be constructed as a studio, a one-bedroom or a two-bedroom home. Featuring water catchment for toilet use, the houses will also employ green building techniques and healthy building materials as much as possible and will maximize solar gain.
OPAL homeowners, like all community land trust buyers, purchase homes on land owned by the non-profit community land trust organization. The homeowner does not pay for the land. In exchange for the reduced price, each homeowner agrees, through a lease, to sell the house at a price determined by a resale formula. The resale formula provides some equity gain for the seller, while still keeping the home affordable for the subsequent buyer.
Hospice offers house sites
posted 03/24/04
PRESS RELEASE: Lahari Hospice and Respite Care Center has invited OPAL Community Land Trust to purchase five one-quarter acre house sites in Deer Harbor. They want the land, which was a gift to them, to be utilized in a manner that serves the Orcas community in general and the Deer Harbor community, in particular. If OPAL is able to purchase the lots — priced below assessed value — Lahari will use the sales proceeds to establish an endowment for their hospice and respite operation.
Lahari provides services at their facility in Deer Harbor, as well in people's homes on the island. In addition to hospice, they provide respite care for periods of three to five days. They have been incorporated as a non-profit organization since 1994, and completed construction of their building in 2003.
Lisa Byers, Executive Director of OPAL, is excited by the prospect of bringing permanently affordable OPAL houses to Deer Harbor. OPAL is currently analyzing the feasibility of the project. "We have engaged Fred Klein as our architect to complete preliminary designs for five low-profile, single story houses to nestle into the hillside with as little disruption to the land as possible. Fred was the architect of the Lahari Hospice building and also of our first neighborhood of OPAL homes; his knowledge of affordable building practices, combined with a strong interest in low-impact housing construction, will be reflected in the low-profile homes," Byers ssaid. She is hopeful that OPAL will be able to provide affordable housing in a location other than the village of Eastsound. "Deer Harbor is another location on the island with commercial activity. It is important to us that OPAL provide housing throughout the island."
OPAL Community Land Trust is a membership-based non-profit organization that provides permanently affordable housing for the Orcas Island community. "OPAL" stands for "Of People and Land" representing the commitment to protecting natural resources while also providing homes for people who are vital to the community.
It was incorporated in 1989 to provide an alternative housing solution for island residents who could no longer afford a home because of rapidly escalating land values. OPAL residents are an integral part of the community, supporting and maintaining a vibrant and essential diversity of lifestyles and income levels on Orcas Island.
Residents of OPAL’s 50 houses are engaged in the community as teachers, nurses, medical technicians, business owners, office managers, EMTs, therapists, house cleaners, store clerks, and in many other capacities. OPAL also now owns and manages seven rental apartments in Eastsound. For more information call 376-3191.
Lahari, which means "atmosphere of bliss" provides compassionate, quality care in the final phase of life. Lahari serves persons living with illness and/or debility by helping individuals live and die fully with dignity and hope and by supporting families and loved ones. Lahari can be reached at 376-0540.
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