Other News
Apr 11, 2024: Community Meeting: Sea Level Rise Adaptation for Outer Bay and Agate Beach Areas on Lopez Island
Mar 11, 2024: Queers in Unexpected Places: Searching for (and Finding) Gender and Sexual Non-Conformity in the Rural and Early PNW
Mar 7, 2024: DRAFT Richardson Marsh Preserve Stewardship and Management Plan Now Open for Public Comment
Dec 5, 2023: County Council Member Jane Fuller and Senator Liz Lovelett to Host Public Meeting on Lopez
Nov 3, 2023: County and Town Send Open Letter to State Officials Regarding Impacts of Poor Ferry Service
Sep 29, 2023: Conservation Land Bank Announces Special Meeting to Discuss Watmough Bay Preserve Addition
Sep 14, 2023: The mobile dental van is coming to Lopez! // ¡La camioneta dental móvil ya llega a López!
Aug 22, 2023: San Juan County Adopts 32-Hour Work Week in the Name of Fiscal Health, Recruitment, and Islander Wellness
May 25, 2023: Recap of Lopez Neighborhood Meeting Regarding the Relocation of Public Works Facilities
May 23, 2023: District 3 Councilmember Jane Fuller Opens Office on Lopez and Hosts Community Conversation
Apr 17, 2023: Give Lopez Starts April 17th - A two week fundraiser benefiting 15 Lopez Island Non-Profits
Sep 22, 2022: Interim Watmough Preserve Addition Stewardship and Management Plan Now Open for Public Comment
Housing Lopez Summer Newsletter
Jul 28, 2022
By Housing Lopez
More Affordable Housing on the Horizon
On June 23, Housing Lopez hosted a meeting to gather community feedback about our plans to build more affordable, rental housing. We are set to purchase about nine acres in the Village (see map) where we hope to build up to 45 new units in three phases over the next six to ten years.
At the meeting, community members learned the results of our Island-wide housing needs assessment and shared their preferences for the first phase site plan of 15 units. This feedback will ensure that the new homes meet the needs of the new residents and is sensitive to the surrounding neighbors.
More than 450 Lopez households earn less than 60% of the median income for our area. Within this income category, 80% are small, one- or two-person households that either rent or own their home.
The assessment identified 227 senior homeowners who are finding it difficult to maintain their homes and reports that 40% (137) of Lopez households that rent are paying more than a third of their income on housing. Neighbors in this situation may have trouble covering basic needs like food, childcare, transportation, and health care. In the official terms of needs assessments, they are classified as “housing cost-burdened.†For a more detailed analysis of the data, you can find the full report at our website: www.housinglopez.org
Some of the priorities shared by our neighbors include preserving the stand of trees along Fisherman Bay Road, clustering buildings around a common outdoor area, using only low-level ground lighting to reduce light pollution for neighbors, and placing buildings away from the road with landscaping in between. The property has extensive Class IV wetlands which will require mitigation, including enhancing and expanding the wetlands and monitoring the site.
At the meeting, community members learned the results of our Island-wide housing needs assessment and shared their preferences for the first phase site plan of 15 units. This feedback will ensure that the new homes meet the needs of the new residents and is sensitive to the surrounding neighbors.
More than 450 Lopez households earn less than 60% of the median income for our area. Within this income category, 80% are small, one- or two-person households that either rent or own their home.
The assessment identified 227 senior homeowners who are finding it difficult to maintain their homes and reports that 40% (137) of Lopez households that rent are paying more than a third of their income on housing. Neighbors in this situation may have trouble covering basic needs like food, childcare, transportation, and health care. In the official terms of needs assessments, they are classified as “housing cost-burdened.†For a more detailed analysis of the data, you can find the full report at our website: www.housinglopez.org
Some of the priorities shared by our neighbors include preserving the stand of trees along Fisherman Bay Road, clustering buildings around a common outdoor area, using only low-level ground lighting to reduce light pollution for neighbors, and placing buildings away from the road with landscaping in between. The property has extensive Class IV wetlands which will require mitigation, including enhancing and expanding the wetlands and monitoring the site.