It is with heavy hearts that we say good bye to a valued member of the OPAL community. Homeowner and trustee, Ian Van Gelder passed away on Nov 21. Ian was involved with OPAL from the very beginning, and was one of the first homeowners at Opal Commons, where he lived with his family until his passing.
We are so grateful for the time, hard work and leadership that Ian shared with us throughout his almost 30 year involvement with OPAL. He will be greatly missed.
Kim Malcolm from KUOW spoke with Lisa Byers about the lack of affordable housing in San Juan County and the importance of voting Yes on Proposition 1 this November.
With the largest grant in it’s history, the OICF Board generously contributed $250,000 to OPAL’s April’s Grove affordable rental project.
This week OPAL’s board of trustees submitted a letter to the editor of the Islands’ Sounder in support of Proposition 1.
OPAL Community Land Trust will soon start to remove trees at the April’s Grove property. Jeanne Beck and Lisa Byers have worked for OPAL for most of its 28 years so they understand taking down trees may be hard to witness. OPAL is striving to keep as many of the existing trees as possible and hopes knowing more about the planning and design process will help ease the transition.
For the full Islands’ Sounder Guest Editorial by Jeanne and Lisa click here.
With activity commencing on the April’s Grove site this fall, we at OPAL have begun compiling a list of email addresses for interested parties who would like updates on all things April’s Grove. If you are interested in receiving email updates about what is happening on the April’s Grove site please contact our Communications Manager, Crystal Mossman at crystal@opalclt.org.
Site preparation will soon begin for April’s Grove, OPAL’s neighborhood of 45 new rental residences on North Beach Road. Located across from Children’s House and the Funhouse Commons, April’s Grove will consist of studios to three-bedroom townhomes. Each dwelling will be home for individuals and families who live or work on Orcas Island and need stable, affordable rental housing.
Rita and Dr. Stephen Bailey generously donated one quarter of their Kidder Way parcel in a recent sale of the property to OPAL. The Bailey’s gift has not only provided a permanent home for an Orcas High School teacher and his family, but will also allow OPAL to create further affordable housing on the three remaining lots.
On Friday, August 10, Senator Maria Cantwell held a roundtable discussion at the OPAL conference room to find out more about what affordable housing issues we face in San Juan County. Along with the Senator and her staff, the roundtable was attended by OPAL staff, a few board members and residents, San Juan Community Home Trust, San Juan County’s Affordable Housing Coordinator and local news media.
Topics ranging from who is in need of affordable housing in the San Juans to the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit and the upcoming vote on establishing a San Juan County Home Fund were discussed.
Please reserve Saturday, June 30 on your calendar and plan to attend OPAL’s annual celebration dinner: Housing Touches Everyone: A Gala OPAL Evening. The event will be held at the Orcas Center beginning at 5:30 p.m.
You will enjoy a delicious meal made by Chef Jon Chappelle of Doe Bay Café. Later on, join in the dessert dash and a paddle raise to support permanently affordable housing on Orcas.
Early event sponsors include: Bossy’s Feltworks, Island Market, Islanders Bank, Kevin Ranker and Tina Torri, Rock Island Communications, San Juan Insurance Services, San Juan Propane, Stoltz Kau Architects, Washington Federal Savings Bank.
Tickets are $125 per person. To reserve your place, click here to purchase tickets online or call 360-376-3191.
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