Pea Patch Community Campus

A collaborative hive where islanders gather and thrive

The Pea Patch Community Campus is an innovative collaboration of three long-time island non-profit organizations: OPAL Community Land Trust, Orcas Community Resource Center and the Orcas Island Food Bank. The campus will offer vital social services accessible to all islanders seeking support – within walking distance to Eastsound Village and in close proximity to 80 existing low-income apartments. 

The new permanent home for the Community Resource Center will allow for expanded capacity, space for greater client privacy, and development of new programs – today and for future generations – to help islanders meet essential basic needs such as housing, utilities, health and medical, transportation, food access, and also house the Coates Cabinet hygiene bank. The site map (below) shows the location of buildings, stormwater mitigation features and traffic flow.

The new Food Bank Swill include expanded storage, freezer and refrigeration space, more efficient delivery and distribution spaces, a commercial kitchen to provide meals, support food processing and provide food education classes. With increased capacity and storage space, the food bank can also provide emergency food supplies to the whole island if needed in times of disaster.

The facilities will be designed to be highly energy efficient and hope to take advantage of the site’s solar exposure to include a solar micro grid that would offset most of the buildings’ energy demand.

TIMELINE:

• Community Site Design Workshops: Spring-Summer 2024
• Site Design Complete: October 2024
• Report Back to Community: October 29th, 5pm @ Emmanuel Episcopal Parish Hall
• Site Permitting: Winter 2024-2025
• Site Work: Spring-Summer 2025
• Housing Construction: Spring 2026
• Resource Center/Food Bank Construction: Spring 2027

*note: timeline is estimate only, dependent on permitting and fundraising success

NEXT STEPS:

Stay tuned for a community workshop to review the final site plan in early fall 2024.

LINKS:

OPAL to Provide Housing with Supportive Service on Pea Patch Lane – Orcasonian 9-3-24
Pea Patch Project: OPAL to Aquire Land – OPAL 11-19-23

To learn more about the project, contact Suzanne Olson at 360-622-0850.