Oberon Wood and Oberon Meadow

Oberon Wood

The initial home buyers in this neighborhood chose the name “Oberon” in honor of Shakespeare’s character from A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The name reflects the playful way that residents worked together to create homes in this cluster of five residences.

Construction of Oberon Wood occurred during a building boom on Orcas, making it difficult to find local contractors. To keep the houses affordable, OPAL worked with a modular building company. The houses were built in a factory to the standard building code, trucked to the site in sections and placed on their foundations with a crane.

In 2008, with the homeowners’ agreement, OPAL transplanted mature pear and apple trees to the eastern side of Oberon Wood and installed a grassy swale to carry and cleanse storm water for the Wild Rose Meadow neighborhood on adjacent land.

“Moving in to Oberon Wood was a dream come true. I’d never owned a house before, and as a single parent, I didn’t think I ever would. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how well living in this neighborhood suits me and my kids. It’s been a good fit for us.” – Oberon Wood homeowner since 2002.

Completed 2002

Homes	Total Acres	Common Land and Community Garden	Average Lot Size	Smallest House	Largest House
5	1.75	1.22 acres	4,705 sq. ft.	912 sq. ft.	1,578 sq. ft.

 

Oberon Wood Construction Costs, 2002

	WA State Grant	Federal Grant(s)	Donations/Foundations	Homebuyer Mortgages	Total
Dollars	$197,770	$0	$56,917	$517,453	$772,140
Percentage	25.6%	0.0%	7.4%	67.0%

 

Oberon Meadow

The four houses in this neighborhood were between 40 and 70 years old when they were moved to their current location from other parts of the island: North Beach, Deer Harbor, Obstruction Pass, and Main Street in Eastsound. OPAL recycled these buildings – which had provided shelter for previous generations – and upgraded and updated each structure, based on its need. In all cases, the houses were made more energy-efficient.

This cluster of homes has a charm unlike any other OPAL neighborhood because of the unique design of each house and the connection each building has with residents from other parts of the island.

“We first saw the house after it was moved to the site. Every weekend we would come and just park and look and dream. My wife loved the house the minute she walked through the door. We’re very happy. We love this place. Without OPAL it would have been impossible for us to buy this house.” – Oberon Meadow homeowner

 Completed 2013

Homes	Total Acres	Common Land	Average Lot Size	Smallest House	Largest House
4	0.95	0.3 acres	4,298 sq. ft.	828 sq. ft.	1,064 sq. ft.

 

Oberon Meadow Construction Costs, 2013

	WA State Grant	Federal Grant(s)	Donations/Foundations	Homebuyer Mortgages	Total
Dollars	$85,000	$0	$114,792	$660,000	$859,792
Percentage	9.9%	0.0%	13.4%	76.8%

 

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