Introducing OPAL Community Land Trust

This week, Rural LISC is putting the spotlight on one of our newest partners, OPAL Community Land Trust. OPAL (“Of People And Land”) is committed to helping to sustain Orcas Island in Washington State's San Juan Island archipelago as a healthy, economically diverse community by providing permanently affordable homes and support for islanders whose housing needs are not met by the traditional market. OPAL seeks to do this by acquiring and developing land in a socially responsible manner, constructing and renovating buildings to make them healthy, durable and energy efficient, educating and counseling homebuyers and rental tenants, and stewarding what it creates for current and future generations.

One of the first community land trusts in the West, OPAL helps bridge the gap between the high property values of Orcas Island and the modest incomes of many who live and work there. Through their work, OPAL balances the need to address the Island’s ongoing permanent affordable housing challenges with the desire to maintain the character, vibrancy and diversity of the Orcas Island community.

Since it was founded in 1989, OPAL has stewarded the development of the following community assets:

• 8 neighborhoods
• 103 permanently affordable ownership homes
• 29 permanently affordable rental apartments
• 132 households
• 5 office spaces for rent/lease
• 55.7 acres of land
• 4 community gardens

This work has had a significant impact on Orcas Island’s community. OPAL’s efforts have helped:

• Provide nearly 5 percent of all estimated full-time residences on Orcas
• Orcas children grow up in stable, safe, healthy homes and supportive neighborhoods (currently 10 percent of the island’s school-age children live in OPAL homes)
• Teachers, healthcare providers, retail and restaurant employees, office staff, small business owners and people in the building trades access affordable housing, so they may continue to provide essential services and contribute to a healthy economy
• The island’s demographic remain balanced and whole by serving families, singles, seniors and the disabled
• Attract millions of dollars in grants, provide jobs for island workers, and support local businesses
• Protect their housing investments in perpetuity, benefitting Orcas Islanders for generations

OPAL keeps housing affordable for future generations whose needs are not met by the traditional market. OPAL combines funds from private donations, state and federal grants, and low-interest mortgage loans to purchase land and lease it to qualifying homeowners. When its homes are sold, OPAL determines the sales price using a formula designed to balance equity gain for the owner while setting a resale price that is affordable for future buyers.

OPAL continually builds its impact in the Orcas Island community. Currently in the works is a new rental housing project, as well as the creation of a community loan fund. OPAL purchased four acres, conveniently located near Orcas’ schools and within walking distance of the town of Eastsound and its services, as the future site of 30 affordable rental residences. With 54 percent of renters in San Juan County unable to afford the fair market rent for a two-bedroom unit, according to the 2015 Washington State Housing Needs Assessment, 25 of the 30 residences will be income restricted. OPAL estimates the residences to have an average annual income of $30,000 depending on household size.

OPAL has integrated numerous green building strategies in the design of this rural-infill project. The site is within walking distance of all major commercial and public facilities, including the public school, two private schools, a teen center, and the local grocery store, pharmacy, hardware store and theater.

The Orcas Island Community Loan Fund, which is currently being incubated as an OPAL program and is in its pilot phase, seeks to foster economic development and help sustain economic and demographic diversity on Orcas. The Loan Fund builds on the tradition of Orcas Islanders borrowing from individuals rather than banks for loans to finance business or homebuyer expenditures. By establishing a nonprofit intermediary that connects borrowers and lenders, and provides underwriting skills and technical assistance, the Loan Fund will support community members who cannot access traditional bank financing. In addition, fund investors will have the opportunity to generate value for their community while earning a return on their investment.

OPAL’s ongoing impact in the Orcas Island community is significant, and Rural LISC is thrilled to be supporting their work.

Photos credit: OPAL Community Land Trust