News and Views
Other News
Feb 12, 2025: Call for Candidates: Three-Day Special Filing Period for Lopez Metropolitan Park District Commissioners
Jan 19, 2025: Four districts, six unions, three PTAs, and county leadership all agree: legislators must take action to fully fund education no
Dec 19, 2024: San Juan County Parks and Fair Announces New Camping Software; Delaying Reservation Availability
Dec 10, 2024: County Council Considers Extending Agreement with Lopez Solid Waste to Allow for More Collaboration
Dec 5, 2024: San Juan County to Consider Updated Interlocal Agreement with Lopez Solid Waste Disposal District
Dec 2, 2024: San Juan County Council Sets Public Hearing for Cultural Access Sales Tax at Dec. 10 Meeting
Nov 25, 2024: San Juan County Celebrates Completion of Lopez Skate Park and Calls for Inaugural Skaters
Nov 7, 2024: How Has Extreme Weather Impacted You? Participate in the County’s Climate Resilience Planning Effort
Nov 1, 2024: UPDATE: Sea Wall Repairs Temporarily Close MacKaye Harbor Dock and Boat Ramp on Lopez Island
Oct 22, 2024: DRAFT North Shore Preserve Stewardship and Management Plan Now Open for Public Comment
Oct 21, 2024: Reminder: You’re Invited to Attend Open Houses for the 2025 Comp Plan Update This Fall
Oct 1, 2024: LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF THE SAN JUANS SPONSORS OCTOBER COUNTY COUNCIL VOTER FORUMS ON SJI, ORCAS, AND LOPEZ
Sep 24, 2024: County Hosts Community Meeting on Lopez Island to Discuss Public Safety during Hunting Season
Sep 24, 2024: SJC Reviews Shoreline Habitat & Infrastructure Adaptation Strategies in the face of Sea Level Rise
Sep 23, 2024: DRAFT Watmough Bay Preserve Stewardship and Management Plan Now Open for Public Comment
Aug 29, 2024: San Juan County’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Belonging Survey Sets Baseline for Ongoing Change
Aug 27, 2024: 2024 San Juan County WSU Master Gardeners Gardening Workshop Series, October 15-24, 2024
Aug 27, 2024: County Representatives Discuss Solutions to Ferry Service Disruptions with Governor Inslee
Aug 21, 2024: County Council’s Request to Governor for Relief from Ferry Service Disruptions Not Fulfilled
Aug 20, 2024: San Juan County Certifies Primary Election Results & Celebrates Highest Primary Turnout in Years
Aug 13, 2024: WSF Commits Additional Crews to Interisland Route to Ensure Service During County Fair Week
Aug 13, 2024: Ferry Data from Staff and Local Partners Shapes Council Request for ‘Executive Relief’ From WA State
Aug 5, 2024: The Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival returns to Lopez for its 27th Summer Concert Season
May 2, 2024: WA State Governor and Assistant Secretary of WSF Talk Ferry Service & Solar Power with SJC Officials
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
SJC Alliance of Community Land Trusts
Jan 21, 2025
By Lopez Community Land Trust
San Juan County Alliance of Community Land Trusts Meet in Friday Harbor
By Sandy Bishop and Clara Costa, Lopez Island
On January 15, 2025, 30 individuals from five local community land trusts (CLTs) gathered at Brickworks in Friday Harbor to share their current greatest needs and upcoming projects, and to discuss revisions to the Housing Element of the San Juan County (SJC) Comprehensive Plan.
Representatives from San Juan Island Home Trust, OPAL Community Land Trust, Lopez Community Land Trust (LCLT), Community Land Trust of Waldron Island, and Shaw Island Community Land Trust were present and joined by County staff, including Ryan Page and the SJC housing coordinator and Housing Advisory Committee board members.
The group opened the session by defining each trusts’ greatest needs and highlighting their current projects. An impressive body of work was presented, and insights were gained from each other’s experiences. Projects ranged from home ownership, rentals, farmland and food security initiatives, to other community-based efforts such as partnering with a food bank and resource center, a local bakery and cottage industries, cooperatives, electric car shares and solar generation.
Challenges included the increasing demand for affordable housing, securing funding for land acquisition, increasing infrastructure and construction funding and the increased need for stewardship endowments.
“Infrastructure is one of the costliest components of any home, especially in San Juan County,” said Home Trust Executive Director Amanda Lynn. “We need increased funding for infrastructure to create environmentally sustainable and permanently affordable housing.”
Some of the stated purposes of the CLTs include a commitment to maintaining island character, protecting the natural environment, developing permanently affordable housing, stewarding the built environment, and engaging in other community-based initiatives that help create a more resilient community.
When looking at the Comp Plan revisions the group acknowledged it could only go so far with state mandated projections, specifically related to density.
“Providing more density does not, by itself, enable more affordability. Most of the costs are set per structure, including water and septic connections.” OPAL CLT Executive Director Lisa Byers said. “Density can help a little bit, but it will not, on its own, ensure more affordable housing.”
“As a community, we love the rural comfort of our islands,” said Shaw Island CLT Board Member Carol Criss. “As such we need to maintain the economic diversity, including the small businesses and services that serve our island communities. Protecting our natural environment is an equally important aspect of maintaining the rural characteristics and quality of life.”
Waldron Island’s CLT noted non-ferry-serviced-islands’ unique barriers to infrastructure development for affordable housing. “Current regulations limit the ability to utilize innovative, site specific technologies for septic systems, which can make affordable housing projects on outer islands even more financially unfeasible,” said CLT of Waldron Island Board Member Rebecca Moore. “There is a pressing need for appropriate technology when dealing with basic housing needs.”
Local community land trusts have been operating in the San Juan Islands since 1989 and are committed to permanently affordable housing, holding land in trust and serving other community-based needs. Community land trusts require bold investments, deep commitment to long term stewardship and comprehensive community visioning with an emphasis on permanent affordability and meaningful community control.
This was the first Alliance meeting that Joe Schneider, LCLT board chair attended. As an owner of a design build firm, he is very familiar with the complexities of development. He reflected on the day and had this to say, “I was impressed by the size of the Community Land Trust movement in the San Juan Islands and the depth of knowledge of the leaders and attendees. It is clear to me that by working together and sharing resources, the Alliance can make a difference in both the affordable housing crisis and preservation of working farms. I encourage everyone in our communities to take some time and learn about the valuable work we are doing.”
On January 15, 2025, 30 individuals from five local community land trusts (CLTs) gathered at Brickworks in Friday Harbor to share their current greatest needs and upcoming projects, and to discuss revisions to the Housing Element of the San Juan County (SJC) Comprehensive Plan.
Representatives from San Juan Island Home Trust, OPAL Community Land Trust, Lopez Community Land Trust (LCLT), Community Land Trust of Waldron Island, and Shaw Island Community Land Trust were present and joined by County staff, including Ryan Page and the SJC housing coordinator and Housing Advisory Committee board members.
The group opened the session by defining each trusts’ greatest needs and highlighting their current projects. An impressive body of work was presented, and insights were gained from each other’s experiences. Projects ranged from home ownership, rentals, farmland and food security initiatives, to other community-based efforts such as partnering with a food bank and resource center, a local bakery and cottage industries, cooperatives, electric car shares and solar generation.
Challenges included the increasing demand for affordable housing, securing funding for land acquisition, increasing infrastructure and construction funding and the increased need for stewardship endowments.
“Infrastructure is one of the costliest components of any home, especially in San Juan County,” said Home Trust Executive Director Amanda Lynn. “We need increased funding for infrastructure to create environmentally sustainable and permanently affordable housing.”
Some of the stated purposes of the CLTs include a commitment to maintaining island character, protecting the natural environment, developing permanently affordable housing, stewarding the built environment, and engaging in other community-based initiatives that help create a more resilient community.
When looking at the Comp Plan revisions the group acknowledged it could only go so far with state mandated projections, specifically related to density.
“Providing more density does not, by itself, enable more affordability. Most of the costs are set per structure, including water and septic connections.” OPAL CLT Executive Director Lisa Byers said. “Density can help a little bit, but it will not, on its own, ensure more affordable housing.”
“As a community, we love the rural comfort of our islands,” said Shaw Island CLT Board Member Carol Criss. “As such we need to maintain the economic diversity, including the small businesses and services that serve our island communities. Protecting our natural environment is an equally important aspect of maintaining the rural characteristics and quality of life.”
Waldron Island’s CLT noted non-ferry-serviced-islands’ unique barriers to infrastructure development for affordable housing. “Current regulations limit the ability to utilize innovative, site specific technologies for septic systems, which can make affordable housing projects on outer islands even more financially unfeasible,” said CLT of Waldron Island Board Member Rebecca Moore. “There is a pressing need for appropriate technology when dealing with basic housing needs.”
Local community land trusts have been operating in the San Juan Islands since 1989 and are committed to permanently affordable housing, holding land in trust and serving other community-based needs. Community land trusts require bold investments, deep commitment to long term stewardship and comprehensive community visioning with an emphasis on permanent affordability and meaningful community control.
This was the first Alliance meeting that Joe Schneider, LCLT board chair attended. As an owner of a design build firm, he is very familiar with the complexities of development. He reflected on the day and had this to say, “I was impressed by the size of the Community Land Trust movement in the San Juan Islands and the depth of knowledge of the leaders and attendees. It is clear to me that by working together and sharing resources, the Alliance can make a difference in both the affordable housing crisis and preservation of working farms. I encourage everyone in our communities to take some time and learn about the valuable work we are doing.”
