A new affordable housing project is on the horizon for Coupeville.
The Coupeville United Methodist Church recently sold two undeveloped parcels of land to Habitat for Humanity of Island County for the construction of affordable homes. In total, the properties cost $410,000, according to Habitat Chief Development Officer Liz Chaffin.
This would be the first Habitat project within the town limits. According to CEO Orin Kolaitis, there are currently four housing projects built in the Coupeville area but outside of the town. These are located in Teronda, Admirals Cove and Bon Aire.
So far it has been very difficult to find any property in Coupeville that is affordable and can be developed for multi-family housing, he said.
By building in town, low-income families can save on gas and commuting time by walking to their destination or using the free public transportation, Kolaitis said.
The parcels measure 10,215 square feet and are located on the corner of Northwest Alexander Street and Northwest 7th Street in Coupeville, across the street from the church, according to Kolaitis.
Eve Parrish, the chair of the Coupeville United Methodist Church’s administrative council, said the church bought the properties in the 1980s with the intention of possibly building homes for seniors, but a plan was never developed.
Following the pandemic, the church looked into ways to support the community and the properties presented a great opportunity to help out families and businesses. Businesses are struggling to hire and retain employees, Parrish said, as workers — especially the younger ones — can’t afford to live in Coupeville.
After the town approved the church’s request to change the parcels’ zoning from medium-density to high density residential, the church looked for a developer who would ensure the properties would be developed for affordable housing.
With a Habitat for Humanity located in the county, the church didn’t have to look too far, Parrish said. Over a year ago, the church began a dialogue with the nonprofit which led to the church congregation voting in favor of proceeding with the sale to the nonprofit, she said.
Habitat will ensure the homes will remain affordable in perpetuity. Every parcel the nonprofit buys is placed into the Habitat Land Trust, meaning that the land will always remain in the land trust while the home it’s built on is sold to homebuyers. If the home is sold, Habitat buys it back to refurbish the home and sell it to new residents, according to Habitat’s website.
Homeowners then enter into a long-term affordable lease for the land so their mortgage and monthly payments total less than 30% of their gross income, the website states.
Currently there are no plans in place to detail what it would look like or how many people it could house, Kolaitis said. However, Habitat is committed to “build homes that blend into the surrounding area” and meet any requirements imposed by Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve, Kokaitis said.
Kolaitis said the project will take multiple years to complete, as “developing raw land is expensive and time consuming.” Every year, he said, the nonprofit builds about five new homes, so it’s important not to rush the process and use any funds with caution.
The next step is to secure funding to start designing a proposal that will be submitted to the Town of Coupeville.
Kolaitis encourages other churches to follow the Coupeville United Methodist Church’s example, as many have vacant lots of land that could be put into good use.
The church will continue to promote and support the project, inviting the community to celebrate the partnership with Habitat at an event at 11 a.m. on Sunday, Dec. 1 at the Coupeville United Methodist Church, located at 608 North Main Street in town.
