Your contribution to La Conner's affordable housing

A primary theme at last week’s joint Town Council-Planning Commission meeting was housing – densifying, increasing the housing stock and getting more units on lots. The subtext in the discussion was affordable housing: how to get folks on grocery and school employee wages into some of those additional La Conner homes.

Town master plans allow 1,200 housing units. That’s a three-fold increase from today’s 385 units. Left to the “market” the unbridled hand of capitalism, very few homes will be built for the wage workers among us. Mostly we will get Seattle and California emigrants. That is not a formula for reducing La Conner’s median age or having more families with school age children.

Home Trust of Skagit is a community land trust getting affordable housing built throughout the county. In La Conner they manage Channel Cove, the 27 townhouses both owned and rented by our neighbors. This neighborhood is on Park, south of Caledonia and west of Maple Avenue, tucked under the rock formation leading to the Rainbow Bridge.

That neighborhood will increase by five: 1,300 square foot, three bedroom two-bathroom townhomes selling for around $225,000 to people earning between $38,000 and $55,000, depending on family size. Buyers need to be bank approved, as with any purchase.

We – you—can advance the project and have a good time in the bargain. Buy a $50 ticket to the “Building Dreams” dinner and auction at Maplehurst Farm April 26. Home Trust of Skagit will use the funds to raise the roof – five of them, right here in La Conner.

You can help make that happen.

The Weekly News wants to be a part of the action. It is organizing tables – hopefully plural – asking your neighbors and friends, and now you, too, to come out for this very good cause.

Go to my360tix.com to buy your ticket.

Then call, email, or stop by at the paper’s office to add your name to the Weekly News’ doing a good deed list.

Act now. The dinner is nine days away.

See you there.