Special Skagit County

I had a conversation this week that lingers in my thoughts. It was with one of our popular local young farmers. She and her husband rent their farmland and live in a rented house that is only affordable due to family connections and the generosity of the landowners. She admitted they are vulnerable. If the owner of the land they lease for farming chose to develop or sell, they’re not sure they could afford to continue farming. They’re not in a position to purchase a home of their own because the prices in Skagit Valley have skyrocketed. Even average rentals are beyond their reach due to the escalating prices these days.

What are we doing? The situation here is untenable. The very people who make this valley special – farmers and artists and free thinkers – are one rent increase from being forced to leave. In last week’s open town meeting Sara Young, Port of Skagit director, talked about their interest in building “workforce” housing.

When she was questioned whether that meant “affordable” housing she admitted no, because the workforce in the marine industry makes decent wages and they are only interested in housing that would enable those people to live close to work. She did say they are in the very initial phases of looking at this possibility, but anyone who is thinking this is a potential “solution” to our affordable housing crisis is delusional. The Port needs to make money to sustain what it does. Affordable housing is not a way to make money.

There is a model for what La Conner could do. Our neighbors on San Juan Island have created The San Juan Community Home Trust (hometrust.org/) to enable “forever affordable housing.” Yes, it’s true San Juan has more available land. But there is land around La Conner. It could be done.

In the case of San Juan, it was the financial backing of one person that jump started the trust. I am not in a position to do this, but I know there are people in this area who absolutely are. Will anyone step up? Or will La Conner turn into the next Jackson Hole, where the people who work in town have been forced out because there’s nothing affordable left.

I keep thinking about that farmer.

Nancy Crowell

La Conner