Housing for Jensen Field

It’s with great interest that I hear about the parcel of property being quasi-gifted to the town. I’ve looked at that property for a very long time. During the slough burp of Dec 27, it was pretty much covered in water.

I’ve lived at Channel Cove, contemplating this property has been a natural for me. As a lifelong farmer in the area, I’ve thought long and hard about turning it into a garden, but then I’ve thought about the strikes against it. Deer can climb and jump over significant fencing, raccoons can climb over any fencing and they’ll harvest almost anything we’d try to grow. Squirrels and other rodents, are in significant numbers as well, not to mention the jays, starlings, robins and such. These realities are not just the views of a pessimist, but practicalities experienced by someone who has made a living from the land. Some gardening could certainly happen, but it wouldn’t be easy, nor cheap.

So also have I thought about putting tiny homes in the space, which I’ve designed to fit into a permaculture styled development, 8-10 tiny homes of approximately 180 square feet. The tiny homes would be incorporated into a berm that would be built when a pond would be dug. This pond would be a multipurpose hole in the ground. It would be a place to store some future slough burp, a kids’ swimming and wading pool, water for plants and garden area and for fighting fires.

There’s space to put a significant greenhouse, so I’ve tried to bring a bit of everything to the space. The tiny homes could be an income stream for town, or managed by Home Trust of Skagit for housing low-income locals.

Personally, I’d like it to be a mix of money making for town and low income housing. This development would be a model of my much ballyhooed dike housing concept. The community could then “see” what I’ve been trying to explain for years. With the advent of 3-D concrete construction and a healthy dose of creativity, this micro-development could showcase what a cool small town can do.

Sincerely,

Glen S Johnson

Skagit Valley