11/04/2006: "Turtleback To Remain In Natural State"

One of the possible uses of a portion of Turtleback Mountain on Orcas Island was to sell off a small portion for the development of affordable housing. The Land Bank thought this may provide some land for OPAL and Homes for Islanders to develop affordable housing, and at the same time provide additional property taxes to the County, since the land bank does not pay taxes, but the affordable housing groups do.

After a review of the proposal by The San Juan Preservation Trust, the San Juan County Land Bank, and OPAL (Of People and Land) Community Land Trust, they announced this week that the building of affordable housing on the lower reaches of the Turtleback Mountain property will no longer be considered. (Past story on proposal) According to a press release, the property's zoning, its location, and the complicated structure of the transaction presented too many barriers to the potential collaborative effort.

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Unless some other possible uses are found to be viable and acceptable, and assuming a successful conclusion to the Preservation Trust's ongoing fund raising effort, the entire 1,578-acre property, which includes the surrounding lowland acreage, will be permanently protected as a nature preserve with public access.

As a result of public exposure gained through the Campaign to Save Turtleback Mountain, OPAL has received new support from a Turtleback donor that will be put toward the purchase of land elsewhere on Orcas Island for the development of permanently affordable homes.

"The island community gets a spectacular new nature preserve open to the public, and OPAL gets new resources to carry out its mission," said Tim Seifert, executive director of the Preservation Trust. "We're pleased that the success of the Turtleback campaign may generate more affordable housing opportunities for Orcas Island."

"The Turtleback Campaign introduced OPAL and the growing need for affordable housing to a host of people who love Orcas Island and our community," said Lisa Byers, executive director of OPAL. "With new support and potential funding sources to provide much needed land for housing, we are now actively seeking an alternative site for a future cluster of permanently affordable homes."

Campaign Update
The San Juan Preservation Trust, The Trust for Public Land, and the San Juan County Land Bank are partners in the effort to purchase and successfully protect Turtleback Mountain. The goal for the Campaign to Save Turtleback is $18.5 million. Turtleback's purchase price is $17 million, and the partnership seeks to raise an additional $1.5 million for trail building, site restoration work, long-term stewardship of the property, and transaction costs. As of November 3, $18,325,000 has been committed by private and public sources.

To learn more about the project, visit www.saveturtleback.com. To learn more about OPAL Community Land trust, visit www.opalclt.org.