03/31/2008: "Home Trust Awarded $600,000"

SJCHT (San Juan Community Home Trust) received notice this week that it has been awarded $600,000 from the Washington Housing Trust Fund for its proposed project on the Buck Property in Friday Harbor. The grant comes from the Trust Fund’s new Homeownership program

The Washington State Homeownership program was able to fund 16 out of the 18 applications that were submitted statewide, for a total of $6,088,500. This will result in down payment assistance, rehabilitation of existing homes, acquisition of property and construction of new homes for 157 households in 23 counties in the state.

The local grant to the SJCHT will help fund construction of 12 of the first 15 homes to be built on the site. These 12 homes will be reserved for sale to households with incomes at or less than 80% of the Area Median Income. The grant awarded to SJCHT was the largest single award made in this round of state funding.

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SJCHT Executive Director Nancy DeVaux says the award signals that additional funding will be forthcoming from the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program to help pay for extending urban infrastructure into the new neighborhood.

SJCHT is also in the middle of a capital campaign to raise matching funds from the community. To date, it has contributions and pledges totaling $912,342 toward its goal of $1,100,000

Work cannot begin until completion of a study of Friday Harbor’s utility capacity and formal annexation of the Buck parcel. SJCHT is, however, moving forward with plans to design its new neighborhood. Residential contractor Peter Kilpatrick, chair of the SJCHT Building Committee, has brought together a team of professionals focused on Low Impact Development (LID).

Sustainable features including water conservation, rainwater harvesting, on-site water reuse systems, and LID stormwater management techniques such as porous pavements and bio-infiltration facilities. An eco-charette, to be led by the Washington State Department of Ecology, is now being planned for the design team on May 6th.