For Rylee Heppe, housing has never simply meant four walls and roof. It has meant uncertainty.It has meant packing up and wondering how long “home” would last. Growing up in Arizona, Rylee’s family moved often. When her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer and couldn’t work, they were evicted from their childhood home. From there, […]

Thanks to Representative Debra Lekanoff for her sponsorship and support! When Governor Ferguson signed the capital budget last week, it included $824,000 for completion of the first phase of site work for the Pea Patch Community Campus! This means that site preparation work, installation of utilities, stormwater detention, a new entrance road, signs and the […]

We warmly invite you to join us for OPAL’s 2026 Annual Meeting, an opportunity to hear updates, celebrate milestones, and connect with the community that makes affordable housing possible on Orcas Island. Thursday, April 23 · 5:00–6:30 PM · Emmanual Episcopal Parish Hall During the meeting, we’ll share highlights from the past year, introduce new initiatives, and talk […]

Rep. Debra Lekanoff shares her support and belief in the project The sun was bright and the Orcas Island community came out in droves to help celebrate the Pea Patch Community Campus as the project prepares for site work to begin! More than 140 people of all ages walked onto the campus to warm up […]

We’re excited to welcome Lily Goldberg to the OPAL team as our new Associate Homeownership Director! Lily joined OPAL in January and brings with her a deep passion for affordable housing and community development. She lives on San Juan Island and comes to OPAL from the San Juan Community Home Trust, where she served as […]

Kidder Way Nears Completion  Eager anticipation is growing among the 10 island households who will become the new owners of the townhomes at Kidder Way. Construction is scheduled to be completed by the end of November, and buyers will begin moving in after the first of the year.  The new neighborhood will be home to […]

How Affordability Builds Community, One Homeowner at a Time When Eros Belliveau arrived on Orcas in the summer of 2007, it was supposed to be temporary. He had a seasonal job at a restaurant after working hospitality in Seattle for years. He settled into employee housing—grateful for a bed, but living with strangers, no privacy […]

Resource Center to Stay in Current Eastsound Location The Pea Patch Community Campus is being created as a place on the island to meet basic human needs for food and shelter – and the wellbeing that grows from that stability. The 11-acre property is owned by OPAL Community Land Trust. As with all the nearly […]

OPAL is collaborating with OPALCO and Island Rides to get more electric vehicle (EV) charging stations installed in OPAL neighborhoods—encouraging OPAL homeowners and renters to reduce carbon emissions and providing equitable access to EV use. Two grant funded programs are benefiting the. OPAL and larger community:   Green Carshare:    You may have seen the Green Carshare […]