INSIDE: Studio art tour opens Island Life ... A10
Record South Whidbey
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2012 | Vol. 88, No. 79 | www.SOUTHWHIDBEYRECORD.com | 75¢ SWR code
WELCOME TO ‘UPPER LANGLEY’
Land partners involved in the Upper Langley affordable housing project pose for a picture on the property. From left: Jerene, Chris Korrow, Christy Korrow and Cary Peterson. Friend and Langley resident Dylan Aposhyan, 15, was also present.
Relief aency pays record amounts for utility aid – even before winter hits BY MICHAELA MARX WHEATLEY Special to the Record
Justin Burnett / The Record
Designing A Simpler Way Of Life BY JUSTIN BURNETT Staff reporter
and open space. A total of four 10-foot by 12-foot cabins will be also constructed for use by interns. Based on artist’s renderings of the proposed development, about half of the 10-acre property would remain forested open space. Additional portions would be similarly preserved as meadow or grassy areas. As an affordable housing project, the lots will have certain financial limitations as well. While many details have yet to be worked out, such as lot price and buyer eligibility, some things are clear. For one, home and property values will be largely perpetual. They may increase slightly over the years but no one will be able to buy and then turn a big profit. The reason is simple, Peterson said. “What we want to do is create truly affordable lots,” she said.
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N AFFORDABLE HOUSING project has been proposed in Langley that city officials say breaks from traditional approaches to urban planning and could ultimately serve as a model for future development. Dubbed Upper Langley, the prospective subdivision would see the construction of 16 single-family lots on 10 acres of forested land on the west side of Al Anderson Avenue, across from the cemetery. The idea is to create an out-of-the-box development that will not only be truly affordable, but promulgates a strong sense of community, said Cary Peterson, one of a handful of Langley “land partners” working on the project. “It’s an approach to living where you don’t have everything in your own house,” Peterson said. Other land partners include Roger and Emma Bennett, Chris and Christy Korrow, and Jerene. Under the current design, lot sizes are capped at a cozy 1,000 square feet. That helps keep prices down and emphasizes homes that are environmentally sustainable. It also allows for a lot of innovation when it comes to planning, Peterson said. Because none of the homes will have garages, a communal parking lot will be constructed and residents will access their homes
Heating costs soar for Helping Hands clients
Justin Burnett / The Record
via a path that can be walked or traveled by golf cart. Other shared community resources will include a commons house, which can be used to house guests, along with sheds, a garden
“We have so many stories I’m not sure where to begin... The stories go on and on.” Rosemary Martin executive director Helping Hand
ollowing with recent changes to Langley’s new housing rules, the land partners proposing the project met with residents of Talking Circle on Al Anderson Avenue Tuesday in a “neighborhood meeting.” The gathering took place after deadline and could not be reported on for this story, but Jeff Arango, director of the city’s community planning department, said Monday that he expected much contention. Some outreach has already been done and Talking Circle is a community that has some similar attributes. One can never be too sure, however, when it comes to plans for
This year, Helping Hand has already granted a record number of grants to families, and the winter season, and with it the high-energy bills, has not even arrived yet. The No. 1 request for assistance has been help with Puget Sound Energy bills followed by rent or mortgage payment assistance, said Rosemary Martin, Helping Hand’s executive director. “This year the need for help with PSE bills has been unrelenting,” Martin said. “Through the end of August we have paid PSE around $20,000 on behalf of our clients. Last year, for the whole year we paid them $22,000.” She explained that the increase is due to the loss of alternative resources available to people in recent years. “The Opportunity Council’s funding has been cut substantially so we are trying to help as many people as possible,” she said. “When someone comes in with a shutoff notice we pay the minimum amount to keep their power on and help them
See LANGLEY, A6
See Helping hand, A6
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Jeff Arango, director of Langley’s community planning department, holds up an artist’s rendering of a 16-lot affordable housing project on Al Anderson Avenue across from the cemetery.
As days get shorter and the weather gets colder, utility bills get bigger. None of us look forward to that. Least of which is Helping Hand, the nonprofit organization that helps people in need cover basic necessities, such as heating, electricity and rent.