You care about Lopez and you know it is an exceptional place – from the land and seascape to the farms and friendliness, the space and the pace, and the small-town, big-hearted community vibe that keeps people connected to each other.
Yet so much of what makes our Lopez Island home special is at risk. Many teachers and health care providers, entrepreneurs and artists, restaurant workers and service providers – all of whom are our neighbors and friends – are struggling to find affordable places to live and meet basic needs right here on Lopez. Today’s farmers and food-related business owners face staggering capital costs to start and maintain their businesses as well a shortage of workers who can afford to live here.
Local organizations are struggling to meet the community’s needs while facing the same infrastructure and labor challenges as the people they serve.
Together, we have an opportunity to tackle these problems and secure a better, more equitable future for all Lopez residents. Two island nonprofit organizations, the Lopez Food Center and Housing Lopez, are collaborating to provide critical infrastructure for food systems and housing affordability to nourish and strengthen our community.
Anonymous Supporter
Housing Lopez and the Lopez Food Center are partnering to develop two innovative projects on a nine-acre site acquired in the Village in 2021. The projects will occupy three buildable acres, leaving the remaining area undeveloped to support and enhance existing wetlands, preserve a stand of trees, and support wildlife.
The Food Center’s multi-use facility will bring farms, food-related businesses, nonprofit organizations, and our broader community together, creating fertile ground to foster economic opportunities within the food ecosystem. Job skills training and education, equitable food access through the Food Share, a community incubator kitchen, and critical storage space for farms and restaurants will have a home here. In addition, the facility will provide a distribution site for the SJI Food Hub, classroom and pop-up venues, and a gathering space for the Heart and Soul Café. The Food Center is expected to be completed in 2026.
As a project partner, Housing Lopez will build a new 15-unit affordable rental community, Village North, consisting of four two-story structures with one- and two-bedroom apartments built by Method Homes, the same company that built FishBay Cottages. This is the first of a three-phase plan to build up to 45 units on the site with the first phase expected to be completed in late 2024. Village North has the potential not only to improve the lives of Lopez Island families, children, elderly, and young people who need a secure and affordable place to live, but also to serve as a model for other communities facing similar housing challenges.
Housing Lopez and the Lopez Food Center are partnering to develop two innovative projects on a nine-acre site acquired in the Village in 2021. The projects will occupy three buildable acres, leaving the remaining area undeveloped to support and enhance existing wetlands, preserve a stand of trees, and support wildlife.
The Food Center’s multi-use facility will bring farms, food-related businesses, nonprofit organizations, and our broader community together, creating fertile ground to foster economic opportunities within the food ecosystem. Job skills training and education, equitable food access through the Food Share, a community incubator kitchen, and critical storage space for farms and restaurants will have a home here. In addition, the facility will provide a distribution site for the SJI Food Hub, classroom and pop-up venues, and a gathering space for the Heart and Soul Café. The Food Center is expected to be completed in 2026.
As a project partner, Housing Lopez will build a new 15-unit affordable rental community, Village North, consisting of four two-story structures with one- and two-bedroom apartments built by Method Homes, the same company that built FishBay Cottages. This is the first of a three-phase plan to build up to 45 units on the site with the first phase expected to be completed in late 2024. Village North has the potential not only to improve the lives of Lopez Island families, children, elderly, and young people who need a secure and affordable place to live, but also to serve as a model for other communities facing similar housing challenges.
"I grew up here on Lopez and have the sweetest memory of feeling cared for by my neighbors. I want that for the generations to come. I want them to know that they belong here. That this place wouldn't be what it is without them."
"We do a lot of talking about supporting local businesses. If our employees can't find housing, we may not have any local businesses to support. That is why I donated to the Rooted & Rising campaign."
Housing Experts Combine Forces
A group of concerned community members began meeting to talk about what could be done to address the severe lack of affordable rental housing on Lopez Island. Within a year, they became a recognized 501(c)3 named Housing Lopez.
The Vision of the Food Center
Following Local visionaries piloted the Stand Up for Lopez Campaign, raising over $600,000 to purchase contracts from island farmers and restaurateurs, helping them stay afloat during the height of the pandemic. Catalyzed by this effort, food system leaders came together to address a systemic lack of infrastructure for local food system needs, forming the vision for the Lopez Food Center.
Breaking Ground
HL secured support from San Juan County along with some long-term financing and raised over $1mm from the Lopez community. Spring groundbreaking for FishBay Cottages. Units were occupied in November/December.
Coming Together
Housing Lopez and Lopez Food Center officially began collaborating in order to launch Lopez Rooted and Rising, our capital campaign for food security and affordable housing.
Together, we have an opportunity to secure a better, more equitable future for all Lopez residents.
Act now to provide critical infrastructure for food systems and affordable housing for essential Lopez workers.
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