Generations Place 

Affordable Family-Friendly Rental Housing

Located at 2nd Street and Debruyn Avenue, Generations Place will be Langley’s first new multifamily rental apartments in over 35 years. This multifamily property will offer rental housing through 14 two- and three-bedroom apartments, in three two-story buildings. 

Offering affordable housing to households making between 60-80% of median income – such as educators, office managers, construction workers, social service providers and retail workers – benefits every aspect of our local economy.

  • “I have lived in South Whidbey my whole life and would love to stay here and be able to let my youngest child graduate and finish school in the same place his great grandparents, grandparents, parents and siblings all have!!”

    -Local resident

  • “I love living on Whidbey because connection is always knocking at my door, and to have affordable housing would mean that this connection continues to be built for younger generations and people with lower incomes.”

    -Local Resident

  • “Living close to where I work and hope to work for at least a few more years, living in a central South Whidbey location, living among other young professionals who work food/farming jobs or apprenticeships, living among like-minded individuals.”

    -Local Resident

Site & Neighborhood Context

Generations Place will be developed on two parcels of land on the corner of 2nd and Debruyn. The property will include 2-story buildings that align with the neighborhood, and include outdoor space and common areas. Environmental sustainability is central to our design — the streetscape will be designed with trees, landscaping, sidewalks and parking.

The location is ideal for local workers with children. Situated across the street from a laundromat, a public park with a playground, Generations Place is within walking distance to town, a pre-school and a children’s center, as well as local transit and school bus routes.

Project Goals

1.

Develop apartment homes for income-qualified people participating in the local labor market.

2.

Address the need for Two-Bedroom and Three-Bedroom Homes in Langley.

3.

Secure fiscal sustainability to ensure permanently affordable housing.

4.

Preserve the historic village character and scale of Langley buildings.

5.

Establish Island Roots as a credible and sustainable affordable housing nonprofit and encourage future partnership opportunities.

6.

Demonstrate appropriate feasibility and design process for small scale housing projects.

Our Approach

Generations Place is designed to be workforce rental housing for households making up to 60-80% Area Median Income (AMI). We are committed to develop and manage the property as good stewards of both natural and financial resources. In both design and management, we seek to represent a diversity of perspectives, including those who have a lived experience with housing insecurity. 

With this project and beyond, we are building a model for affordable housing that meets the unique needs of our community and provides island-wide benefits. Through partnerships and local collaboration, we are guided by community needs and a commitment to enhance our island neighborhoods. We leverage private and public financial resources required to successfully build workforce housing.

Estimated Timeline

  • Goosefoot offered property at Second & DeBruyn by JR and Cally Fulton.

  • With the assistance of anonymous donors, half the purchase price was raised and Goosefoot had until March 2023 to raise the remaining amount due. Sellers carry 0% promissory note.

  • Island Roots Housing submitted an application for County American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding.

  • Published in the Daily Journal of Commerce, Everett Herald, and Whidbey papers. Notified local architects of Request for Qualifications (RFQ). Contacted AH nonprofits to find out who they worked with, notified those firms.

  • 13 respondents narrowed to 6 interviews, then 3 final interviews, then contractor and owner references were sought.

  • Island County Commissioners grant Goosefoot $1.092m of estimated $1.3m in pre-development costs, including remaining land acquisition cost.

  • Environmental Works Community Design Center was selected as the architectural firm for the project.

    That process has been documented and will be made available to other affordable housing developers, as part of a plan to make Island Roots Housing a local resource for technical assistance.

  • Environmental Works determined that Langley zoning will allow 14 affordable units in three buildings on the 2nd & DeBruyn site. Apartments will be either 2-bedroom or 3-bedroom and a name was selected - Generations Place.

  • Once initial feasibility was established, we estimated that $7.9 million is needed to build Generations Place. We expect public funding sources and loans will fund the majority of the need. A private fundraising campaign - the Generations Campaign - will raise $2.5 million to complete the project and help build Island Roots Housing's capacity for future projects.

Project Architect

Island Roots is pleased to announce the selection of Environmental Works Community Design Center as the architectural firm for Generations Place.

Environmental Works Community Design Center is the architecture firm for Generations Place.  A 501(c)3 non-profit community-based architectural firm, Environmental Works is “committed to the belief that everyone deserves a home and well-designed community facilities, regardless of income.” Since 1970, they have worked almost exclusively with other non-profit organizations, municipal agencies, and underrepresented community groups. About 75% of their work focuses on publicly funded low-income and affordable housing projects, and they have a history of successful projects on Whidbey and San Juan islands.

Environmental Works has worked hand-in-hand with an Island Roots committee of five to navigate the complexities of multiple levels of regulations all while maintaining program goals and priorities. Namely – keeping the project budget achievable, crafting a design that fits Langley’s rural village character, and most importantly – centering the preferences and needs of prospective residents.

Environmental Works was selected as the architecture firm for this project after a formal Request for Qualifications process yielded 12 qualified applicant firms. Our selection process has been documented to be made available to other affordable housing organizations as part of our mission to advance resources and technical assistance to other partners.

How We Got Here

Starting in 2020, Goosefoot convened other institutional landowners and engaged the community around the issue of creating more housing for local workers. After studying the complex challenges involved, Goosefoot concluded that it was in a unique position, with the resources necessary to launch an organization dedicated to this difficult problem. 

After participating in this process, local property owners JR and Cally Fulton presented Goosefoot with an opportunity. They offered favorable terms for Goosefoot to purchase their two adjoining lots in Langley, in order to "land-bank" the property, ready as soon as the seed of a new organization took root.

With the assistance of early donors, half the purchase price was raised and Goosefoot had until March 2023 to raise the remaining funds. By January 2023, Goosefoot was awarded a $1.1 million grant by Island County through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and the purchase was complete. The rest of the grant will enable pre-construction work while permanent financing is secured.

Our goal is to break ground by late 2024, and be open to residents by 2025. To meet this timeline, we must secure significant grants, investments and donations in order to make this dream a reality.

Pictured left to right: Heather Cambell, Christa Canell, and Cat Collyer from Land Title & Escrow; Chris Salomone, Goosefoot Board President; Cally Fulton, property owner; and Elise Miller, Goosefoot Executive Director