Habitat for Humanity, WILL Host Langley Affordable Housing Open House March 21

Langley holds only 91 income-restricted affordable housing units for a city its 2025 comprehensive plan says must plan for 446 more over the next two decades. On Friday, two nonprofits will open their doors — figuratively — to explain how they intend to start closing that gap.

Habitat for Humanity of Island County and Whidbey Island Living Legacy (WILL) are hosting a public open house from 11 a.m. to noon March 21 at Island Church of Whidbey, where they will present details about two upcoming Langley developments: the Heron Park Townhomes and Grace Landing Cottages.

"There has not been any affordable housing built in a long time," said Chaffin, a spokesperson for the effort. "Being able to build on infrastructure — we only have infrastructure in Langley, Coupeville and Oak Harbor. So being able to build density in town is incredibly important."

Both projects are structured within a land trust, a financing model Chaffin described as central to keeping the homes within reach of lower-income buyers. Under the arrangement, purchasers acquire only the structures themselves, not the underlying land, which removes a significant cost from their mortgage obligations. Buyers save, Chaffin explained, "on the land cost that they're not having to include with their mortgage payment."

Habitat formalized its role in the partnership in February, signing on to assist "prospective buyers in the application process and with the homeowners throughout their residency," according to a release from the organizations.

The two projects are not the only affordable housing movement underway in Langley. Island Roots Housing, a separate nonprofit, is leading a development at Second Street and De Bruyn Avenue. Counting all three efforts together, 27 new affordable units are anticipated in Langley — a meaningful number against a backdrop of near-zero production in recent years, though still modest compared to the city's 20-year planning target.

The March 21 open house will include a formal presentation followed by a question-and-answer period. Attendance is open to the public.