Sam Fletcher reports from Island County for the Whidbey News-Times.
A planned low-income housing development in Oak Harbor was recently awarded a $3.7 million grant from the state, but more funds will be needed before construction can begin.
The Washington State Department of Commerce is providing the grant for Mulberry Village, which is owned by the county and will be managed by the Opportunity Council, a regional nonprofit. The project is one of 1,200 affordable housing projects that received grants.
The Mulberry Village project is expected to provide 80 units of housing for hardworking Island County families when complete, Greg Winters, Opportunity Council executive director, wrote in an email. The project will likely be a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom units in a collection of two-story apartments.
Mulberry Village is located at 1215 Southwest Swantown Ave. on 5.6 acres and is being developed as a planned residential development, according to the city of Oak Harbor.
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While the money from the Department of Commerce is “deeply appreciated,” Winters said, it is not enough to begin construction. He anticipates one more year of funding applications to several state government agencies and private funders before they can start.
