To the editor:

Housing Resources Bainbridge’s homeownership development —   Ferncliff Village — is expanding.

Phase 2 of the Ferncliff Village project will include 16 two- and three-bedroom homes available for purchase by low and moderate income families and individuals.

The completion of these townhomes will bring to culmination the island’s first Community Land Trust development — thanks in part to the generous land donation and vision of longtime residents of Bainbridge Island, Lois and King Curtis.

The addition of these homes to the island’s inventory is exciting news — especially for the 16 families who will be able to afford a home on Bainbridge Island where median home prices have surpassed $620,000.

Ferncliff Village — undeveloped four years ago — is currently home to 24 families. The development of these 16 new homes will require some changes to the property’s infrastructure and landscape.

In addition to preserving open space and recreational spaces on the property, in an effort to minimize our impact, Housing Resources Bainbridge has committed to purchasing a minimum of 200 trees and shrubs to be planted on Bainbridge Island conserved lands through the Bainbridge Island Land Trust’s Student Conservation Corp Program.

We recognize this act alone will not alter the changes in landscape necessary in order to build these 16 affordable homes, but it does reinforce our commitments to mitigate impact and to partner and collaborate with other organizations on Bainbridge Island.

Housing Resources Bainbridge remains dedicated to finding opportunities to increase affordable housing on Bainbridge Island while protecting and preserving the Island’s natural resources. By working, partnering and collaborating with other organizations, we are proud of what we have accomplished and grateful for the support of our community.

KATIE DAVIS

Housing Resources Bainbridge