Affordable housing
If you would like to read more about the idea of affordable housing at Bethany, please click on the three links below provided by David Swartling.
On Tuesday, October 26 the City Council of the City of Bainbridge Island is scheduled to consider the request of Bethany Lutheran Church for an “increased density bonus” in order to pursue its vision for affordable housing on its property. The applicable state statute, RCW 35.63.280, mandates such an increased density bonus for religious organizations seeking to build affordable housing. It is critical for the City Council to understand the importance of affordable housing in our community and the opportunity Bethany provides to address it.
We urge you to communicate by email with the City Council. The Bethany Affordable Housing Task Force has developed a set of Talking Points to provide background information regarding our vision. The Talking Points are available by clicking the link below. Please do NOT forward the Talking Points in your communication, but tell in your own words why Bethany’s request to move forward with its affordable housing initiative should be supported.) Here are some suggested starting points for an email to the City Council in anticipation of its meeting next Tuesday:
- I am writing in support of the request of Bethany Lutheran Church to be able to move forward with its plans for affordable housing on its property. Please grant its request for an increased density bonus under state law.
- Affordable housing is a critical need in our community. Many people who work and provide necessary services can’t afford to live here because of housing costs.
- Bethany is ideally located for an affordable housing project.
- COBI often has spoken about the importance of affordable housing – here’s an opportunity to do something positive about it.
Affordable Housing Talking Points
If you can provide some examples of your own that would be very helpful, too! The important thing is for the City Council to hear that you and many others on Bainbridge Island want to do something to address the worsening problem of affordable housing.