611 Texas Street Ribbon-Cutting

On March 14, we gathered with representatives from Faber Construction (West Coast Homes) and the City of Bellingham for a ribbon-cutting on our 142nd home, a modular home built for the trust by Faber Construction!

This beautiful home is noteworthy because it is the first modular home allowed within Bellingham city limits in some years and because modular homes represent one possible solution to the growing housing affordability crisis in Bellingham and wider Whatcom County. We were honored to have many elected officials, including WA State Representative Alicia Rule, Whatcom County Executive Satpal Sidhu, Bellingham City Councilmember Dan Hammill, and Bellingham Mayor Kim Lund, present at the ribbon-cutting to celebrate the new home and speak to the need for further affordable homeownership opportunities in Whatcom County.

This home was made possible by the Bellingham City Council’s unanimous decision to surplus the lot to the trust in 2020 for an affordable housing project. We settled on a modular home for the property after several attempts to construct a stick-built home proved cost-prohibitive.

Our homeownership program director David Ellsworth-Keller shared, “611 Texas is a testament to the importance of perseverance in the realm of permanently affordable homeownership. In an environment of ever-increasing costs, there were moments when the construction of a new home at this site seemed less than possible. It took time and continued effort to find a way forward.” With their modular approach, Faber could work within the unique shape and sewer constraints of the property and still meet a price point that is affordable for our low- to moderate-income homebuyer base.

The last few details on the home will be finalized in the coming weeks, and a homeowner from our waitlist is excited to step into homeownership in the Sunnyland neighborhood, close to schools, groceries, and parks!