Completed Projects

Cedrus Cooperative FAQ

What is the Cedrus Cooperative?
It is a five-acre clustered development of 9 single-family houses in a forested wetland, located a half mile south of the Lummi Island ferry dock. The nine houses are clustered on less than half of the five acres, as part of a commitment to environmental stewardship. It is the first Community Land Trust project on Lummi Island.

There is a ground lease model of home ownership. The LICLT owns land and the individual homeowners own the houses and improvements. The homeowners each have a mortgage funded through USDA.

The Cedrus Cooperative Homeowners Association (CCHOA) includes all nine homeowners. The association owns and maintains the 1,500 square foot common community building, which is used for storage and accommodates the well pump room. The CCHOA also maintains and manages the commonly used facilities such as the gardens, wetland trail, fire pond, drainage, roads, and septic and water systems.

The nine homes were built using over 15,000 volunteer hours. 8,000 hours were provided in sweat equity by homeowners and their families and friends. The remaining hours were provided by community members, interns from all over the United States, and three teams of Americorps NCCC volunteers.

How was this project funded?
This $1.6 million project was funded through a variety of public and private sources, including:

• A grant from the Washington State Community, Trade and Economic Development (CTED): Housing Trust Funds
• A grant and loan from the Housing Assistance Council: Self-Help Opportunity Program
• A construction loan from Banner Bank
• A Washington State CTED block grant administered by Whatcom County
• Individual mortgages funded by USDA
• Various grants from: Washington Mutual Foundation, the Hutton Foundation, Whatcom Community Foundation, Wells Fargo Housing Foundation, Norman Archibald Foundation, Peoples Bank
• Zero or low-interest loans from: Institute of Community Economics, Impact Capital, Federal Home Loan Bank and a private bridge loan.
• Individual contributions

Grants were used for land purchase, administration and infrastructure. Homeowners purchased their own homes through individual mortgages. 60% of the project was funded through the sales of the homes.

What kind of environmental work was done on the site?
Wanda Cucinotta of Forest Flor Recovery Nursery coordinated wetland preservation and enhancement, native species landscaping and the storm water drainage system. Care was taken to minimize impacts on plant and animal wildlife. Storm water is dispersed throughout the site to help feed the various wetlands located on site. A 30,000-gallon fire pond was landscaped and fenced. The original site engineering was done by John Matzinger. The storm water plan was modified by Tony Freeland & Associates.

What about the rainwater collection system?
The water for lower floor toilets, laundry and yard irrigation will eventually be supplied by an engineered 1,000-gallon capacity rooftop water collection system for each house. The installation is waiting on a water right approval from the state.

Who built the houses?
General Contractor, Tim Woolsey of T. Woolsey Construction in Everett, along with son Tim Jr. provided the expertise that guided the homeowners' sweat equity labor. Homeowners assisted with foundations, stick framing, siding, insulation, painting, flooring and some dry walling. The Tims’ (with the help of subcontractors) did the bulk of the work: foundations, framing, windows/doors, roofing, painting.

(2) 1-bedroom houses (904 sq ft each)
(5) 2-bedroom house (1268 sq ft each)
(2) 3-bedroom house (1374 sq ft each)
Total sq ft for all 9 houses: 10,896 sq ft

What was the purchase price of each house?
1 BR house - $110,000
2 BR house - $125,000
3 BR house - $135,000

How were the homeowners chosen?
The applications were reviewed by a LICLT committee, who chose the final homeowners. Priority was given to long-time island residents. Each applicant was required to earn 80% or less of the median Whatcom County income and to have a good credit record.

What kind of work do the homeowners do?
Current or past occupations include: school administrator, reporter, web designer, masseuse, de-construction carpenter, sign language interpreter, school bus driver, non-profit organization administrator, and elder-care provider.

3 households are single-parent families.
3 households are retired work-force families.
3 households are single working women.

The average yearly income for all nine household is $20,612; the average median income (for all 9 households) is 46.2% of Whatcom County’s average. The average income in Whatcom County for a family of two is $44,200 per year.

How are the homes kept at affordable prices?
Homeowners can only recapture an inflation allowance of 2.5% (compounded annually) of the original sale price (market appraisals are not considered in resale price determination).

For example, if a one bedroom house, which was purchased in 2005 at $110,000, were to sell five years later (2010), the homeowner could not earn more equity than $14,454 (2.5% on $110,000).

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