The following op-ed in support of the city of Bainbridge Island’s 625 Winslow Way project appeared in the Bainbridge Island Review and the Kitsap Sun.

The city of Bainbridge Island has plans to develop affordable housing on the site of the former police station, at the corner of Winslow Way and 305, for all to see. That’s right. It will be one of the first things people see as they emerge from the ferry terminal and ascend Olympic Drive, the tourists in search of food and fun along Winslow Way and the locals eager to get home to dinner, family, or a good game on TV.

But what will they think when they pass 625 Winslow Way, as the city has dubbed its affordable housing development? What does the presence of affordable housing say about a community, and what does it mean when a city places it so prominently? Affordable housing at the island’s so-called gateway is the ultimate welcome. It testifies to an ethic of inclusion, one that defies the market forces that risk making Bainbridge an enclave for only the wealthy. And it announces a commitment to invest in the kind of essential infrastructure that will make it possible for people across the income spectrum to live here.

Some fear such a development violates our small-town character or think the site should feature a grander civic structure. But for those who understand the depth of our housing crisis and its impacts on our community, there could be no better reflection of this island’s character or civic priorities. Housing Resources Bainbridge (HRB) and our fellow affordable housing advocates understand that the character of our community is not defined solely by its physical attributes, like lot size, building height, or mountain views, but by its people and values.

Others have taken a different tack, claiming that 625 Winslow residents would not be properly served at this location, that proximity to big box stores and bountiful parking are paramount. HRB is not a development partner at 625 Winslow, and we know only what information the city has shared publicly. But we do know affordable housing, and we know our residents. Some shop locally, others in Silverdale, Poulsbo, or both places; some get around by bike and on foot while others rely on cars. But we do not know them better than they know themselves and so we must all refrain from the kind of paternalism that leads one to recommend shopping off island over Town & Country.

There’s another thing we know. Residents of the future 625 must comply with strict income limits, and the burden of proof is high. If they qualify to live in one of these homes, they most certainly do not earn the roughly $350,000/year it takes to afford the island’s median home sale price which surpassed $1.4M this summer or the almost $150,000 needed to rent one of the $4,000 apartments in downtown Winslow. They include retirees and families with children, clerks, caregivers, healthcare technicians, restaurant workers, and arts administrators, the very people whose contributions and lived experiences power and animate this town. Community cannot be sustained when membership is determined by one’s ability to pay.

I wish that HRB could address our housing needs single-handedly, that government funding was boundless and land was easily accessible, but it is not possible for HRB or any one entity to produce the roughly 1,200 affordable homes called for by the state with House Bill 1220. The city, with its deeper resources, is a critical partner in this work, as are private developers, and we commend city staff and leadership for moving forward at 625 Winslow.

The decision to build at this site and at meaningful scale has been long in the making and is informed by countless studies, hard data, and frank acceptance of what it will take to address our housing affordability crisis. To think that we can meet the need without strategic density is fantasy. And to think that we can pass up the opportunity to build affordable housing on city-owned land is foolhardy. Affordable housing is arguably the highest and best use for city land when faced with the existential threats brought on by the lack of it—the displacement of longtime residents, the loss of school-aged children, housing costs that deter all but the highest earners. Let’s welcome 625 Winslow. It builds character.