While the subject of affordable housing has been debated on the island in recent months, work has been underway on Vashon HouseHold’s latest project, and the first residents moved in last week.

The Sunflower development, just east of Island Lumber, has 14 homes and serves those earning 80 percent or less of the area median income, including several people who work on Vashon. Like the Roseballen community near the post office, Sunflower makes use of the community land trust model: Vashon HouseHold owns the land, while the homeowners own the houses. This approach kept the sale price of the homes to $170,000. This amount is far less the 2016 median price of a home on Vashon — $535,000 — and put the homes in reach of people earning up to the project’s income limits: $46,100 for one person and $52,650 for two.

Vashon HouseHold — and the architect who designed the houses, Judy Tucker of Seattle’s Form and Function — tapped into the current interest in smaller homes. Each of the residences is about 750 square feet and includes full-size appliances, a bedroom, loft and large front porch. Vashon HouseHold Executive Director Chris Szala said there had been some concern that the small homes would not be marketable, but that was not the case, as the homes were sold out within two weeks after the opportunity was announced.

Among the new homeowners is islander Lori Spears, a mother of two grown children who works as a therapist in West Seattle. Last Friday, she was the first to move into the community, as her home was among the first to be completed. She took a break to share her experience — and enthusiasm — noting that she had been a renter for the last eight years and had been worried she would have to leave the island.

“I was really fearful of the rising rents. It is exciting to know I have a home,” she said, standing on her new front porch, many of her belongings spread out around her.

Initially, she and her 19-year-old son will live in the home together, while he decides what he would like to do next. Spears acknowledged she had some concerns about the size of her home, particularly regarding storage. She left behind a three-bedroom house, where she raised her children, but is optimistic about downsizing.

“I have lots of ideas about how to get creative. I feel confident I will make it work,” she said. “It’s good to evaluate what I really need to keep and what to let go.”

This weekend, Erica Wagner, who grew up on the island, will move into her home just across the gravel drive from Spears. Wagner, 31, works as a program coordinator at Harborview Medical Center, and had rented apartments in Seattle and Bellevue. Like Spears, she was concerned about rising rents, but until she learned about Sunflower from her mother Patte Wagner, she had considered buying a home out of reach.

“I have a college degree and a job at a prestigious hospital, but still do not make enough money to buy a house in today’s housing market. It was not on my radar because of the high cost,” she said.

The way the Sunflower homes are designed makes them feel larger than they are, she said, noting their size is not a concern for her.

“I like the idea of small living,” she added.

Moreover, as a 2004 Vashon High School graduate, she is pleased to call Vashon home again.

“I love being back on the island,” she said. “It is a great place to retreat to, especially after coming home from the hospital.”

The Sunflower project was first announced in 2002 and was beset with problems along the way. Several years ago, King County required Vashon HouseHold to lower Bank Road, which was costly. The recession dried up funds for federally subsidized mortgages and caused the closing of Northwest Housing Development Corp., Vashon HouseHold’s former partner in the project. Szala has previously noted that Northwest Housing had secured construction financing from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Housing Program, and when it went out of business, funding went with it.

Some challenges continued during the construction of the homes. Szala noted that considerable extra work was needed to get down to solid ground for the foundations, and the winter and spring, with their nearly unrelenting precipitation, caused delays and cost overruns as well. As an example, he noted that the construction budget called for $3,000 for dehumidification — a fraction of the total cost ultimately needed.

“We spent over $30,000 on dehumidification,” he said. “The January freezes and the pouring rain — it was a nightmare.”

Despite the problems, and in some cases because of them, Szala credited the general contractor, Kruse Brothers Construction of West Seattle, painters and others for the work they did in sometimes trying circumstances. He also noted that Vashon HouseHold relied on several island businesses and workers to get the job done, from the framers to Island Home Center & Lumber.

Nonprofit housing developers are supposed to make money off projects through development fees to help them move ahead to their next project, but that did not occur with Sunflower, a $2.9 million project, Szala said. Vashon HouseHold had started the development with a healthy reserve, but put $400,000 into it to make it happen. Such a move was necessary, he stressed. Despite all the challenges of the project, in addition to the need on the island, the county and state had supported it financially and it was important that it be completed.

“You cannot walk away from a public funder,” he added.

Now, the organization welcomes donations from those wishing to support affordable housing on the island to help offset some of its project-related costs. Donations would also help it look ahead while the final work is completed and the last of the residents move in — which Szala said should happen by the end of May.

As for what is next, Szala said his organization is considering options, including possibly creating affordable housing in a development that also includes service providers.

“We are actively looking at future projects,” he said.