The Vashon Maury Island Food Bank received both critical permitting approval and a major funding boost last week, marking huge steps toward the construction of its new facility in Vashon town.
Within just hours on May 20, Emily Scott, executive director of the food bank, learned both that the food bank’s long-awaited permits had been approved and that Governor Bob Fergusson had signed the state budget allocating $1.3 million for the project.
The funds come through Washington’s Building Communities Fund, a program designed to support nonprofit facilities that serve low-income communities.
“It makes the whole project a lot more tangible,” Scott said. “We have been confident it was going to happen, and working really hard for a long time now, but those two things are huge milestones.”
With permits expected in-hand this week, construction is set to begin in late June or early July. The Food Bank aims to be finished with the new facility in early 2026.
The new location at the Methodist Church is intended to provide easier access and upgraded infrastructure compared to its current facility at Sunrise Ridge, which has served the food bank for over four decades.
With the latest state funding, the food bank has now secured over 85% of its total project budget. Scott says that percentage is well within the industry standard of cash needed before breaking ground.
The food bank’s progress roughly coincides with permitting approvals for two other significant healthcare projects on the island. The Seattle Indian Health Board’s Thunderbird Treatment Center announced it received final permit approval on May 9. And Sea Mar Community Health Centers obtained its permit on April 4 to construct a new clinic in town.
The food bank first began the permitting process in summer 2023. The most recent holdup in their application came from a storm water drainage issue flagged by the county permitting office.
The final steps in the permitting process were expedited with support from King County Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda, a strong advocate for the project.
The food bank communicated back and forth with Mosqueda’s office about permitting delays, and her office helped push the process along. After Mosqueda’s office reached out to county permitting, “that’s when we started to see some progress,” Scott said.
Mosqueda sees part of her role as councilmember to advocate for projects to other departments in the county.
“The county is so huge, but we have a responsibility, especially for unincorporated areas, to try to make sure that we are being that direct line of communication and flagging when we’re hearing that emails are not getting responded to, or that there [were] unexpected hurdles,” she said. “We have been vocal proponents of trying to make sure that human service entities can come online faster through the permitting process.”
Mosqueda emphasized her belief in equitable support for rural and unincorporated communities like Vashon.
“We know how critical it is for the food bank to come online on Vashon, and we are reminding our colleagues and members of the community that Vashon Island has the same percentage of people per population that other areas of King County do in terms of need for a food bank,” Mosqueda said.
Mari Kanagy is a contributing journalist to The Beachcomber.
