Training for Real Emergency, Fire Crews Put Out Flames in Vacant Building

Vashon Island Fire & Rescue conducted training exercises at a vacant building last week.

March 18, 2021 1:30 am
Fire crews at work last week. The Washington Legislature set its sights on increasing the availability of units that would serve marginalized communities as the demand for affordable housing in the county and state increased. Gov. Jay Inslee signed a two-year budget plan in May that includes funding to build up to 4,100 new affordable housing units and renovate existing affordable housing units (Cari Coll Photo).
Fire crews at work last week. The Washington Legislature set its sights on increasing the availability of units that would serve marginalized communities as the demand for affordable housing in the county and state increased. Gov. Jay Inslee signed a two-year budget plan in May that includes funding to build up to 4,100 new affordable housing units and renovate existing affordable housing units (Cari Coll Photo).

Vashon Island Fire & Rescue conducted training exercises at the vacant building at 188th and Vashon Hwy on March 11 before it is demolished to make way for Vashon HouseHold’s Island Center Homes micro-housing development.

The demonstration project, commissioned by King County and targeted for the parcel where the house is now located, is designed to house 40 people in five energy-efficient, residential-style houses, each with four single-occupancy micro-units — measuring approximately 330 square feet — on the lower and upper levels of the two-story buildings, with shared living spaces.

Building codes and regulations across the county could be modified to allow for the construction of similar housing in the future based on the outcomes of similar developments, such as a proposed housing complex in White Center.

The construction would expand the supply of units that will support disadvantaged communities on Vashon, such as senior veterans and those experiencing mental illness and homelessness, and will be used to assess the feasibility of alternative affordable housing models that are not permitted under current building regulations.

King County, which has given financial support for the project, has identified the development of multi-family micro-housing in unincorporated areas as a priority action in an attempt to resolve the community’s housing affordability issues.

— Paul Rowley