After decades of service to Vashon, under various names and owners, Vashon Community Care Center closed its doors for the last time in November. The building stands empty, now, stripped of most of its facility accouterments by other care centers in need of supplies. Yet this is an edifice with amazing possibilities.

Start with the dozens of apartments, some studio and some with an additional bedroom. Each has bathroom facilities, and a tiny kitchenette area with sink, refrigerator, and microwave. There could once again be WI-FI access throughout. Tucked in and among these living spaces are large storage closets, some of which were used for offices when VCCC was in operation. And there are many rooms that were actual offices, as well.

There is a spacious reception area by the front door and individual mailboxes for residents.

Upstairs, reached either by stairs or elevator, are larger apartments, with one and two bedrooms. A meeting room, used by VCC as a library, is also on the upper floor. A second meeting room is on the main level.

There is a commercial laundry on the main floor and a smaller laundry room on the upper floor. Downstairs is a very spacious commercial kitchen with ample, easy-access storage attached. A huge dining room is at the center of the lower floor, opening out into a fenced garden area and patio.

At VCC, a hair salon has its own facilities, as well as a huge physical therapy room, which still has remnants of the equipment that made it a popular place for regaining health and mobility. This particular suite has its own entrance. An area designated as the “spa” has two large tiled showers separated by a dressing room. There are multiple entrances throughout the campus, allowing the possibility of separate occupations to operate independently. The long hallways have been in the past, and could be again, a venue for local artists to display their works.

All of the facility is, of course, wheelchair accessible, even the showers. It is built to be easy to clean, and has — after all the occupants left — been thoroughly cared for in this department. The entire complex is ready for immediate use; people and businesses could walk in and take possession immediately.

The back half of the lower level can be completely closed off from the front, with its own entrances intact. The back half also has its own, separate, securely fenced yard area.

Vashon is full of inventive people. While one tenant or new owner might not want the responsibility of the entire complex, a group of entrepreneurs could make a healthy go of it. Low-cost housing is a primary need; this could happen immediately. How many people do you know who have been priced out of their rentals, or have had them sold out from under them in today’s seller’s market? These people are pushed to the limit, desperate for affordable housing in a hurry.

Again, at the former VCC building, dozens of living spaces stand empty, ready for occupancy. With the largest apartment upstairs, a custodian, even one with a family, could live comfortably on-site.

Making use of the large dining room and garden, receptions could be offered. A wedding venue operation could make this their center of operation, shared with others who need the kitchen or meeting space. Out-of-town guests could be housed in one or two designated rooms, hotel-style.

A community center with classes, a hairdresser looking for space and equipment, small businesses needing office space, medical doctors, looking for a place to see patients, all could be housed in the building.

Here are rooms that could be birthing suites, something that is not available on the island at present. Physical therapist? Yoga? Acupuncture? Counselor? Artisans? Craftspeople? Cooks wanting a commercial kitchen to make their wares salable to the public? A central place for the community hot meal program, situated right on the bus line?

The back half of the lower level could easily house a preschool, or even a primary school, with its own connected yard area for outdoor activities. Out the back of the west parking lot lies a set of trails; one is gentle and flat with an entrance onto the more challenging Shinglemill Creek trail.

A large-animal veterinary business could find a readymade solution. With a sizeable number of Vashon residents owning horses and other livestock, an on-island vet with x-ray equipment and a laboratory would have a steady client base, eliminating the need to trailer animals off-island. Crucial care, delivered in a timely manner, could protect health and save lives.

The Pacific Zen Center and the Island Funeral Home live happily together, sharing space, modeling the way. Think of the wonders that could come to pass if like-minded folk converged to give life to this solid, well-maintained complex.

— Debbie Butler is an islander who lives on a small farm with a family of rescued animals.