After 40-plus years of creating a dedicated community for Sequim’s seniors, Bill Littlejohn says he’s likely reached the end of an era of building in the City of Sequim.

Littlejohn received unanimous approval from Sequim City Councilors on March 12 to build the final phase of his Sherwood Village — Devon Court.

“This may be it for me,” he said. “I’m tired of the process and I’ve got enough going. I like to finish projects and this will finish Sherwood Village.”

Started in 1973, he started construction on Sherwood Village off North Fifth Avenue, which built up to 187 homes/condominiums. Over the years, he built nearby senior housing options The Lodge at Sherwood Village and The Fifth Avenue too.

His last project for Sherwood Village features 10 condos with 20 units on the southwest corner of North Fifth Avenue and Old Olympic Highway just east of The Lodge.

“It’s the perfect spot,” Littlejohn said. “It’s close to The Lodge and within walking distance to most of the medical facilities. It’s going to be a nice little development.”

Devon Court’s homes will be built in and around a circle over 3.76 acres with one access point from Evergreen Farm Way off North Fifth Avenue. It sits in the city’s Lifestyle District, which city staff says focuses on senior living offering a broad range of housing options with various accessibility options to medical care.

Affordable housing

Littlejohn said his goal with the final 20 condos is to create more affordable housing for single seniors.

He told city councilors on Monday that when he started Sherwood Village it focused on smaller, two bedroom, single-car garage homes but it’s grown immensely in recent years.

“The last unit we sold had a three car garage with three bedrooms at $450,000,” he said. “That’s more than a lot of people can afford. We felt this was an excellent area to provide more affordable housing.”

Plans for the homes are still in development, he said, but will be smaller than his recent developments.

“We want to make them affordable but it’s frustrating to make them affordable in this environment,” he said.

One of his other frustrations, he said, is that more than 10 percent of his costs go to permitting.

“The city talks about affordable housing, but not all their actions account for that with all the things they permit,” he said.

Littlejohn feels Sherwood Village’s new developments will be easy to sell though because he’s covering a market, single seniors, that he hasn’t been building for in recent years.

He plans to break ground in the next month after receiving permits for grading but thinks it’ll be awhile before they start construction on the actual homes.

Community thoughts

Feedback on the project from neighbors focused concerns about lighting, trees and emergency vehicle access.

Joe Irvin, Sequim assistant city manager, said the city won’t require street lighting along Fifth Avenue and that the existing trees will remain in place.

Irvin said parking will not be allowed on the street and only in garages and/or driveways to keep the fire lane open. Overflow parking will be designated to The Lodge’s lot and garage area, if needed, he said.

With one access point into the development, Clallam County Fire District 3 also asked roads be at least 20 feet wide and that there be at least one fire hydrant in the development.

For more about the development’s process, contact Sequim Public Works at 360-683-4908 or visit www.sequimwa.gov.

Nestled on the southwest corner of North Fifth Avenue and Old Olympic Highway, Devon Court consists of 20 condos as the final part of Bill Littlejohn’s Sherwood Village, which he started 45 years ago. Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash