What kind of Islomaniac are you?

"Islomania is a rare affliction of spirit. There are people who find islands somehow irresistible. The mere knowledge that they are in a little world surrounded by sea fills them with an indescribable intoxication."
Lawrence Durrell

Every visitor to Whidbey Island suffers at some point before, during or after their sojourn here, from islomania. Some with better immunity get only a slight case lasting a few hours, or perhaps as long as a weekend, and recover upon return to the mainland. A few lucky (or poor) souls recover from the inebriation, often after quite a long residence, and suddenly leave Whidbey, running pell-mell for ferries or bridges wanting never again to see "the rock." Others discover they have the larger, chronic form of the disease, love all islands equally, wantonly and forever, and adjust their lives so as to visit as many as possible, either in person, or through the pages of magazines. Then there are the terminal cases, those who set foot on Whidbey once and find they cannot leave. Unable to stop themselves they build houses, cementing lifelong, and in many cases generations long, ties to this forty mile strip of glacial till.

It's good to be at The Highlands

No event needed to make being at The Highlands special -

walk the wooded trails,

Langley Forest Trail

tour a model home and see the work of local artists,

The Model Cottage

sit on a porch rail overlooking the courtyard and listen to the birds,

The Erin cottages of Snowberry Close

do a little dance!

Manikins caper at the Villa

Join in at 1080 Village Loop, Langley WA.

SICBA Home Tour

This year's Skagit and Island County Builder's Association home tour took place Sept. 11 through 13th. The beautiful weather brought a lot of weekend visitors enjoying a road trip that covers three islands (Whidbey, Camano and Fidalgo) as well as the Skagit County mainland.

Tour attendees gather in the hall to ooh and
ahh over Osprey's woodwork.

The afternoon sun lights the home in the tones
of a Maxfield Parrish painting.

Everyone loves this house and this house loves the camera.

Flattery we love

Jordan Snyder of Entertain with Jordan wrote about The Highlands in general, and Osprey House in particular, on her inspiring blog.

The Highlands is on Facebook- become a fan!

Find us on Facebook

The Highlands at Langley is now on Facebook. Be a fan and get quick updates of what's happening at the Highlands and around the island, as well as interesting tidbits about green building and sustainability.

Grand Opening

Saturday March 21st 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM

Celebrate the first day of spring with a trip to Langley and The Highlands, where the focus is on Low Impact Development, green building and smaller homes – the perfect solutions for today.

11:00 AM Enjoy local food
Scones and coffee from Langley’s own Village Bakery

Tour a BuiltGreenTM “Erin” model cottage and “The Villa”
View completed cottages and the Villa and see the plans for the Live/Work Studios to be constructed on The Commons.

12:30 – 2:30 PM More local treats
3 Sisters beef hors d’oeuvres by Chef Jess

Visit with conservation and gardening experts
Bring your questions

1:00 – 2:30 Meet award-winning architect Ross Chapin
Hear about his coming book “Pocket Neighborhoods: Creating Small Scale Community in a Large Scale World” (Taunton Press, 2010)

Drawings for great prizes
Home Energy Audit
Edible Landscape Consultation
Share of a Whidbey CSA
Dinner for two at The Inn at Langley

Learn about a special financing opportunity
Unbeatable rates for Highlands buyers

Highlands Art Show
For the month of March, works by local artists are displayed throughout the model home in the first Highlands Art Show. The show has been popular with artists and viewers alike, setting a pattern for future shows and an ongoing partnership between The Highlands and the Whidbey art community.










Participating artists
Tim Leonard – Metal sculpture
Susan O'Brien – Oil paintings on canvas and glass
Elaine Michaelides – Blown glass vases
Dimitri Michaelides – Blown glass sculpture
Sharon Warwick – Ceramics
Natalie Olsen – Weaving and fiber arts
Patrick Brennan – Abstract oils
Earl Olsen – Photography
Yvonne Palka (Highlands resident) – Sumi-e paintings

The Highlands stars in an EPA video about Low Impact Development

On September 24th Rick Almberg, Construction Manager for The Highlands, and Stacy Smith of the Whidbey Conservation District were interviewed at The Highlands about Low Impact Development methods used on the project. The film will debut at a conference to be held in early 2009.

Rick Almberg discusses LID aspects of The Highlands with the film crew

Storm water specialist Stacy Smith shows the videographer key points of
The Highlands storm water management system.

Skagit/Island Counties Builders Association Home Tour

September 12th, 13th and 14th 2008

A Ross Chapin designed cottage at The Highlands will be part of this year's tour. A total of 14 homes may be toured. Tickets are $7 and are available at each home on the day of the tour, or at Chambers of Commerce starting Sept. 2nd. For details, maps and directions to the homes, go to the SICBA website.

In conjunction with the tour The Highlands is hosting a sustainability information fair which will feature displays and demonstrations of green and sustainable materials and methods. It is not necessary to have a ticket to the tour in order to attend the fair.

The Highlands "Open Neighborhood" Event

September 16, 2007 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM

Though there are no houses to show off yet, the Highlands Low Impact Development (LID) infrastructure is in place. Come take a look at the network of rain gardens and carefully sloped streets that are the base of the water management system in an LID project.

This informal introduction to the Highlands will feature self guided tours of the site, snacks from local farms and a short presentation of Low Impact Development techniques. Staff will be on hand to give guided tours and answer questions about the neighborhood and LID.

The event begins at 1:00 PM with a selection of organic fruit, home-baked cookies and bread, fresh pressed apple cider and locally roasted fair-trade coffee.

The Low Impact Development presentation begins at 2:00 PM.

Arriving and Parking

The Highlands is located at 903 Al Anderson Ave. This is a quiet, residential road and there is very little parking. Non-motorized modes of transportation are encouraged.

Site work is nearing completion

The Highlands infrastructure is currently being installed and lots surveyed. Roads will be paved in August. Construction on the first cottage cluster is anticipated to start in early September.

For an ongoing calendar of Whidbey Island events visit LivingWhidbey.com

Ross Chapin Architects receive AIA Housing Award

The American Institute of Architects honored Highlands neighborhood designer Ross Chapin and Ross Chapin Architects for one- and two family production housing designs at Danielson Grove, in Kirkland, Washington.

Two Whidbey architects honored

Ross Chapin, who designed the Highlands neighborhood plan and the Snowberry Close cottages, and Mira Jean Steinbrecher, who lives in a Ross Chapin designed cottage at Third Street cottages, are two of the top 50 architects in the northwest.