Developing properties is, in the most literal sense, a community affair. And that’s the case with one of Village Builders’ latest projects in Morgan Junction, West Seattle. It’s one of those projects that makes people stand up and take notice because it involves community in the truest sense of the word.

Village Builders Company Founded: 2013 Development Type(s): Urban, in-fill housing to Built Green Four Star standards Number of Projects per Year: 5

Village Builders’ principals live in the area. Joe Paar lives in Morgan Junction and Tyler Jamison lives close by. The firm is involved in the comprehensive plan for the Church of the Nazarene in Morgan Junction, which sits on a piece of land that has gone largely unused. When the church decided to undergo a renovation, they also chose to put some of the 30,000 square feet of land it sits on to better use. Some of the space has been allocated for six new townhomes to be built by Village Builders, while about 10,000 square feet has been set aside to create a private park—for public use; a “do unto others” gesture translated into the modern day.

As a part of any new development, especially one this unique, many decision must be made by a diverse array of people including the church, builders, developers, architects, city representatives and neighborhood associations. In this case, all of the players meet quarterly at the Morgan Junction Community Association to discuss how this development fits in with the community’s overall plans. Up for discussion at the Fall 2014 meeting was Morgan Junction Park, where the Community Association is highly involved in upkeep and beautification.

Influential Morgan Junction residents and leaders Chas Redmond, Deb Barker and Cindy Barker felt the park would benefit from the installation of a Free Little Library, the tiny pop up repositories that encourage community members to “take a book, return a book” so neighbors can share their favorite literature.

That’s where Paar and Jamison came in. They took the idea and ran with it and installed (with city approval of course) a Free Little Library right next to the park’s information kiosk. By embracing the sense of community engendered by the Church of the Nazarene and the Morgan Junction Community Association, the entire community’s wishes became a reality. Now, Morgan Junction Park’s very own Free Little Library is open for business.