Bolinas has provided artist and builder Joe Koppal with a supportive community since 1971. Now Mr. Koppal, 73, who in unmarried and has no children, has decided to show his gratitude by giving back.
Last week, the Bolinas Community Land Trust announced that his house on the Big Mesa will be donated to the nonprofit as a legacy gift, for use as an affordable rental property in perpetuity.
“If I could make it possible for people of lower means to live, then it’s a good thing,” he said.
Since buying the half-acre property on Overlook Drive in 2005, he has made extensive renovations, including converting a garage and laundry room into a second unit.
The gift is the first of its kind for the trust, said Arianne Dar, the group’s executive director. “[Mr. Koppal] has been here a long time and the community has served him well as a place for an artist,” she said. “He wants to make sure it stays that way and doesn’t change.”
The land trust, established in 1982, owns two properties that are managed as affordable rental units, both residential and commercial: the Gibson House, which accommodates seven residents, and the Bo-Gas station property, with two family units, three studios, a shared housing unit and three commercial spaces.
Ms. Dar said the land trust’s board has its eye on a couple of purchase properties, and is preparing to launch a major fundraising campaign.