I can't tell you much about home ownership other than to echo what RC says - it is a private community that leases land from a tribe, so go into it eyes wide open. I know they were in negotiations for new leases and haven't followed it terribly closely but its extended to 2044 for now. At that point who knows. Right now it reverts to the tribe unless extended. The leases on the Tulalip Reseration on prime waterfront property out in Tulalip Bay were not renewed and everyone who owned homes on leased land out there lost them when the Tribe elected not to renew the leases. Of course you can take your house with you when your lease expires...
You can check out Shelter Bay's lease and HOA info here:
https://shelterbaycommwa.pilera.com/page/ownerbuyerinfo
I'm not a real estate person or a homeowner out there so I can't speak much more to the living out there. My impression of La Conner in general is its peaceful and just a bit too much hippie but I can take that as long as it doesn't get any busier than it its.
I have my boat there in the marina and can speak to that. The marina offers two types of rates - one for Shelter Bay residents (cut rate) and one for non-residents. I'm a non-resident.
They have all their marina rates/rules etc also online here:
https://shelterbaycommwa.pilera.com/page/marina
That moorage rates chart is poorly formatted. Basically the cheaper price is for Shelter Bay residents and the higher price in each range is for non-residents.
They charge either the full slip length if you fit in the slip or the slip plus any overhang. I think we are paying around $343-345 a month with power and are 43' overall in a 42' slip. Of course that bill goes up in winter when I have the dehumidifier and a couple small heaters going as they charge for power use. There have been a few months when I have been out doing cold weather work with epoxy/paint in the engine room and using the oil filled space heaters on full blast and run the bill up to $360 in a month.
There is currently no physical security at the marina - no locking doors/etc. There is a camera system at the office/clubhouse but I'm not sure how well it covers all the dock entrances. The marina is within the community, which is only for residents and does have a mostly unmanned guard shack which also has cameras. That said, while I have heard of some thefts in the area (outboard motors from dinghies) I can't say for sure we've had any in Shelter Bay, but also can't say I'd have heard about them if we've had any.
The docks have water and power; they are currently upgrading (this year I think is the final phase) all the docks, ours is the last to be done, (they are looking pretty good) and are going to do a dredge in the fall I think. Right now there is a couple spots that are pretty dang shoal in the main channel heading out to Swinomish at a 0 or less tide. I try not to come or go then and that is their recommendation. We have a 4 1/2 ft draft.
They also have a pumpout dock.
I'm very impressed with the staff at the marina. I've had very little interaction with them but they are professional and accommodating - very good to work with. They do have waiting lists, I haven't kept up with what they are. When we bought NWD we put ourselves on Shelter Bay's wait list in August 2018 and got a slip in Feb 2019. Now that was in the middle of an earlier phase of dock rebuilding and they had been intentionally holding slips so it had skewed their waitlists and availability. We got in right when they got done with a major dock project and suddenly had a bunch of room... No idea where they are with that now...
A couple nice features that non-residents get with marina tenancy is use of the 9 hole golf course and pool, and ability to rent the clubhouse for events just like we were community residents.
Another hidden benefit I've found is that it seems there is a smaller proportion of people who don't know boats and just want to get on the water quick than at a larger more public marina; ergo there is a lot of experience around, so it doesn't seem like I see a lot of "joker boaters." Not really a fancy yacht club atmosphere, just people who know what they're doing from experience and/or are serious about what they are doing. I have to work hard to get myself and my boat up to par with everyone around me!
There are two yacht clubs in La Conner if you are looking for that, one based in Shelter Bay and one based in the nearby Port of Skagit La Conner Marina. I'm not a member of either, but note the community bulletin board and our marina newsletter is always letting us know about the number of events they are having each month.
. Any other tips or recommendations? I love the views, would like to have the boat not to far off, and "we" love the rambler layouts. Ideally I would like to have the dock right at the house, but they are few and far between.
