Housing
Like in other areas of Washington State and the nation, the lack of local affordable housing supply has devastating ripple effects on families, critical services, our education system, and our local economy. Rapidly rising house prices have driven out individuals and families who have long lived and worked in Port Townsend. A higher percentage of residents here live in poverty than in either Jefferson County or the USA and are significantly burdened by the cost of housing. Diverse, affordable, and stable housing in Port Townsend is an underpinning success factor for our collective well-being and quality of life.
What range of impacts to individuals, organizations and the community are being caused by the current housing crisis? Who should be involved in finding solutions? What steps can the City and others take to reduce the cost of housing and provide more units? What kinds of changes or trade-offs might that mean for the look and feel of our community?
These questions have no easy answers and require a sustained focus to make progress and ensure a more diverse, equitable and healthy community in the long-term.
Housing in the City’s 3-Year Strategic Plan
Click Here to watch Part 3 HOUSING in the City's 4 part video series
Housing is one of five focus areas in the Strategic Plan, calling on the City to “establish systems to support diverse housing options with perpetual affordability.” There are five accompanying strategies and a list of action items on our three-year strategic plan.
The City’s Direct Role in Housing
The City of Port Townsend is committed to action on our affordable housing crisis. Examples of the City’s direct role include providing infrastructure, incentives, and grant support, as well as allowing a variety of housing types and densities and removing barriers. Learn more about those examples. While those action areas are a start, the City also needs to work alongside a number of other agencies and organizations and advocate for changes at the state and federal levels to make meaningful progress.
Evans Vista
As part of its state legislative agenda, the City requested funding in the 2021 state budget for land acquisition and utility infrastructure to support workforce housing. We were successful in receiving $3.1 million in funding and purchased the 14-acre Evans Vista property just south of the Rainier Street roundabout on Sims Way. The property is located inside the Rainier and Upper Sims Way Subarea and is supported by the accompanying plan adopted by City Council in 2019. The development of a mix of 100-150 workforce housing units is meant to deliver urgently-needed supply and to activate the Evans Vista neighborhood as part of the area’s emerging commercial and business environment. While the City is not the developer, the City will be convening and collaborating with agencies, groups, and the community to develop a vision and plan to ensure that the housing mix, phasing plan, and aesthetic matches our community’s needs and expectations.
Tactical Infill Housing: Building Residential Capacity
The City of Port Townsend is leading a project to advance one of the City Council's f2023 priorities: deliver targeted, timed, and impactful zoning code changes to unlock and inspire affordable, dense, quality infill development. Infill development includes types of housing such as attached townhomes, duplexes, quadplexes, accessory dwelling units and cottages that historically provided opportunities for social mobility. The City wants to eliminate barriers and incentivize unit development as much as possible to ensure an element of permanent affordability for our workforce. The project process that follows will bring out more ideas and perspectives, and an increasingly nuanced take on the community's vision and growth-related policies.
The Housing Task Force and the Housing Fund Board
In a partnership between the City of Port Townsend and Jefferson County, an Affordable Housing and Homeless Housing Task Force was created in 2018 to develop a 5-year plan to address short-term and long-term housing. Representatives from related service providers, people who are or were homeless, elected officials, and stakeholders helped develop the plan. and have served on the Task Force to advance implementation. A related Joint Oversight Board made grant funding decisions on housing projects proposed by housing and homeless providers. In late 2021, this collaborative effort was refined with a new Housing Fund Board that makes the funding allocation decisions and draws together subcommittees to advance specific tasks.
Partnerships with Housing Providers
A number of housing providers are dedicated to providing services, resources and housing solutions to our community. These include but are not limited to: Bayside Housing, Dove House, Habitat for Humanity of East Jefferson County, the Housing Solutions Network (HSN) of Jefferson Community Foundation, Olympic Community Action Programs (OlyCAP), and Peninsula Housing Authority (PHA). In a recent collaboration between these groups, the City and Jefferson County, a housing strategy was drafted and approved by the Housing Task Force to help create permanent entry-level housing from a new funding source (0.1% sales and use tax), voted on by the County Commission and allowed under House Bill 1590. The Housing Fund Board allocates this new funding source in coordination with a number of other funding sources toward affordable and emergency housing projects and initiatives.
Tiny Houses on Wheels (THOWs)
As part of the City of Port Townsend’s Tactical Housing code amendments in July 2023, the City became one of the first communities in the state to allow Tiny Houses on Wheels (THOWs) as Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs). A THOW is technically a Park Model Recreational Vehicle, which is a factory-built structure or dwelling constructed to American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standards (not State Building Codes) and is certified through the Washington Department of Labor and Industries (L&I). Since Park Models are typically designed for temporary or recreational use, THOWs in Port Townsend will be required to meet additional construction standards on top of Park Model standards to increase energy efficiency and be suitable for all-year, day-to-day use as a dwelling. More information is available on the Tiny House on Wheels webpage and in the information handouts and additional resources provided there.
The Department of Planning and Community Development is currently reviewing the future disposition of the City-owned three-story apartment complex located at 100 Cherry Street, informally referenced as "the Cherry Street Building" or “Carmel Building.” For a brief history of the Cherry Street Building and an overview of options being presented to Council in the coming months, please visit the Engage PT Hot Topics section on the Cherry Street Building.
COVID Recovery and Resilience and Economic Development Framework
As part of the 4-agency Intergovernmental Collaborative Group (ICG), the City helped develop a community-driven COVID Recovery and Resilience Action Plan in 2020. Actions from that plan are in various stages of complete, underway, and being planned. In 2021, the ICG subsequently focused on the development of an Economic Development Framework to help define our vision and collaborative work ahead; this included housing as a critical component to unlock lasting economic opportunity and well-being for us all. In 2022, with a range of federal funding opportunities, the ICG is focused on capital facilities and major projects of regional significance to ensure coordination and maximum benefit to our region. Some of these projects, directly and indirectly, involve affordable and workforce housing as a critical component.
City/County Pre-approved Stock Plan Program
The City’s Department of Planning and Community Development is partnering with the Jefferson County Department of Community Development to sponsor and implement a stock structural plan program. The City/County Planning Commissions are actively seeking public input to finalize the selection of plans, aiming to streamline housing projects while reducing costs. These plans cater to primary homes, accessory dwelling units, and multifamily structures. Explore wide range of designs under consideration. Your feedback matters - be a part of this exciting initiative by clicking here to learn more and share your insights on the available plan options.
