HomeMy WebLinkAbout102915 Final Minutes COMPREHENSIVE PLAN HOUSING WORKGROUP MINUTES
DATE: October 29, 2015 START TIME: 9:32 a.m. LOCATION: City Hall, Conference Room 3
Members Present: Richard Berg (Architect), Kay Kassinger (Peninsula Housing Authority), Jamie Maciejewski (Habitat for
Humanity), Kathy Morgan (OlyCAP), Dale Wilson (OlyCAP)
Guests: Robin Dudley (PT Leader), Rick Jahnke(Planning Commission), Andrew Sheldon (citizen)
Staff Present: Lance Bailey (Planning Director), Amber Long (Deputy Clerk)
Topic Recommendation/Action
Welcome &Introductions Meeting attendees introduced themselves.
Purpose and Overview Planning Director Lance Bailey explained that the City has the opportunity to hire a
consultant to do work on the housing inventory that is required as part of the 2016
Comprehensive Plan GMA Periodic Update. Housing appears to be an intersection point
for a lot of the issues that are being discussed as part of the periodic update. Mr. Bailey
wants to find a consultant who will do an inventory that addresses issues specific to Port
Townsend.
Group Input on Scope of Work Comments/concerns from the workgroup and public included:
Mr. Bailey requested that the workgroup provide - 12% of housing units in Port Townsend are classified as 2nd homes (not rented out)
suggestions to inform the scope of work for the - Local rental rates are higher than fair market rent
consultant. - Cost of infrastructure is preventing development of mid- to high-end rental housing
- Cost of building in general is too high in the City
- Need to reassess current zoning regulations,particularly lot size requirements, ADU
regulations, and sidewalk and parking requirements.
- Code audit—identify policies that could be changed to have the greatest effect on
housing issues
- PUD process is onerous and expensive
- Jobs and housing are very connected—companies might be more willing to relocate here
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Topic Recommendation/Action
if affordable housing were available for employees
- Zoning at the edge of City limits is restricted because of stormwater issues
- Stormwater is a big factor in discouraging developers
- City needs to look at what it can do to incentivize rentals
- It is difficult for the City to determine how many vacation rentals exist in PT, as
addresses are confidential on AirB&B and similar websites
- Many housing issues are market-driven and cannot be regulated through policy
- Census data shows that about'/4 of housing in Port Townsend is multi-family housing,
but does not show that much of it is restricted to low income residents or seniors
- Joint Growth Management Steering Committee recently adopted population projections,
which attribute 36% of the projected growth rate in Jefferson County to Port Townsend
Questions for the housing inventory consultant and staff to explore included:
- Is there anything other than anecdotal information about the impact of ADUs and
vacation rentals on the housing market?
- What is the trend in second home growth?
- How much of the housing stock is being taken up by second homes?
- Is the growth of second homes greater than the growth of new construction?
- How many lots in Port Townsend are buildable (don't need infrastructure)?
- What is the total cost to put in infrastructure on an undeveloped lot?
- Percentage of people in PT who qualify for low- to mid-income housing?
- What is the price point for multi-family housing?
- How much is the City losing in revenue from uncollected taxes on short term rentals?
- What percentage of multi-family housing is available to young families?
Public Comment
Public comment was made during the discussion
portion of the meeting.
Adjourn: Mr. Bailey thanked the attendees for their
input. The meeting ended at 10:45 a.m.
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