PORT ANGELES — The Port Angeles City Council has approved the purchase of property at the intersection of 10th and C streets for future affordable housing development.
Once the purchase of the double lot is complete, the city will seek proposals from the private and nonprofit sectors for affordable multifamily housing development.
“Our goal here is to see successful multifamily development spurred by the many incentives and packages that the city of Port Angeles have put forward in the effort to ensure housing is successful,” City Manager Nathan West said during the city council meeting on Tuesday.
The property, located at 935 W. 10th St., is serviced by utilities, has accessible on-site and street parking and has access to public transportation.
Its commercial zoning also allows for high-density residential development, city Communications Coordinator Jessica Straits said.
The city estimates the lot could hold between 18 and 20 units, Straits said. With one to two people per unit, the hope is that the development will house between 18 and 40 residents.
The city plans to sell or lease the property, price to be determined, based on market conditions.
After the city puts out a request for proposals, Straits said the goal is for the project to be in process with a completion date established by the end of September 2026.
There is currently an existing structure on the site, but the city’s evaluations concluded it would not be cost effective to rehabilitate that structure, according to a council memo. Because of that, the current property owner has agreed to fund the removal of the structure.
The property will cost the city about $189,000 and will be funded through local sales taxes, approved in 2020, which support the city’s affordable housing fund.
This will be a “pilot project,” Straits said, and is the city’s primary focus. However, she said the city will evaluate future similar opportunities as they come up.
The action is in line with the past two strategic plans, which have listed housing and homelessness as “an issue of critical importance,” according to the memo.
Residents and developers who are interested in learning more about the city’s efforts to increase affordable housing in the city should visit the city’s affordable housing page, Straits said, or contact the Department of Community and Economic Development at ced@cityofpa.us or 360-417-4755.
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Reporter Emma Maple can be reached by email at emma.maple@peninsuladailynews.com.
