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Home My WebLink AboutLetter of Support for Joint Collaborative Emerald Coast Opportunity Zone Application - 051126 • O CON jss Board of County Commissioners 449A, c°r0�, 1820 Jefferson Street OQ' 4 A 0151 PO Box 1220 Port Townsend, WA 98368 Heather Dudley-Nollette,District 1 Heidi Eisenhour,District 2 Greg Brotherton,District 3 SFII NG't May 11,2026 The Honorable Governor Bob Ferguson Office of the Governor 416 14th Ave SW Olympia, WA 98504 Re: Support for the joint,collaborative Emerald Coast Opportunity Zone application—Census Tract 53031950603 (Port Townsend) Dear Governor Ferguson, On behalf of the Jefferson County Board of County Commissioners,we are writing to you today to voice our support for the joint Emerald Coast Opportunity Zone application that continues the historic collaboration between Tribal,city and county governments. On the Olympic Peninsula,our communities have many potential opportunities that could become not only attractive investment opportunities,but catalysts for innovative economic growth in the North Olympic Peninsula. The Emerald Coast Opportunity Zone application consists of five rural census tracts located in Jefferson and Clallam Counties. We are supportive of each of these five applications being forwarded by EDC Team Jefferson(EDCTJ)and the Clallam County Economic Development Council(EDC) in their respective capacities as the Associated Development Organizations(ADOs). The continued engagement,cooperation,and collective tone build on the nationwide marketing effort that our communities have pursued since 2018.Our community website,www.EmeraldFunds.org, generates substantial interest from major national investors. We have applied the lessons learned to target five ready- for-investment census tracts. It is our intention to catalyze sustainable economic growth that is aligned with the cultural and environmental values of the Peninsula. We enthusiastically support the following five census tracts to be selected as Opportunity Zones as part of the Emerald Coast Opportunity Zone 2.0: Rural Census Tract County Location Description 53031950603 Jefferson Port Townsend including Boatyard areas 53031950702 Jefferson West End of Jefferson and Hoh Tribal Lands&Brinnon 53009002400 Clallam West End of Clallam and Quileute Tribal Lands 53009000700 Clallam Port Angeles including shuttered paper mill site 53009000900 Clallam Downtown Port Angeles targeted for redevelopment While the original Emerald Coast Opportunity Zone footprint included 14 census tracts,extensive engagement with investors has enabled us to refine our proposal. The selected tracts represent locations where there is strong alignment between targeted and defined market interest and community priorities, ensuring that future investment supports locally driven economic outcomes. Wage Census Tract 53031950603, although geographically within the City of Port Townsend, functions as the urban service core of the entire county.Jefferson Healthcare—our public hospital district,the principal healthcare provider for our 33,000 residents,and one of the largest employers in the county—anchors the tract. Jefferson Healthcare recently completed a$96 million Campus Modernization and Expansion Project; the new Castle View clinical wing nearly doubled clinical space,and Jefferson Healthcare is now the first critical access hospital in Washington State to operate a linear accelerator. Healthcare-adjacent businesses, the workforce that staffs the hospital,county-wide childcare and early-learning facilities,and a critical share of the county's housing supply all sit within this tract. The County's interest in OZ designation here is institutional and durable.Jefferson County is a federally designated Health Professional Shortage Area and Medically Underserved Area,with the highest median age of any county in Washington. The clinical workforce that staffs Castle View,the early-learning workforce that supports those families,and the broader county-wide service workforce all face an acute housing- affordability crisis that the OZ 2.0 tool is well positioned to help address. The County is in the final adoption phase of our 2025-2045 Comprehensive Plan,with adoption targeted for June 30,2026 consistent with the Department of Commerce GMA Periodic Update schedule.Across this tract,the policy alignment between the County's planning framework and the OZ 2.0 program—particularly around housing,healthcare access, climate resilience,and capital facilities planning—is direct and substantial. The following County policies,plans, and strategies align directly with the Emerald Coast Opportunity Zone 2.0 application for this tract: • 2025-2045 Jefferson County Comprehensive Plan(final adoption targeted June 30,2026) • Climate Element of the Comprehensive Plan(per HB 1181) • Jefferson County/City of Port Townsend Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan • Joint Climate Action Committee(with City of Port Townsend) • Coordinated Water System Plan(CWSP)update • Jefferson Healthcare Strategic Plan(public hospital district) • Capital Facilities Plan Element • North Olympic Development Council Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy • Recompete Pilot Program implementation strategy Our communities have struggled economically as historic industries of fishing and forestry have declined and we have experienced retirees choosing our area for second homes or short-term rentals.Continuation of this investment program is critical for the communities within the Emerald Coast Opportunity Zone to reach their near-term potential. Sincerely, fir Du. ey-Nollette, Dist. 1 idi Eisenhour, Dis reg rot on,Dist. 3-Chair 2IPage p CoNssr Board of County Commissioners 49�w�`` c° 0a 1820 Jefferson Street O" =: PO Box 1220 Port Townsend, WA 98368 Heather Dudley-Nollette,District 1 Heidi Eisenhour,District 2 Greg Brotherton,District 3 sill NG1 May 11,2026 The Honorable Governor Bob Ferguson Office of the Governor 416 14th Ave SW Olympia, WA 98504 Re: Support for the joint, collaborative Emerald Coast Opportunity Zone application—Census Tract 53031950702 (Brinnon/West End) Dear Governor Ferguson, On behalf of the Jefferson County Board of County Commissioners,we are writing to you today to voice our support for the joint Emerald Coast Opportunity Zone application that continues the historic collaboration between Tribal,city and county governments. On the Olympic Peninsula,our communities have many potential opportunities that could become not only attractive investment opportunities,but catalysts for innovative economic growth in the North Olympic Peninsula. The Emerald Coast Opportunity Zone application consists of five rural census tracts located in Jefferson and Clallam Counties. We are supportive of each of these five applications being forwarded by EDC Team Jefferson(EDCTJ)and the Clallam County Economic Development Corporation(EDC) in their respective capacities as the Associated Development Organizations(ADOs). The continued engagement,cooperation,and collective tone build on the nationwide marketing effort that our communities have pursued since 2018.Our community website,www.EmeraldFunds.org,generates substantial interest from major national investors. We have applied the lessons learned to target five ready- for-investment census tracts. It is our intention to catalyze sustainable economic growth that is aligned with the cultural and environmental values of the Peninsula. We enthusiastically support the following five census tracts to be selected as Opportunity Zones as part of the Emerald Coast Opportunity Zone 2.0: Rural Census Tract County Location Description 53031950603 Jefferson Port Townsend including Boatyard areas 53031950702 Jefferson West End of Jefferson and Hoh Tribal Lands& Brinnon 53009002400 Clallam West End of Clallam and Quileute Tribal Lands 53009000700 Clallam Port Angeles including shuttered paper mill site 53009000900 Clallam Downtown Port Angeles targeted for redevelopment While the original Emerald Coast Opportunity Zone footprint included 14 census tracts,extensive engagement with investors has enabled us to refine our proposal. The selected tracts represent locations where there is strong alignment between targeted and defined market interest and community priorities, ensuring that future investment supports locally driven economic outcomes. Wage Census Tract 53031950702—covering Brinnon, Pleasant Harbor,the Dosewallips and Duckabush river corridors,the Hood Canal coastline,and the West End communities including Hoh Tribal Lands—is the rural geography of Jefferson County. This is the part of Jefferson County that the conventional economic development conversation most often overlooks,and it is the part where the Qualified Rural Opportunity Fund tool will do the most work. Federal data underlying the tract's eligibility shows poverty above 20 percent and area median income at roughly 62 percent—well below the OZ 2.0 threshold and well below the levels at which conventional capital alone can deliver scaled investment. The pipeline of investment-ready projects is real. The Pleasant Harbor Master Planned Resort,advanced by the Statesman Group with Hearing Examiner approval secured, is among the largest single private investments ever proposed on Hood Canal. The Hoh Tribe is pursuing village relocation, climate adaptation, and economic development priorities on the West End that align with both the OZ tool and federal Indian Country development frameworks. Rocky Brook Falls offers clean-energy potential. Across these projects, the County's planning framework—particularly the Comprehensive Plan in final adoption,the HB 1181 Climate Element,the 2024 Community Wildfire Protection Plan,and the climate vulnerability and sea level rise studies that document this tract's exposure—provides the policy foundation for OZ-eligible private investment to land effectively. The following County policies,plans,and strategies align directly with the Emerald Coast Opportunity Zone 2.0 application for this tract: • 2025-2045 Jefferson County Comprehensive Plan(final adoption targeted June 30,2026) • Climate Element of the Comprehensive Plan(per HB 1181) • 2024 Community Wildfire Protection Plan(CWPP) • Jefferson County Climate Vulnerability Assessment • Jefferson County Sea Level Rise Study(2023) • Climate Impacts Summary(2024) • Coordinated Water System Plan(CWSP)update • Critical Areas Ordinance(in update) • North Olympic Development Council Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy • Recompete Pilot Program implementation strategy Our communities have struggled economically as historic industries of fishing and forestry have declined and we have experienced retirees choosing our area for second homes or short-term rentals. Continuation of this investment program is critical for the communities within the Emerald Coast Opportunity Zone to reach their near-term potential. Sincerely, 4digfird,flait AJv dL1Ph /111101 op He D • ey-Nollette, Dist. 1 idi Eisenhour, Dist. 2 i 'Bre erton, Dist. 3-Chair 2IPage JEFFERSON COUNTY BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS CONSENT AGENDA REQUEST TO: Board of County Commissioners FROM: Carolyn Gallaway,Clerk of the Board DATE: May 11,2026 SUBJECT: DISCUSSION and POTENTIAL ACTION re: (2)Opportunity Zone Letters of Support: 1)Port Townsend Tract; and 2)Brinnon/West End STATEMENT OF ISSUE: EDC Team Jefferson Director David Ballif is requested that the Commissioners consider approval of two letters of support for Opportunity Zone 2.0 nominations submitted through the Emerald Coast Opportunity Zone (ECOZ) Consortium. The proposed nominations include: 1) Census Tract 53031950603 in Port Townsend; and 2) Census Tract 53031950702 covering Brinnon and the West End. The letters support designation of these areas as Qualified Rural Opportunity Zones to help attract long-term private investment for healthcare, housing, childcare, infrastructure, commercial development, and rural economic development projects. ANALYSIS: The Port Townsend tract serves as the County's primary healthcare and service center and includes Jefferson Healthcare, workforce housing opportunities, childcare facilities, and other community-serving infrastructure. The Brinnon/West End tract includes rural and economically vulnerable communities with identified needs related to healthcare access, economic diversification, infrastructure, and climate resilience. FISCAL IMPACT: Potential long-term benefits may include increased private investment, expanded tax base,job creation, housing development, and infrastructure improvements within the designated tracts. RECOMMENDATION: Approve the two support letters for Opportunity Zones in Port Townsend and Brinnon/West End. REVIEWED BY: Josh D. eters, County Administrator Date