HomeMy WebLinkAboutChimacum Commons 1590 Cover Letter 3OLYMPIC HOUSING TRUST
PO Box 1537 • Port Townsend, WA 98368 • 360-531-2555 • kathy@olympichousingtrust.org
October 14, 2026
Housing Fund Board
Jefferson County, Washington
Dear Housing Fund Board Review Committee:
Olympic Housing Trust (OHT) is pleased to submit its 2027 application for $375,000 in 1590
Affordable and Supportive Housing capital funds for Chimacum Commons. The project will
create permanently affordable housing for low-income workers, including farmworkers, in rural
Chimacum.
Jefferson Land Trust and OHT are partnering on Chimacum Commons, a permanently
affordable housing project that brings together housing, farmland preservation, and
conservation to address Jefferson County’s critical housing shortage. Phase I will provide 16
permanently affordable rental units, and Phase II will add affordable homeownership
opportunities, all through OHT’s community land trust model. OHT’s 99-year ground leases and
active stewardship will keep the homes affordable for current and future residents.
The development team includes OHT as sponsor, Jefferson Land Trust as partner, the Office of
Rural and Farmworker Housing (ORFH) as developer providing technical assistance, and
Terrapin Architecture as project architect.
Chimacum Commons aligns closely with the 2025–2030 Jefferson County Homeless &
Affordable Housing Services Plan, which lists the project among the County’s planned affordable
housing developments. The project will serve households at or below 50% of area median
income, with a 50% set-aside for permanent farmworker households, while preserving farmland
and creating future homeownership opportunities. The requested funds will support
construction and serve as the local match for state funding, allowing construction to begin in the
first quarter of 2027.
OHT and its partners are committed to advancing Chimacum Commons and look forward to
working with the Housing Fund Board toward its successful development.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Kathy Morgan
Executive Director
Olympic Housing Trust