HomeMy WebLinkAboutLETTER OF SUPPORT Chimacum Commons Project JEFFERSON COUNTY
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
CONSENT AGENDA REQUEST
TO: Board of Commissioners
FROM: Heidi Eisenhour, Commissioner
DATE: July 15,2024
RE: Letter of Support for Jefferson Land Trust and Olympic Housing
Trust, Chimacum Commons Project
STATEMENT OF ISSUE:
Jefferson County's leading conservation organization, Jefferson Land Trust(JLT),has
partnered with the Olympic Housing Trust(OHT), a nonprofit housing provider,to develop
critical workforce housing. The proposed project of Chimacum Commons is located in the
heart of the unincorporated Jefferson County within the rural farming community of
Chimacum.
ANALYSIS:
JLT and OHT are requesting a grant that will support the predevelopment phase of the project
and enable them to pursue all of the site analysis, architecture, and other preliminary work
required to move the project to the next phase and eventually funded and built.
FISCAL IMPACT:
None.
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommend the BoCC sign the letter of support.
REVIEWED BY:
4i& /!G'
Mark McCaulV, County Administrator Date
of Coss Board of CountyCommissioners
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4w�s 1820 Jefferson Street
0a ti' - PO Box 1220
Port Townsend, WA 98368
Kate Dean,District 1 Heidi Eisenhour,District 2 GregDistrict 3
III NG�C Brotherton,
July 15, 2024
Community Based Organization Planning and Predesign Capital Equity Program
Department of Commerce
P.O. Box 42525
Olympia, WA 98504-2525
ATTN: Alice Zillah, Alice.Zillahc commerce.wa.gov
Re: Support for Jefferson Land Trust, Chimacum Commons project
Jefferson County's leading conservation organization, Jefferson Land Trust(JLT), has partnered
with the Olympic Housing Trust (OHT), a nonprofit housing provider, to develop critical workforce
housing. The proposed project of Chimacum Commons is located in the heart of the unincorporated
Jefferson County within the rural farming community of Chimacum.
JLT is dedicated to preserving farms, fish, and forests across the county and has successfully
protected hundreds of acres of habitat and historic farmland. Now, their organization is helping
support a prospective affordable housing project to ensure that there will be residents and farmers
living and working in Chimacum who are able to sustain these protected lands.
The Jefferson County Commissioners wish to support this project as a standout example of
collaboration between local nonprofits and an example of how the County can support innovative
housing projects that secure workforce housing for local residents. We see JLT and OHT as perfect
candidates for the `Planning and predesign grants for community-based organizations' that the
Department of Commerce is offering.
We support Jefferson Land Trust and Olympic Housing Trust's predevelopment for the Chimacum
Commons project and wish them success. We commend this vision to develop new permanently
affordable workforce housing in our rural county.
Sincerely,
BOARD OF JEFFERSON COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
Kate Dean, Chair Greg Brotherton Heidi Eisenhour
District 1 District 3 District 2
Phone (360) 385-9100 jeffbocc@co jefferson.wa.us