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HomeMy WebLinkAbout026 2025-05-27_report April Worgroup feedback Engage Jefferson County April Workgroup feedback on Comprehensive Plan elements: Land Use, Housing, and Climate Resilience. Each section includes key themes and emerging recommendations. This information was collected from a Google Form and two small virtual conversations. Analysis of the feedback and the raw feedback are provided in this report. 1. Land Use Key Feedback Themes ● Definitions & Vagueness: ○ Terms like “responsible growth,” “quality of life,” “orderly,” “fair,” and “rural character” are seen as vague or subjective. Who defines these terms, and by what process? ○ Recommendation: Collect community-based definitions to ensure shared understanding and accountability. ● Public Land & Facilities: ○ Strong support for using public land for housing. ○ Concerns about current public facility conditions (e.g., bathrooms, bus access) and questions about maintenance responsibilities. ○ Recommendation: Tie goals to infrastructure investment, access for all, and ongoing maintenance plans. ● Ecological Sustainability: ○ Requests for composting toilets, rainwater harvesting, and other off-grid innovations to be supported and decriminalized. ○ Calls to list and protect ecologically sensitive areas explicitly in the plan. ● Equity & Inclusion: ○ Desire for active tribal engagement (Chemakum and S’Klallam) in land use decision-making. ○ Concerns that “preserving rural lifestyle” could block needed development or access improvements for underserved populations. ● Mixed-Use & Urban Development Skepticism: ○ Concerns about gentrification, living costs in mixed-use areas, and whether such projects benefit low-income residents. Emerging Recommendations ● Clarify key terms and ensure community co-definitions. ● Invest in and maintain equitable public infrastructure (e.g., restrooms, sidewalks, water systems). ● Encourage and support ecological building practices, such as composting toilets and rainwater harvesting. ● Engage tribal nations and marginalized rural communities directly in planning. ● Protect against short-term rental overreach and ensure land use supports long-term residency and sustainability. 2. Housing Key Feedback Themes ● Affordability Metrics: ○ Strong critique of reliance on AMI (Area Median Income), which skews "affordability" upward and fails to reflect local working-class or low-income realities. ○ Suggestion to base affordability on actual incomes through community surveys. ● Target Populations: ○ Lack of clarity about who affordable housing is for—e.g., people at 30–40% AMI vs. 80%. ○ Strong calls for permanent affordability measures (e.g., price caps, term-limited rent increases). ● Emergency and Supportive Housing: ○ Identified severe gaps in emergency shelters, especially for families, youth, and single fathers. ○ Desire for trauma-informed service design and better inter-agency coordination. ● Accountability & Implementation: ○ Concern that without specific, enforceable language, goals won’t lead to change. ○ Desire for more precise tracking, timelines, and deliverables for housing goals. ● Equity and Accessibility: ○ Concerns about disability access, racial equity, and experiences of marginalization in housing access. ○ Anecdotes about mistreatment and system failures for people with disabilities seeking support. Emerging Recommendations ● Center affordability around actual income levels, not inflated AMI. ● Clearly define target populations and affordability durations. ● Expand emergency shelter options for families, youth, and vulnerable individuals. ● Mandate cross-agency collaboration and accountability in housing services. ● Ensure trauma-responsive, equitable practices in all housing efforts. 3. Climate Resilience Key Feedback Themes ● Water Management: ○ Prioritize sustainable, community-based strategies: rainwater catchment, reuse of greywater, and composting toilets. ○ Deep concern over aging infrastructure (e.g., wooden water pipes, failing treatment plants). ○ Requests for detailed implementation: maintenance, projected capacity, and climate modeling sources. ● Pollution & Environmental Hazards: ○ Paper mill emissions are a significant, ongoing health and environmental threat. ○ Call for more vigorous environmental enforcement and mitigation strategies. ○ Specific examples of unmanaged stormwater runoff and neglected hazard areas. ● Tribal & Community Inclusion: ○ Repeated calls to include Indigenous tribes in resilience planning and cultural preservation. ○ Desire for mutual aid-based emergency planning that centers communities, not law enforcement. ● Equity in Climate Solutions: ○ Urgent questions about access to renewable energy and resilient housing for low-income households. ○ Stipends, grants, or subsidies are needed to make green technology and adaptation affordable. ● Skepticism of Vagueness: ○ Like land use and housing, climate goals are often considered too general. ○ Clear implementation plans and direct community support mechanisms are demanded. Emerging Recommendations ● Build decentralized water and waste systems with low barriers to use. ● Invest in infrastructure upgrades and enforce environmental protections (especially against industrial pollution). ● Ensure climate resilience efforts include stipends, grants, and support for low-income communities and farmers. ● Include tribes and marginalized groups in resilience governance. ● Provide clear plans, funding sources, and accountability for all climate goals. Feedback from Engage JC Workgroup: Land Use, Housing, and Climate Resilience (collected on a Google Form) Land Use: Growth and Development I don't know where this comment best fits: fewer restrictions on the number of ADUs one can have on their land. What about water harvesting and composting our poo instead of wasting gallons of water with each flush? There is a proper, biohazardous method for composting human waste. If a landowner can demonstrate that they are properly composting their waste and doing so in a non-hazardous manner, this will conserve water and precious resources. "LU-G-1: How is the comp plan defining both "responsible growth" and "quality of life"? Responsible by whose standards? Quality by whose standards? I have clarity on many of the goals in this section. We could create a policy that asks for comprehensive definitions from the county community. LU-G-14: What is the county's definition of "fair"? LU-G-30: "Orderly" by whose standards?" These are worthy but very broad goals. More specifics would be necessary. "On the Goal LU-G-30: Promote orderly urban development with adequate public facilities: Currently, our public restrooms within the community are barely functioning as they are. An example is the public restrooms at Chetzemoka Park in Port Townsend, WA, where it is visually apparent that they have just been freshly painted. Once you walk inside, you can see that the paint is peeling off the walls and metal surfaces. The individual stalls barely look secure. All the windows are broken and have chicken wire frames over them. It doesn't feel like a safe place to use the restroom. On top of this, because I am disabled and can't drive. Suppose I wanted to go to the Jefferson County fairgrounds, the only individuals allowed to use the public restrooms there are those paying to camp at the fairgrounds. The public buses depart every hour, which means this is not a logical place to spend time. Additionally, they have a neglected cement race track, with large portions of concrete either broken or overgrown with weeds and grass. Thus, the question is who is responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of these facilities as they currently stand. There is also the fact that, as far as I am aware, the only option for people without showering or bathing facilities is to use vouchers to visit the YMCA. This concerns me because I don't know if those with criminal backgrounds are being allowed at the YMCA, such as those who should not be around children. Thus, will there be a goal of creating a facility for those without access to bathing and restrooms? Does this goal have more precise details about where public bathrooms will be built? How will they be maintained? Who will maintain them? What will happen when they start to break down? Will repairs be part of this process? Will the current public restrooms stay in their current, unmaintained and barely functioning state? The Goal LU-G-1: Ensure responsible growth that enhances quality of life: This goal should be removed as a goal. This gives our government and the people making these decisions in our community the ability to waste money and claim it has enhanced the quality of life for our community. Some extreme examples include the Turkana fish factory in Kenya, where $150 million was wasted on a factory that the local community did not want. This was because the government did not consult with the local community and believed they could provide jobs to impoverished individuals by introducing them to fishing. The local people did not rely on fishing, and only the most desperate individuals used it as a means of food. Meaning even if all the regional individuals had to do was pull a fish out of the water. They would not do it because of how strongly it was shunned. Another example is the Gyandoot Program, which was run by the government in India. The goal was to make government resources more accessible to rural communities. The problem is that poor electrical connections, as well as poor signal strength, made these free computer kiosks and free phones unreliable. To add to that, the computer kiosks were not maintained because the employees needed a minimum of 10 years of education to fix them. Additionally, they had to travel long distances on minimal pay, which did not motivate them, resulting in most of the computer kiosks being out of order. If this goal is to remain, then there should be more detailed information on how they will enhance the quality of life for our community, as well as restrictions on how this can't be used to improve the quality of life. Another extreme example of how this would not enhance our quality of life would be if our local government decided to add a water park at the Jefferson County fairgrounds, where there are no public facilities. Would this then enhance anyone's quality of life? What would happen to the Fairgrounds? Would campers who live there then have to find a new location to live? Questions I have about improving the quality of life: Will there be more sidewalks throughout the Port Townsend city limits? Because there isn't a continuous sidewalk connecting the Jefferson hospital area with the one down the hill by Safeway. Will traveling the community be more accessible for those with disabilities? The only speaking crosswalks inside Port Townsend city limits are next to Safeway/McDonald's and one of the four crosswalks at the roundabout by the Pennysaver/Food Co-op. Will the ditch that cuts off the bus stop by the Chase Bank be filled in, and the bus be able to pull up to the sidewalk like it used to, so individuals no longer fall into it?" LU-G-4: Support diverse and affordable housing options: I would love to see small houses with a yard for sale. I couldn't afford a standard-sized house in Port Townsend, but I could possibly afford a compact one here. I don't mind living small. A smaller house has a smaller footprint. I would love to see more houses being built on a piece of land instead of one large house on a large piece of land. Many house designs are compact yet still offer three or more bedrooms and two bathrooms. "LU-G-4: Figuring out what actual "affordable" housing is seems like it could be an interesting policy or undertaking for the county to figure out. I have found housing through the Housing Solutions Network. While it is a helpful resource for connecting to housing, their definition of affordable housing still requires paying 30% of your monthly income on rent. It would be great to conduct a community survey to determine what people's ideal and fair budget for housing is across different income groups and job sectors. LU-G-16: Are members of the Chemekum and S'Klallam tribes being brought into the conversation about how to protect the long-term habitability, historic sites, and natural beauty of our county? If not, they should have a significant stake and say in the conversation around this goal. LU-G-17: How is the county defining "rural character"? Is this based on settler-colonial standards or the character of the Indigenous peoples of this land?" How will residents in rural villages be engaged? How will affordable housing be supported, and how is affordable housing defined? Affordable for whom? "About this goal LU-G-4: Support diverse and affordable housing options.: This needs to be more specific about who the affordable housing is targeting. Additionally, what regulations will be put in place to ensure that individuals can afford to live there for more than one year, five years, ten years, and so on? For example, if affordable housing targets individuals who are in the top 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI). Then is that creating affordable housing options? Or, if the cost of living at the residence is set at 30-40% for the individuals, but the rates change after the first year. Creating a situation where those individuals will be evicted allows the landowners to open the property up to someone with a higher AMI, such as 80%. Land Use: Housing and Community Livability About the goal LU-G-21: Support Rural Village Centers with appropriate mixed-use development.: I lived in an apartment in Seattle, WA, from 2011 to 2012. The average monthly rent for the average person was $1,200. I only stayed there for 4 months. Additionally, the businesses located on the first floor changed five times, and I recall only two of them. One was a fashion store that went out of business. As I left, it turned into a frozen yogurt store. Neither business was affordable for the residents of the apartments. Thus, these kinds of structures create a situation where the people living in the apartments become reliant on the business on the first floor, regardless of how ridiculously expensive the business may become. Thus, this goal is a waste of money and time for the community. "LU-G-10: Ensure sustainable water supply considering climate projections. LU-G-11: Protect surface, ground, and marine water quality: Even if everyone could afford to live in PT, if we don't have drinkable water, we are all dead. What is up with the paper mill and the toxic chemicals contaminating our water and air? " What about wildfire prevention and mitigation? "LU-G-7: Preserve ecologically sensitive areas and mitigate environmental hazards.: To achieve this goal, all ecologically sensitive areas should be listed in the plan, allowing them to be immediately designated as off-limits for preservation reasons. Additionally, the plan should elaborate on how it plans to mitigate environmental hazards. An example is if they have to create an environmentally hazardous situation to mitigate another ecological hazard. There isn't a reason for the first one in the first place. LU-G-10: Ensure sustainable water supply considering climate projections.: This goal needs to be elaborated on, including what they project to be sustainable water supplies and how they plan to maintain these facilities, as well as the climate projections used to project the need for these facilities. For example, back in 2016, it was the PT leader who stated that our water treatment facilities needed to be upgraded due to their degraded and unmaintained condition. Link to the article https://www.ptleader.com/stories/city-reservoir-water-treatment-plant-near-completio n,19897 Additionally, there is another article from 2024 discussing the use of 100-year-old wooden stave pipes in our water supply. link https://www.ptleader.com/stories/water-rupture-shines-light-on-aging-infrastructure,1 78390" Land Use: Infrastructure and Transportation How is Jefferson Transit supported, including Dial-a-Ride for people with disabilities? What other modes of transportation are supported? How is Active Transportation being supported? Land Use: Environmental Protection & Sustainability LU-G-7: Preserve ecologically sensitive areas and mitigate environmental hazards.: Regarding this goal, all ecologically sensitive areas should be listed in the plan, allowing them to be immediately designated as off-limits for preservation reasons, and also outlining how they plan to mitigate environmental hazards. An example being if they have to create an environmentally hazardous situation to then mitigate another environmental hazard. There isn't a reason for the first one in the first place. LU-G-10: Ensure sustainable water supply considering climate projections. LU-G-11: Protect surface, ground, and marine water quality: Even if everyone could afford to live in PT, if we don't have drinkable water, we are all dead. What is up with the paper mill and the toxic chemicals contaminating our water and air? What about wildfire prevention and mitigation? Land Use: Rural Economy & Land Use LU-G-15: Preserve and promote rural lifestyle.: This goal bothers me because it can be used to deny improvements to the community. For example, if there is a public plot of land (such as a park or community gathering place) or a government building, and individuals are requesting public transportation, public facilities, or other improvements for or near the location. Then the government says, "No. We are trying to preserve and promote the rural lifestyle there." However, if this goal is removed, then the alternative approach could be to consider a park near a local community. The government then says, "Oh, we are going to remove this park to put in a local shopping center." Thus, this requires more detail on how they plan to preserve and promote the rural lifestyle in these areas. LU-G-26: Encourage small-scale tourism-based rural businesses. LU-G-27: Support home-based businesses and cottage industries: Small-scale companies and home-based businesses provide more opportunities for people to start their businesses and work independently. Not everyone is in support of capitalism and the 40-40 rule (working 40 hours a week for 40 years). Supporting small-scale tourism activities should not mean unlimited short-term rentals. That would negatively affect the availability of affordable long-term housing. Land Use: Urban Development & Open Space LU-G-32: Equitable opportunities for whom specifically? Housing Goal HS-G-1: Encourage and support efforts to increase affordable housing options and availability for current and future county residents of all income groups.: This goal coincides with the land use goal. Who are the targeted individuals for affordable housing? Is it the individuals at the 80% AMI or higher? Or is it for those at the 30-40% AMI, but only for a year or two? This goal requires more specific details on who the targeted individuals or families are for this affordable housing. It also needs regulations to be put in place so that this affordable housing can remain affordable for an extended period, such as having rules in place to prevent significant changes in charges without notice. Alternatively, offering a 5-year/10-year grace period would allow for the cost of living here to remain unchanged, ensuring affordability. Goal HS-G-4: Pursue housing programs that address homelessness and encourage the development of housing for people with special needs, such as seniors, vulnerable populations, historically marginalized groups, and people with disabilities. This goal has problems in that the individuals who work for these housing programs are not helpful to those with disabilities. I am aware of an incident where a person with a disability attended one of these programs for assistance. They had their paperwork filled out, but there were errors on it from the program's side. The employee said, "If you don't sign this paperwork, I'll sign it and submit it on your behalf." This forced the individual with a disability to sign the paperwork. Later, the disabled individual went to have the organization fix the errors on their end. The organization was reluctant to fix these errors. Thus, I feel these programs need better training on how to help those with disabilities. Especially when you go there for help and you leave feeling like the organization didn't want you there to begin with. Goal HS-G-4: Pursue housing programs that address homelessness and encourage the development of housing for people with special needs such as seniors, vulnerable populations, historically marginalized groups, and people with disabilities: It is easier for a white person in America to buy a home than for a person of color, a senior or disable person to buy one. This is also true in Jefferson County. I like all these goals. Specifics will be very important. Climate Resilience & Hazard Mitigation CE-G-1: Use land use, conservation, and hydrological strategies to minimize climate hazards like flooding and wildfires. CE-G-2: Establish resilient land use patterns and development practices. CE-G-4: Utilize updated flood maps, climate science, and hazard mitigation strategies for stormwater management. All three of these goals coincide with each other. An example is a commercial structure located across State Route 20. When it rains, the water flows off the property into an area adjacent to State Route 20, turning it into mud and creating water pools that remain. This water is most likely flowing underneath the road and causing structural damage. It has been in this state for at least 7 years without any maintenance. This is located right next to the very narrow section of State Route 20, where it is a drop-off on one side. This water could easily be redirected down the drop-off. There is no rain drain or anything for this water to drain into, where it pools. If little things like this are being overlooked, will there be any improvements with the goals meant to prevent this? Where is the information that they are getting for these flood maps coming from? How will they use this information to prevent flooding for residents in that area? Will those methods work or cause more issues for other residents in the community? How are they going to establish resilient land use patterns when Port Townsend's water treatment facility, as well as underground water/sewer lines, have been neglected for 50 to 100 years? Our already public facilities are in poor repair or barely function. How will these goals help the state of those facilities? Because keeping them in poor repair is hazardous to the land, especially the restrooms. CE-G-7: How are the Chemekum and S'Klallam tribes being included in this conversation CE-G-15: Is it possible to provide local communities with grants or scholarships for creating mutual aid projects around climate emergency preparedness? Unfortunately, the State includes law enforcement as an essential actor in responding to emergency and disaster situations. Is it possible to defund law enforcement from the equation and, instead, train community members on how to rely on one another? I'm in support of almost anything that will lead to a healthier planet. In enhancing emergency preparation, do not forget to address the needs and limitations of people with disabilities as well as economically challenged individuals and families. Climate Resilience: Water Resource Management Building green is better for people and the environment. I need more information on how to reach these goals. If water is scarce, who has priority? Climate Resilience: Ecosystem Protection & Natural Climate Solutions I would love to know what I can do to support a rural/urban forest canopy cover. How can low-income households be part of achieving these goals? Climate Resilience: Sustainable Land Use & Development CE-G-10: Is it possible to provide grants or stipends to farmers who consciously engage in climate-resilient agricultural practices? Are there local education or workshops that we can offer to farmworkers about climate-resilient farming practices, and provide them with a stipend for participating? CE-G-12: Promote sustainable, affordable housing that enhances community climate resilience: Affordable housing that also benefits the environment is ideal. Need more details. Climate Resilience: Energy & Infrastructure Sustainability How can low-income households benefit from renewable energy projects? For example, upfront costs for solar power are beyond the reach of low-income homeowners as is installing heat pumps. Climate Resilience: Community Engagement & Equity Reasonable goals, but how will this be done?