By Pepper Fisher

SEQUIM – A groundbreaking ceremony in a cow pasture in Sequim Wednesday afternoon got the ball rolling on a major new workforce housing development initiated and managed by Habitat for Humanity of Clallam County and funded with the help of several local partners.

The Brownfield Road Project will develop more than 50 affordable homes, bolstering the local economy by creating jobs during the construction phase and enabling key community workers to live within the area they serve.

Habitat for Humanity Executive Director Colleen Robinson says the project wouldn’t exist without the generosity of stakeholders from the community and beyond.

“When the property became available, I reached out to community stakeholders. One of which was Chairman Allen at Jamestown, and they were the first money in. They donated fifty thousand dollars towards the purchase of the property. And then, First Federal Community Foundation, we got one of the biggest awards that they’ve ever made, which was a hundred thousand dollars. And then, about a year and a half ago, we received an unsolicited, unrestricted grant from Mackenzie Scott for a million dollars. And thanks to leveraging that money that I just mentioned, we then put in for a community funded project through Representative Kilmer’s office. And so, we’ve been awarded two million dollars towards the development and infrastructure of the property so we can get that paid for and done and start building houses.”

The plan is to build a mixture of 4-plexes and duplexes in a townhouse style that will serve as multi-generational affordable housing, including ground floor homes for seniors.

Robinson said it may take 4 months or so to get through the City’s review process and a public comment period before they can begin putting in the infrastructure, including streets and sidewalks. She hopes to start building the homes in 2025.

(Photo: Habitat For Humanity employees, volunteers and home recipients thank the community.)