BY PEPPER FISHER
PORT ANGELES – The Port Angeles City Council on Tuesday approved the purchase of a residential property at 935 W. 10th Street, with the intention of turning the lot into multi-family housing.
The proposed ‘Housing Pilot Project’ is part of the City’s efforts to tackle its housing crisis with a series of new initiatives aimed at long-term solutions.
City Manager Nathan West announced plans to pilot a multi-family housing project to increase housing density and attract private developers to build a new apartment complex by 2026. He says the lot at the intersection of 10th and C Streets is ideal.
“And so, with that in mind, the City has reached out and put in an offer on a property in a really important location relative to a growing commercial corridor that we very much would like to support, as well as a commercial location that allows for residential, high-density development, meaning that we could get quite a few units in this location. And recognizing the property that we are intending to purchase is a double lot, and therefore has a more developability in consideration of both the zone and the larger lot size.”
West estimates the lot could hold 18-20 units. His hope is that the City leads the project in partnership with either a commercial builder or possibly a non-profit in the private sector interested in building affordable housing.
“So, our first goal is going to be put out a request for proposals and see who comes forward that has interest in building multifamily on this property. And then, as you know, we have developed a very large package of housing-related incentives that can be applied towards this project, and hopefully, between that and a ready-to-develop property, there’s going to be a good path forward.”
The City’s goal is to complete design sets for the project in 2025. The sale price of the property is $189,000.