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WA Department of Commerce Grant Awarded in Support of Planning for Chimacum Commons Affordable Housing Project


Author: Jefferson Land Trust | 01/26/25
       

On a site visit at the Chimacum Commons property, three people in a field with evergreen forest behind them

Gesturing toward the Olympic Mountains, Erik Kingfisher of Jefferson Land Trust leads a site tour with project architect Richard Berg and Olympic Housing Trust board trustee Kristina Stimson. Photo courtesy of Olympic Housing Trust.

We’re thrilled to share that Jefferson Land Trust was recently awarded a significant grant from the Washington State Department of Commerce to support predevelopment planning for the Chimacum Commons affordable housing project that we’ve partnered with nonprofit Olympic Housing Trust (OHT) to design and develop.

Open green field

A portion of the 16-acre Chimacum Commons property.

Thanks to the taxpayers of Washington state, the $197,500 grant will fund planning, predesign, and predevelopment work necessary to create permanently affordable housing for local farm and food system workers on the 16-acre property in the heart of Chimacum.

“I can’t overstate how amazing this grant is, and how it’s helping Jefferson Land Trust and Olympic Housing Trust take this project from a conceptual design to a shovel-ready plan,” says Erik Kingfisher, the Land Trust’s Director of Stewardship and Resilience.

Jefferson Land Trust purchased the land — which contains prime agricultural soils and a stretch of salmon-bearing Chimacum Creek — in 2014.

We had a threefold vision for this project: 1) to protect 16 acres of valuable farmland in the heart of Chimacum Valley’s agricultural corridor, 2) to conserve and restore the 625 feet of Chimacum Creek salmon habitat running along the property’s western border, and 3) to find a partner willing to build and manage affordable, ecologically sound housing for local farm and food system workers on a portion of the property.

We successfully protected the farmland and improved the salmon habitat, but we were unable to find a partner to take on the affordable housing project until reigniting the search in late 2021. After determining that OHT was a strong fit for the project, the two organizations began working together in mid 2023.

Over the past decade, we’ve continued to involve stakeholders around the county to determine the best way the property can support the community.

Group meeting in large room

Since 2014, Jefferson Land Trust has involved stakeholders around the county to determine the best way the Chimacum Commons property can support the community, including at this 2022 meeting at Finnriver Farm & Cidery.

“It’s been a long community conversation. We’ve been in conversation with farmers, community leaders, neighbors, the county, and affordable housing stakeholders since we acquired the property,” Erik says.

According to the Washington Center for Real Estate Research, Jefferson County is ranked as the second most unaffordable county for housing in the state of Washington. As we work closely with local farmers and farmworkers, we see their struggle to find farmland and affordable housing.

As Karyn Williams, founder and owner of Chimacum’s Red Dog Farm, shared, “Lack of housing is our single biggest challenge in recruiting and retaining employees.”

Over the years, even as the Land Trust’s search for a committed housing partner continued without success, we remained committed to this long-held vision for Chimacum Commons because we understand that a thriving agricultural community can only exist if farmers and farmworkers have safe, affordable places to live. The past decade of community engagement helped us be prepared when, in 2021, we decided to reignite our search by putting out a call for letters of interest, and finally found a strong fit in OHT.

“This grant award would not have been possible without the partnership between Jefferson Land Trust and Olympic Housing Trust,” Erik says.

“What an exciting opportunity this grant presents for our community to build affordable workforce housing, but better still is the wonderful partnership and collaboration between our two organizations,” says Kathy Morgan, OHT’s Executive Director.

Men walking fields

Red Dog farmworkers. Photo by Mae Wolfe.

“This grant award is a direct response to the public’s request for nonprofits to work together to address the loss of affordable housing with a fresh and locally relevant answer,” says Kellen Lynch, Outreach and Development Manager at OHT. “Personally, I’m proud to know that the Department of Commerce’s funding goals align with this innovative project that embraces our agricultural economy and enables our efforts to create attractive, healthy housing for the farmers and food system workers who keep our community nourished.”

During Phase I of the project (June 2023 – February 2024) OHT conducted important preliminary feasibility work. The Phase I report showed that a housing development on this property is viable, will help serve a true need in the community, and is supported broadly by local community stakeholders.

Photo of a salmon in Chimacum creek.

Salmon in Chimacum Creek.

The Land Trust will place a permanent conservation easement on the property that will limit development to a specific building envelope, protecting the property’s stretch of Chimacum Creek salmon stream habitat and its rich farm soils. Eventually, the property will be transferred to OHT for long-term ownership.

Conceptual plans for the property involve the creation of several homes with a mixture of homes for rent and for purchase that will have approximately 30 bedrooms, outbuildings for shared community use, and more.

We’re grateful to the Washington State Department of Commerce for awarding this grant to this important project, allowing us to turn a long-held vision into an actionable plan — and helping us make a real difference in the lives of farmers, farmworkers, and the wellbeing of our community.

The grant will also make us eligible to compete for other grants managed by the Washington Department of Commerce that could support the construction phase of the project.

“I have to commend the really good work the state of Washington is doing to advance affordable housing,” says Erik. “This program demonstrates our state’s values and our state legislators’ commitment to investing in the big issues.”

Our hope is that this project will light the way for more creative partnerships that support critical community needs, while also advancing our mission to protect Jefferson County’s open space, working lands, and habitat forever.