Public meeting May 10 for community development grant

Greater La Conner residents, particularly “lower income persons” are invited to the May 10 La Conner Town Council meeting to voice their interests in community development and housing needs ahead of the Town submitting a proposal for state Community Development Block Grant funds. The hearing is required as part of the application process to the state Department of Commerce.

Funds of up to $1 million are available to develop, but not construct, affordable housing, with a $500,000 ceiling for housing rehabilitation.

The hearing’s purpose is prescribed: “to review community development and housing needs, inform citizens of the availability of funds and eligible uses of the state Community Development Block Grant and receive comments on proposed activities.” These funds are available annually. Applications are due June 1.

Staff are developing a $30,000 planning grant “for the preparation of plans for redevelopment of industrial areas in the town” an outline promoting the meeting states. “The industrial areas adjacent to downtown and north of Caledonia are underutilized, and will benefit from planning efforts to see what would be a good fit for this area,” Town Administrator Scott Thomas wrote in an email May 2. Tuesday he added “The planning efforts will be focused on economic development and an examination of workforce housing, which would benefit low and moderate income families.” This is similar to the 2021 application.

Last year’s proposal called for a two year “Work Plan process” culminating “in adoption of a Subarea Plan by the La Conner Town Council, as an element of the Town’s Comprehensive Plan.”

The Subarea Plan targeted redevelopment of the South Downtown Industrial Area. Under a laundry list of over 20 “plan elements” were the phrases “economic development and growth strategies” and “maintain and expand family wage jobs,” but there was no focus on low and moderate income persons gaining these jobs, the very purpose of the grant.

If the proposal is funded Thomas anticipates the completed project will be a redevelopment plan for the community to consider, with the goal to “ultimately see it incorporated into the comprehensive plan and the Town’s development regulations. Having these steps accomplished would result in a neighborhood plan that has been vetted by the community, which would be attractive to those capable of developing the property.”

Thomas pointed out that the Town does “not have a housing-type project or other project that meet the readiness/feasibility criteria” for the million dollar funding. Eligible activities include infrastructure, community facilities, acquisition (of property) and planning ahead of construction. Since “housing projects (new construction) are very complicated and expensive,” Thomas “doubts the Town will ever apply for housing construction funds.”

At last May’s hearing two residents advocated planning with vision and for development of “real affordable housing so that families can move in.”

Asked Mondaywhy the Town has not focued specifically on housing to benefit low and moderate income persons, Mayor Ramon Hayes’ email response referenced the 2021 sale of the Hedlin property, writing that “municipalities don’t take that kind of business risk normally. The council went way outside its comfort zone to preserve a park for the community.” The town council “directed the administration to focus on moderate market rate housing. To accommodate this goal, the town limited the size of the homes that could be built from 1,200 to 1,700 square feet.”

Hayes wrote staff are researching housing models to “bring more affordability to the marketplace” and that “that adding a zoning classification entitled ‘demonstration project’ to the town’s code could be very interesting.”

Hayes made the point that the Maple Avenue parcel “was the only town controlled property that I could think of.”

The council is having a joint meeting with the town’s planning council May 17 with Port of Skagit staff. Residents can find out if the Town or Port of Skagit are considering – or will entertain – exploring development of the Port’s property at the south end of the La Conner Marina between North Third and Second streets for affordable housing.

In council or planning commission meetings this spring the Port’s interest in rezoning its property to allow housing, probably in existing structures or with liveaboards for boats docked in the marina, has been brought up. Thomas wrote that Port staff “is interested in exploring ways in which it would be able to utilize its property to a higher potential” in introducing the joint meeting in his April 22 report in council’s meeting packet.

“The Port has indicated its desire that members of the public attend as well,” Thomas informed council.