This Topic: Business Development and Affordable Housing

[Steve Gulliford]

As businesses in Freeland develop new facilities, they should give consideration to building facilities with more than one story and use the additional story or stories as residential units. This can be done to provide affordable units for workers in the retail core of the business district. Not only will it provide housing, it will reduce traffic. Obviously each business needs to develop something that makes sense for their own business plan but including affordable housing units on top of retail space is working in many other communities. Perhaps it's time for consideration in Freeland before all the downtown core becomes single story retail and office space and all workers have to commute into work.

[Michael Dolan]

Hi Steve,

This is the long term plan in talking to many of the current property owners in downtown Freeland. The only thing stopping mixed use development at this time is sewers. Increasing residential density in the Freeland core can only be accomodated with sewer service. The Freeland Chamber of Commerce is working with the Freeland Water and Sewer District and Davido Consulting (their engineering firm) to develop a Financial Feasibility study for the commercial property owners in Freeland. There is a proposed 175 acre 'Phase I' sewer district with 95 property owners that have committed $60,000 to complete this study. The RFQ will go out next week and a consultant should be selected within a month. The study should take about 3 months, then the results will be made available to the 95 property owners. If the data in the study is favorable, the property owners will vote to determine if they are willing to tax themselves for development of a sewer system. Completion could follow within 3 to 4 years. Then we could see expanded development and redevelopment of properties downtown, including additional residential capacity. If the community votes for incorporation also, the new city will be in a position to assist appropriate commercial/residential development through zoning changes, etc. We need to direct more residential to the downtown core as part of growth management, protecting more of our outlying areas from sprawl. This also allows us to provide incentives for 'affordable housing' opportunities. All of this needs to be integrated into an appropriate economic development plan. Etc, etc, etc.

Thanks for your participation in Freelands Future!

Mike Dolan, Chair
Freelaand Vision 2025 Committee
"Helping Freeland Discover Its Future"
www.vision2025committee.com
360-331-4845

[Steve Gulliford]

Between now and the time sewers are available, it might be useful if new business construction projects have architects plan buildings that are structurally able to support a second story for housing purposes later.

Steve Gulliford
Executive Director
Housing Authority of Island County

[Guest]

The price of construction will lilely be a large factor in how much to charge for any rental unit, whether housing or commercial. The purchase price of the property plus the development costs alone, even before a structure is built, is very high. It seems affordable housing might only be feasible if a landowner should decide to make the commercial unit(s) carry a larger burden of total costs, rather than proportionate shares. Problem is that this could make the commercial unit overpriced compared to like units in other buildings.

Many of the discussions about sewers I have heard seem never to mention that the cost will be passed onto tenants, and result in higher retail or service costs to customers. It may not be practical for property owners to readjust rents to accomodate affordable hosuing units.

Deb Asplund