Olympia announced plans to apply for a $40.9 million federal grant to help create a new affordable housing community in the area commonly called “The Jungle.” On Tuesday, June 18, Anastasia Everett, Olympia's Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program manager, presented the proposal to the city council.
If awarded, the Preservation and Reinvestment Initiative for Community Enhancement (PRICE) grant would fund a new resident-owned manufactured home community (MHC), which is tentatively named the Woodard Creek Manufactured Home Community. The city has partnered with the Northwest Cooperative Development Center (NWCDC) for the project, which aims to establish 50 affordable units.
The community would consist of two—and three-bedroom homes, exclusively for first-time homebuyers with incomes between 50% and 80% of the area median.
The site, partially owned by the city, is between Martin Way E and Pacific Avenue SE.
Everett said the location was chosen due to its numerous benefits. With the funding from the PRICE program, she said the city plans to work with the local service providers to relocate those living in the jungle to temporary or permanent supportive housing. The project will also help clean up the site's wetlands, which are currently being negatively impacted by the unsanctioned encampments.
Everett noted another benefit of the project would be promoting economic growth in nearby businesses. She explained that developing the site had been challenging for private entities in the past due to the high costs required to construct road infrastructure to access the area. With the grant, it would allow the city to fund the necessary road connections.
The project proposal includes a request for funding to construct a new road connecting Ensign Way northeast to Pacific Avenue southeast, which would reduce emergency vehicle response times.
Everett provided details on the planned relocation process for the encampment's residents. She explained that with $500,000 in requested relocation assistance funding, the city would work with service providers who have established relationships with encampment residents.
Residents exiting the Jungle could rent around 50 tiny homes at the nearby Franz Anderson Tiny Home Village.
The CDBG program manager said the relocation would occur during the planning and permitting stages for the new manufactured home community.
If awarded the grant, NWCDC will lead the initial project planning and design work. This would involve negotiating with manufactured home vendors and conducting a two-phased site environmental assessment.
The proposal also outlines an innovative approach to affordable homeownership. Rather than requiring traditional mortgages, Everett said prospective homebuyers would finance their purchase through NWCDC, which plans to offer reduced requirements and favorable loan terms to make it accessible for low-income homeowners.
The proposed budget outlines $40.9 million in requested federal funding through the PRICE grant. The city's matching share is $7.16 million, to be drawn from various sources. This includes $3 million from the Transportation Capital Fund to match costs for the Ensign Road extension. Another $2 million would come from the Water and Wastewater Utility Capital Fund to match utility extension work. An additional $1% tax for the arts would be incorporated into the site design scope.
Everett said most costs would go towards site work, including utility connections and construction. Approximately $20 million would pay for the roads, according to Darian Lightfoot, Olympia's housing programs manager.
Everett provided the following timeline for the proposed Woodard Creek Manufactured Home Community project:
Early 2030: The new affordable housing site opens and is ready for residents to move into the 50 manufactured home units.
On Tuesday, Olympia Mayor Dontae Payne held a public hearing on the PRICE grant application. The public comment period opened on June 17 and will end on July 1.
The city council is slated to consider approving the application on July 9. If approved, city staff will submit the completed application to grants.gov on July 10. Grant awards are expected to be announced in the fall of 2024.
Visit the city’s website for more information.
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BillString
Ah yes, another "jungle clearing" scheme. I wonder how long it will take them to give it up as a bad job this time. Its not like it's ever worked before
Saturday, June 22 Report this
BobJacobs
An interesting proposal.
Many opportunities for mischief. "The devil is in the details." Everyone should keep an eye on this.
Bob Jacobs
Saturday, June 22 Report this
HotTractor
Where is the "jungle" and who is the other owner(s)?
5 days ago Report this
JW
I wonder how quick and drastic the response from local government would be if my septic system started leaking into a wetland. Meanwhile we have hundreds of transients daily polluting a wetland with garbage and human waste and they are taking years to address it in any meaningful way. In fact they're doing the opposite and encouraging it.
5 days ago Report this
AugieH
HotTractor,
It's that wooded land on the south side of Martin Way E between the Bark Store and Fatso's Bar and Grill.
4 days ago Report this
OlyGuy
Why can't they move the transients out of the jungle right now? The affordable housing for people that actually work and struggle to find housing around here is a great idea. Stop giving to the transients and start helping hard working people struggling to buy homes or find affordable rentals. Olympia has so much empathy for the homeless population and just shrugs its shoulders to people that make this town run and can't afford decent living conditions. Support people who work, not people who steal, use drugs, and make our city less safe.
4 days ago Report this
MrCommonSense
Hmmmm. I'm always skeptical when government gets into the housing construction business. It always costs more than if the private sector develops and builds. Simple math says that the $49,900,000 to provide 50 homes means each home would cost $818,000. And not likely include all the impact, permit and other costs the city could waive for itself. That's crazy. Think of how many homes could be created using these funds on other projects. If the city could triple the density maybe it could make sense.
4 days ago Report this
JamesBishop
In JW's comment he mentions septic contamination in Wet Land Areas and wonders how the City of Olympia would handle a problem such as this. The way the City has handled disposing of their stormwater in my area is to dump thousands of gallons contaminated water into my property and surrounding property owners because years past they, City and County , declared it wetland. It used to be farm land as dairies and home owners fought to put groceries on the table. Over the years, both the City and County have destroyed what used to be Indian Creek. The flow of this creek has been destroyed by blocked culverts and the lack of NO Maintenance.
In my area flooding used to be seasonal but now it occurs anytime the City wants to flush their Wastewater Toilet. In this new proposed " JUNGLE" project I expect the stormwater drains will drain into the nearby wetland. In new housing developments code requires a stormwater basin be built where the stormwater is sent to so impurities can settle to the bottom as the water evaporates or flows thru an overflow. This drain system that is flooding my property has no BASIN as it was done illegally by our un-law abiding city.
Why are local tax payers being DICTATED to and giving homes to people who have no desire to work or better their lives ? Why has our President and Congress allowed thousands of illegals to cross our borders. Fifty houses in the JUNGLE is a JOKE as it is not going to solve anything, only feed political greed.
4 days ago Report this
ejpoleii
Another scheme to pour yet more millions of dollars into the fat cat homeless industry. They won't solve anything. They have no incentive to solve anything. If they do solve anything they would just shut down their gravy train.
4 days ago Report this
HappyOlympian
Do not do this. Find someone deserving, the residents of this dump choose to live in this manner and in no way should be rewarded. Does not matter the source of the funding, there has got to be better uses for all that money; somewhere, someone paid the taxes to make this travesty possible.
3 days ago Report this
MikePelly
I am a big critic of how the city is so often mismanaged. I'm convinced a majority of council members and mayor are just in it as a means to higher office with support from their developer friends. This time I appreciate how the city appears to be making an effort. I agree with Bob Jacobs comment, "The devil is in the details". Having said this I must mention there are many lower hanging fruits to addressing homelessness the city is missing. These include leasing some of the many long term vacant offices spaces and strip mall stores to install mini transitional apartments, to help homeless families get back on their feet. These buildings are often close to bus lines, other businesses looking for employees and also unencumbered by nearby home owners afraid of transitional housing getting sited in their neighborhood. Another step the city can do is to Quit giving away these asinine zero residential property tax sweet heart deals to developers building apartments. These deals can not extend up to 20 years, are a slap in the face to any other resident whose paying their fair share of property taxes and lastly these are going to corporate owned apartment buildings instead of owner oppupied
3 days ago Report this
MikePelly
I am a big critic of how the city is so often mismanaged. I'm convinced a majority of council members and mayor are just in it as a means to higher office with support from their developer friends. This time I appreciate how the city appears to be making an effort. I agree with Bob Jacobs comment, "The devil is in the details". Having said this I must mention there are many lower hanging fruits to addressing homelessness the city is missing. These include leasing some of the many long term vacant offices spaces and strip mall stores to install mini transitional apartments, to help homeless families get back on their feet. These buildings are often close to bus lines and various businesses looking for employees. Commercial buildings are also unencumbered by nearby home owners afraid of transitional housing getting sited in their neighborhood. Another step the city can do is to Quit giving away these asinine zero residential property tax sweet heart deals to developers building apartments. These deals can now extend up to 20 years and are a slap in the face to any other resident whose paying their fair share of property taxes. Tax relief to corporate owned rentals instead of to owner occupied homes and condos where the recipient of this tax break is able to be paying down a mortgage and owning their part of the American dream is the only way this would make sense. Lastly to the angry idiots who have nothing but distain to say about the homeless population and grumble about equating being homeless with being lazy or a druggy, well I hope you or no one you care about is ever priced out of housing despite your best efforts to live by all the rules. Homelessness is at epidemic levels caused by greed and a sign of our distorted times. Rarely caused by it's many victims.
3 days ago Report this
wolfmanner
AND IN A YEAR IT WILL BE A CESSPOOL OF DRUGS AND CRIME.
3 days ago Report this
janedoe98506
$800k each for a trailer park? What is wrong with this picture. Have the builders of all the properties along Sleater Kinney do it for half that each and give the people real houses. This is PATHETIC. DUMB.
3 days ago Report this