2020 Housing Assessment/Action Plan
Community-wide Housing Survey – Coming Soon
Housing Assessment/Action Plan Grant
The City of Poulsbo has been awarded a $40,000 grant from the Department of Commerce to complete a Housing Assessment/Action Plan. The funds were authorized as part of HB 1923 to increase residential building capacity in Washington communities. The Housing Assessment/Action Plan will build on the existing Comprehensive Plan with a focus on encouraging construction of additional affordable and market rate housing in a greater variety of housing types and at prices that are accessible to a greater variety of incomes. Specifically, the plan will include:
- Provide for participation and input from a variety of stakeholders.
- Analyze population and employment trends.
- Quantify existing and projected housing needs for all income levels.
- Develop strategies to increase the supply of housing needed by all income levels.
- Consider strategies to minimize displacement of low-income residents resulting from redevelopment.
- Review and evaluate the Comprehensive Plan Housing Element.
- Include a schedule of programs and actions for implementation of the action plan.
This opportunity comes at a great time for the City. The Housing Assessment/Action Plan will provide detailed information to guide the City’s future actions to improve housing diversity and affordable housing options.
What is a Housing Assessment/Action Plan?
Many communities in Washington have identified housing as a priority and have taken steps to address any shortfalls in their local housing stock. The process to create housing usually begins by identifying a housing need quantifying it through a housing assessment confirming the needs and then preparing an action plan. The Housing Assessment/Action Plan lays the foundation for success by identifying housing needs within the community and translating them into solutions.
Some of the benefits of a Housing Assessment/Action Plan are that it:
- Brings the community together to address the issues;
- Clearly identifies the challenges;
- Clearly identifies possible solutions and creates consensus around those solutions;
- Establishes priorities for action toward housing development; and
- Provides a time frame for action and a framework against which to measure results.
Consultant Contract and Scope of Work
The Planning and Economic Development Department issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the completion of the Housing Assessment/Action Plan in December of 2019. Four proposals were received and, out of the four, staff chose to interview two consultant teams in early January. After the interviews, staff chose Beckwith Consulting Group to complete the work for the Housing Assessment/Action Plan. Beckwith Consulting Group is the premier consulting firm for housing action plans in Washington State, with over 30 years of experience
If you have any questions concerning the Housing Action Plan, please contact the Poulsbo Planning Department at (360) 394-9748 or plan&econ@cityofpoulsbo.com.