I read David Faber’s vision for a zoning change on the golf course to allow affordable housing and found it cogent. Building affordable housing on parts of the golf course will not improve the shortage significantly.

The larger picture is the state’s Growth Management Act forced growth into urban areas to prevent sprawl and reduce infrastructure costs for governmental entities with the unanticipated consequence of limiting building sites. Scarcity does not lower land costs. The less wealthy could choose Hadlock, Irondale and Chimacum at a lower cost until 45 commercial property owners, 17 residents (11 of which own businesses), 25 vacant property owners (of which 20 own businesses) petitioned the county Board of County Commissioners for a sewer system with the anticipated consequence of increasing their land values. That petition gave us a $35 million dollar bill for a project that will cost the single family $80/mo per sewer connection while a similar Port Townsend connection costs $68/mo.

Mandating a minimum rural single family building site outside the urban areas to 5, 10 or 20 acres does nothing to help affordable housing.

Gregg Knowles

Port Townsend