CHIP grants Round 3; Public comment period on housing needs; Climate resilience pilot; NEP funding; New staff & more



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October 2022

Planners' Update Newsletter

CHIP Grants Round 3

Photo of Four Corners apartment development in Everett

The Department of Commerce is pleased to announce the third round of Connecting Housing to Infrastructure Program (CHIP) grants. CHIP grants use state capital and federal American Rescue Plan Act funds to pay for water, sewer and stormwater infrastructure costs and waived connection fees in projects with affordable housing.

This third round of grants funded 12 projects and 1,100 affordable housing units for a total of $5.0 million. Projects include rental and housing ownership opportunities.

Grant awardees and their projects include:

? Everett (Four Corners - "pictured above") - $1 million for 430 affordable units

? Raymond (Willapa Center) - $117,182 for 30 affordable units

? Airway Heights (Highland Village 1) - $55,844 for 40 affordable units

? Jefferson County (7th Haven) - $142,583 for 43 affordable units

? Kirkland (Horizon) - $1 million for 300 affordable units

? Tacoma (Lincoln) - $483,085 for 78 affordable units

? Tumwater (Talicum Townhomes) - $726,984 for 28 affordable units

? Yakima (Justice Housing) - $764,998 for 29 affordable units

? Vancouver (O Street) - $108,207 for 10 affordable units

? Bellingham (Barkley Village) - $99,546 for 77 affordable units

? San Juan County (Lopez North) - $400,000 for 15 affordable units

? Winthrop (Cascade Meadows) - $100,000 for 22 affordable units

To date, CHIP has provided $41 million for 54 projects in 17 counties, supporting the development of 4,700 units of affordable housing. The program continues to strengthen Washington communities by paying for the costs of connecting new affordable housing projects to the utilities that serve them.


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30-day comment period underway on draft housing needs methodology and numbers

House Bill 1220 (HB 1220) [ [link removed] ]directed the Department of Commerce to develop projected housing needs by income band for every county in Washington, as well as housing needs for permanent supportive housing, emergency housing and emergency services.

Our draft?*methodology for projecting these future housing needs [ [link removed] ]* is available now for public review.

In addition, we are also providing *draft housing need numbers [ [link removed] ]*for review using an Excel-based Housing for All Planning Tool (HAPT).

Housing needs data is provided at the county level to be consistent with the GMA framework in which the Office of Financial Management (OFM) projects future populations for every county of the state. Each county, and the cities within it, will need to decide how the future needs at the county level will be allocated among the jurisdictions. Further guidance on distributing future housing needs is provided in our *draft allocation guidance [ [link removed] ]*.

*Submit comments through Nov. 11*

The draft projection methodology and draft housing need numbers will be available for public comment through November 11.

Commerce will then review comments for consideration and develop final projected housing need numbers with the final methodology and 2022 OFM population projections. Final projected housing need numbers are expected in January 2023.

Comments should be directed to Laura Hodgson at [email protected].

*Additional HB 1220 guidance reminder: Racially disparate impacts*

The draft guidance on housing element requirements for racially disparate impacts, displacement and exclusion [ [link removed] ] is available for public review through October 19.

Please send comments on these draft documents to Laura Hodgson at [email protected].

View a recording [ [link removed] ] of our virtual Racially Disparate Impacts Open House meeting

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Climate Resilience pilot program kicks off

The Evergreen State?s diverse landscape of glacial peaks, rolling plains, verdant forests, and rocky shores is already witnessing the effects of a warming world in the form of stronger storms, rising seas, and blazing wildfires. Starting this fall, the geographically diverse cities of Port Angeles, Pullman, and Woodland will test draft planning guidance to build communitywide resilience to climate change.

"*Climate resilience* is the capacity of a jurisdiction, business, or natural environment to prevent, withstand, respond to, and recover from a disruption. Washington?s cities and counties may build climate resilience by implementing a mix of preparedness, response, and recovery policies, including mitigating natural hazards, adapting to unavoidable impacts, and restoring degraded natural areas that provide key ecosystem services."

The aim of the pilot program is to create a flexible framework for cities and counties big and small to integrate climate goals and policies into their comprehensive plan. The draft resilience planning guidance ? a sub-element of a broader Model Climate Element [ [link removed] ] the Washington State Department of Commerce is leading as part of a collaborative state project ? focuses on helping local jurisdictions prepare for, respond to, and recover from climate-exacerbated hazards and impacts. A companion mitigation sub-element shows jurisdictions how to measure and manage local emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases from transportation, buildings, and other sectors.

Through the end of March 2023, a Cascadia-BERK consultant team will help Port Angeles, Pullman, and Woodland use the draft resilience planning guidance to explore local climate hazards and impacts, assess assets? vulnerability and risk, identify policy gaps and barriers, and select climate resilience measures for their comprehensive plan. Commerce will use the three cities? input to improve the draft resilience planning guidance and complete work on the broader Model Climate Element by July 2023.

It is currently optional for Washington?s cities and counties to integrate a climate element into a comprehensive plan ? either as a single chapter or across multiple chapters (for example, housing, transportation, and land use.). This year, Commerce provided about $1.6 million in grants to 27 cities and counties to help with this work ? which could one day be required by State lawmakers. Commerce expects to provide about $4 million in grants over the next biennium, enabling additional jurisdictions to develop climate elements as part of their comprehensive plan periodic update cycle.

Visit the Commerce Climate Program website [ [link removed] ] for more information about the Model Climate Element, grants, and other information.

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NEP Funding available

Commerce is sharing information on several requests for proposals (RFP) from the National Estuary Program (NEP) for Puget Sound Strategic Investment Leads (SILs).

Read more about available programs in the SILs Funding Process Summary [ [link removed] ]. The Shellfish and Stormwater Strategic Initiative Leads (SILs) have several RFP opportunities for federal fiscal years 2021 and 2022:

*Shellfish SILs RFP [ [link removed] ] to reduce fecal pollution to increase harvestable shellfish acreage in Puget Sound.*


* This Shellfish RFP will be open for 8 weeks, with applications due Nov. 22, 2022, by 11:59 p.m. PST.
* Up to $5.5 million will be awarded.
* Investment priorities include Pollution Identification and Correction (PIC), Onsite Sewage System (OSS) Management, and livestock manure management related work.

*Stormwater SILs RFP [ [link removed] ] for public road retrofit planning by local jurisdictions around Puget Sound.*


* This Stormwater RFP is open for 6 weeks, with applications due Nov. 9, 2022, by 11:59 p.m. PST.
* Up to $2 million will be awarded.
* Investment priority is public road retrofits planning by Local Jurisdictions.

*Habitat SILs RFP for 2022 [ [link removed] ]?*

*Extended deadline:* the Habitat SIL RFP deadline for proposals is Dec. 6, 2022.


* The Washington Departments of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) and Natural Resources (DNR) are accepting proposals until Dec. 6, 2022.
* $9 million is available for projects that advance Puget Sound habitat recovery

*QUESTIONS?*


* Jennifer Griffiths <[email protected]>, Habitat SIL Policy Lead?Department of Fish and Wildlife [email protected]
* Devan Rostorfer <[email protected]>, Habitat SIL Policy Lead?Department of Natural Resources [email protected]
* [email protected]
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Please welcome our new team members!

Photo of Emmie Tanguay

Please welcome *Emmie Tanguay* (he/him) to the Growth Management Services housing team. Prior to joining Commerce, Emmie served as a regional planner for a council of governments, a grant coordinator at the Massachusetts Office of HIV/AIDS and program coordinator for individuals and families at risk of eviction. He?s excited to help Commerce make housing more affordable across the state. A former Boston resident, Emmie has enjoyed getting to know Seattle through woodworking classes, live music, and most recently, working at a local bakery.



Photo of Alicia McAfee

Please welcome Americorp fellow, *Alicia McAfee* (she/her). Alicia joins us as a part of Civic Spark, a partner program with AmeriCorps that creates fellowship opportunities in Washington to address climate resiliency issues. Civic Spark fellows assist with local projects focused on sustainable transportation, energy efficiency, climate action planning, water conservation, drought response, affordable housing, rural-broadband, equity, and environmental justice. Commerce has three such fellows working on climate resilience and we are pleased to have Alicia on our team.

Alicia is a recent graduate of Central Washington University with a degree in environmental science with a geology specialization and a minor in public health. She also has a certificate in sustainability and during her time at CWU, created a Sustainability Literacy and Behaviors survey for the university. Alicia is very passionate about climate change and working toward finding solutions. She is excited to learn and help out as much as possible during her time at Commerce and looks forward to working with everyone.


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Short course on local planning

The Short Course on local planning offers an overview of land use planning laws in Washington, an introduction to comprehensive planning and plan implementation under the Growth Management Act (GMA), and a review of roles in planning and mandatory training on the Open Public Meetings Act for local government officials. All courses are online, free and open to the public.

*Month*



*Date*



*Time*



*Registration*



October



Tues., 10/25



6 - 9 p.m.



*Register* [ [link removed] ]



November



Wed., 11/16



1 - 4 p.m.



*Register* [ [link removed] ]



December



Thurs., 12/8



1 - 4 p.m.



*Register* [ [link removed] ]



*Ask about local presentations*

Commerce also offers e-visits to local planning commissions or other meetings. Topics include, but are not limited to, comprehensive plan basics and roles in the planning process. Contact your regional planner [ [link removed] ] to request a presentation.

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Next Planners? Forum: Oct. 26

Commerce Planners? Forums are quarterly events presented regionally across Washington state in partnership with the Washington APA [ [link removed] ] and the Planners Association of Washington [ [link removed] ]. Each one features guest speakers discussing relevant topics and related?American Planning Association [ [link removed] ]?guidelines.

All of the events are virtual events on Zoom.


* *Eastern WA* Planners? Forum? 1-3 p.m., Oct. 26? *Register* [ [link removed] ]

Remember, you can receive American Planning Association (AICP [ [link removed] ]) credits for attending based on the topics covered.

Learn more [ [link removed] ]?





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