I am the chair of the landowners committee pushing for construction of the Port Hadlock sewer. I am very worried the county is getting set to undermine everything we’ve hoped for and the financial commitment we’re ready to make to build the sewer. We are seeing the signs of a bait-and-switch that will betray landowners and cripple the ability of the sewer to enable affordable housing and job creation.
The final design for the Port Hadlock Sewer is still being worked on. I would expect to see it completed early next year. It has been more than 15 years since Port Hadlock was declared an Urban Growth Area (UGA) under the Growth Management Act (GMA). That’s how long the sewer project has been in the works.
A sewer in Port Hadlock could allow our existing businesses to expand, plus there is enough land to attract other businesses and to build more housing. A sewer is the final element needed for full urban development in Port Hadlock.
This could be highly desirable and provide jobs, affordable housing and more revenue for government. But, it is highly dependent on the development that would be allowed under our Unified Development Code (UDC).
It should be noted that the UDC is a living document. By that I mean that it can be changed per a process in the Jefferson County Comprehensive Plan (Comp Plan).
The Comp Plan is as close as Jefferson County gets to a constitution. It is the framework that the county uses to control growth. Any regulation that affects land use must be in harmony with the Comp Plan.
One issue with the new plan is how the sewer is to be constructed. Previously the sewer was going to use a gravity collection system and a fixed bio filtration system. The new plan is to use a pressure collection system and a modular bio filtration system. This was done to reduce costs and allow the sewer to be built.
This change in the sewer requires a change in the Comp Plan as the Comp Plan contains the wording for the approved sewer design. And here’s where this alarming problem has reared its head.
Cause for Concern
What’s happening, as I will explain, is that the very development density we need to provide affordable housing and increased commercial activity–the very density that will be needed so landowners can pay for the sewer–may be sacrificed for sake of open spaces and greenways that will take the place of apartments, parking lots and business buildings.
Here we go: Any changes to the Comp Plan must be initiated by a request from either an individual or a department of Jefferson County. The Jefferson County Department of Community Development (DCD) wrote such a request, dated March 2020 to the Board of County Commissioners, Planning Commission and other parties. This letter contained numerous items including item “3. Port Hadlock Sewer Redesign Comprehensive Plan Amendment” and item “5. Port Hadlock Urban Core Revitalization Subarea Plan.”
Item 3, as expected, was the sewer design changed to lower the cost of construction.
Item 5, however, is something completely different, and very concerning to landowners. Basically, the DCD is requesting that the existing development regulations for the sewered areas of Port Hadlock be changed.
Contained in item 5 is the following wording: “There is a likelihood that those zones and uses can be revised to reflect current conditions and aspirations for an attractive urban core, complete with design standards and considerations of developing public amenities such as multi-modal trails and sidewalks, outdoor recreation areas and areas for future residential and commercial development with an emphasis on environmental sustainability.”
What does this mean? It means that once the property owners commit to paying $15M for a sewer then the county can pull the rug out from under them and change the zoning to restrict their ability to use, develop and make some money from their land and sewer investment. Instead of dense residential development that will provide affordable housing in multi-story apartments, townhomes, tiny houses and row homes, the DCD wants more parks and undeveloped spaces where no one can live except in a tent.
The $15M is the amount that the property owners would pay and once they agree to a Local Improvement District (LID) there is no going back. The county can change the zoning afterwards to whatever it wants.
Not only did the DCD write the March 2020 letter but they wrote two others like it, showing how intent they are on zoning changes that will hurt landowners and cripple the sewer’s benefits. One was written August 11, 2020 and another on September 2, 2020. Basically, they reiterated their desire to change the existing zoning.
This action by the county could be quite detrimental to existing property owners. No one in their right mind would agree to a LID only to have their zoning change to something unknown. The whole point of the sewer is to allow urban zoning and urban development, not more “outdoor recreation areas.”
Please note that the DCD did not send this letter to any of the property owners in the area to get the sewer. In other words, the county did not deem it fit to let the people who would pay for the sewer know that they are planning on changing their zoning.
Jefferson County is already mostly characterized by green belts, forests and parks. Port Hadlock has parks that have been closed to the public. I speak of Chimacum Park that has been closed for years. There are other parks that have not been fully developed, such as Irondale Park, H.J. Carroll Park, Oak Bay Park and land where the log dump used to be.
What we need is land that can be developed to its maximum potential for housing, and commercial and industrial development. This is how jobs and housing are created and businesses expand.
This is not the time to add costs to our local businesses and handcuff them in their ability to develop their land to create affordable housing and jobs. Our job base is shrinking terribly, depriving young people of hope and futures. We have a real housing crisis. We need denser development on a new sewer system to have any hope of solving these crises. The current Port Hadlock Urban Growth Area zoning has already passed muster with the Growth Management Hearings board and should be retained as is.
I heard the amount of $22 million previously, now $15 million. Two questions. How many homes or hook ups does the $15 million provide?
The second question or request is for more info. Are there maps available to show current and proposed changes to the sewer line routes and zoning changes?
Finally, market demand will drive prices. Affordable may never be attained for some already here. New arrivals with cash can drive pricing. We will give up the “funk” of what now is for the monoculture waiting to fill in. Enjoy the small things you will miss if the inevitable growth happens. Of course some negative things are not to be missed. Hopefully a good plan minimizes negative side effects. Guess we are at the mercy of the powers that be. Public process is supposed to eliminate or minimize bad results. Maps?
Has it occured to anyone that the people in Hadlock don’t want expansion and want to keep the area as the way it is? They live there because they like being rural.
Per the State required Growth Management Act (GMA) the county is mandated to plan for growth. They have planned to funnel growth into Port Hadlock. It is a declared Urban Growth Area. To finalize the growth they will have to build a sewer system. This was all mandated by the State of Washington when the legislature enacted the GMA in 1990.
I had 2 questions. Number of hook ups and are maps available. Seem to be pretty important info for good understanding by all.
Read everything on the Jefferson County website here and then come back with questions. https://www.co.jefferson.wa.us/1158/Port-Hadlock-Wastewater-System
There will go the prices of rent and buying land for bigger homes. The little guy will be pushed out and have to move away giving up his job, land and next it be Chimacum. Hopefully I’ll be gone before that happens.
The sewer proposed is just for the commercial areas and the high density housing, not all of Port Hadlock. Without sewer high density housing can not be built. As for the residential areas of Port Hadlock and Irondale, if they want sewer they have to request it. They are not getting sewer in this round.
Thanks for the link Craig. Having all the info makes for good judgement. I am unable to download the maps, perhaps a problem with my internet speed at home. Will try at another location a bit later. It would be helpful to give a number for potential new hook ups without having to search it out. Easy to do that here now.
The Public Works Department of Jefferson County is the lead agency on the sewer. They have all the most recent information. Contact them for details not on their website.
I think your average reader would have a hard time figuring out the cost per hook up Craig. below is what the website says, I was just asking for a ballpark number of hook ups for the 15 million. I’m, not sure if the website numbers are the correct ones.
356 seems to be the number given for $4.287 million. That is around $12000 per hook up if my math is correct. Many references quote $40,000 per hook up without grants. Not affordable for most. It does seem your LID also needs grant money?
I would suggest a simple overview of the bottom line numbers Craig, to get your average reader on your side. You must know this inside and out being the lead person and choosing to advise the public of the LID problem with zoning changes. There are always altruistic affordable motivations and developer for profit motivations. Like Les, many would be skeptical of very dense, eliminate trees and open space, growth. That is of course most cost effective. The website mentions concern with “protests’.
Good luck wrestling the County. Been there done that.
Website info
If no future grants are received, the cost per ERU would be $38,500 ($24,300 treatment system plus $14,200
collection system). The cost could be reduced to $12,700 per ERU with future grants of $13 million. Future grants
of $11 million would result in $16,700 per ERU, $9 million grant would be $20,600 and $7 million in grants
would result in $24,600 per ERU. The future grants are first assigned to the collection system as the LID is
assumed to finance up to 50% of the special benefit at $3.9 million. This requires $3 million in grants and results
in a typical LID assessment of $8,200 per ERU. Increasingly higher grant amounts are used to reduce the
connection charge to an affordable level. In order to have a connection charge of up to $5,000 per ERU, future
grants must be $13 million.
Initial on-site side sewer costs are estimated to be $12,000 per ERU on average, after dividing the estimated
$4.287 million by 356 initial ERUs (see Table 9-10). The costs on each property include the cost for the grinder
pump unit and additional costs that would vary based on the length and location of the grinder pump between the
street and building, whether landscaping is disturbed and needs refurbishment, control panel installation, and
modifications and connections to existing electrical panels, etc. This estimate reflects a typical residential
connection with 25 feet of pipe, installation, grinder pump and electrical panel, allowance for landscape
restoration, decommissioning an existing septic tank, and allowances for design and construction management.
The estimated total cost per ERU for UGA-1 (connection charge, local collection line assessment, and on-site
costs) ranges from $50,500 with no grants, to $24,700 with $13 million in grants.
Why are the tourist/high density housing zoned areas near the marina excluded?
Anyone who’s paid attention to how much the landscape has changed in the FORTY YEARS since this project was first proposed must conclude that it has no chance of ever getting actually built. (I have an original copy of the earliest plan btw) It now seems to exist- and only on paper- for the sole benefit of generations of county planners, consultants, and the real estate agents who drive up prices of otherwise unbuildable property.