PORT ANGELES — Clallam County has awarded six projects a total of $5 million in opportunity fund grants.
The projects all focus on either affordable workforce housing or public facilities that serve economic development, particularly long-term job creation.
The three Clallam County commissioners unanimously approved the recommendation on Tuesday to fund these projects provided they meet all applicable legal requirements.
The largest grant, for almost $1.76 million, will go to the Port of Port Angeles to support the Marine Trades Center development.
That project focuses on the redevelopment of 18 acres of industrial property, located on the waterfront. Those development-ready plots will then be leased to marine trade companies.
Over the first five years, the undertaking is projected to create about 115 direct jobs, according to the port’s application.
The city of Port Angeles will receive about $1.39 million to use for A Street wastewater capacity improvements. The main upgrade will be the replacement of a long stretch of sanitary sewer main along A Street.
The project will service an area of persistent poverty, according to the city’s application, and will allow for future expansion in the area.
About $800,000 will go to Habitat for Humanity of Clallam County. Those funds will help support the Lyons Landing project, which involves turning 7.7 acres of land in Carlsborg into affordable housing. The land is currently permitted for 48 homes.
Habitat for Humanity broke ground for the project on Dec. 23.
The city of Sequim will receive about $555,000 to support a reservoir road main and booster station design. That will allow the city to establish a new water pressure zone in the southwest portion of the city, which will help with the pressure that population growth is putting on the city’s infrastructure, according to the city’s application.
About $470,000 will go to Clallam County Public Works for a Clallam Bay/Sekiu sewer system station replacement.
The county currently has insufficient funds to finance required capital improvements and replacements due to the low population in that area, the county’s application said. The opportunity fund grant will help cover the engineering, design and specifications of a pump station, the purchase of required equipment and the installation of pump stations.
The last grant of $25,000 will go to Peninsula Housing Authority to help with the creation of a 24-unit apartment complex called Elkund at Gales. The project will be located at Seventh Avenue and Gales Street in the Port Angeles urban growth area.
In total, the six applicants’ requests totaled about $8.71 million. Only Sequim and Clallam County Public Works received their full funding requests.
The opportunity fund is mainly sustained through a 0.09 percent county sales tax.
Previously, those dollars could only be dedicated toward public facilities projects. In June, however, the state Legislature amended the state law to allow counties to use those funds for affordable workforce housing infrastructure or facilities.
That type of housing focuses on individuals whose income is between 80 percent and 120 percent of the area median income (AMI).
“We’re just really glad that these funds are able to help move forward economic development,” Colleen McAleer, executive director of the Clallam Economic Development Council, said during Tuesday’s regular session.
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Reporter Emma Maple can be reached by email at emma.maple@peninsuladailynews.com.
