SEQUIM — Nearly two months after purchasing 7.7 acres in Carlsborg, Habitat for Humanity of Clallam County broke ground for a new space named Lyon’s Landing.
Habitat CEO Colleen Robinson said the organization plans to build 45 homes ranging from 1,200 square feet to 2,000 square feet each at 303 Mill Road.
Habitat representatives purchased the space from Logan and Development Inc. of Kingston for $1.93 million in October.
Its name honors donor Frances Lyon, who bequeathed more than $854,000 to the agency.
Clallam County commissioners agreed on Dec. 31 to grant the agency $800,000 through an economic opportunity 0.09 percent county sales tax for affordable workforce housing infrastructure or facilities where individuals’ income is between 80 percent and 120 percent of the area median income (AMI).
“We’re super excited,” Robinson said. “I can’t wait to start building houses.”
By offering different sizes with up to four bedrooms, Robinson hopes it will be a multi-generational community.
Habitat staff set a goal to have items such as irrigation and corresponding ditches squared away by the end of the month before moving onto construction permitting through Clallam County.
Much of the preliminary site planning was done by the previous owner, Robinson said.
Once construction begins, she anticipates the homes being built 10 at a time.
“That’s still over four years to complete it,” Robinson said. “We need housing now.”
Future homeowners will contribute sweat equity during construction of each home. Robinson said 20 percent of the homes will be available for households that earn up to 120 percent of Clallam County’s AMI and the other 80 percent will be available at 80 percent or less of the AMI.
Robinson said they’ve hired Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe to lead construction with work on foundations going through 2025 and families starting to move in sometime in 2026.
Habitat’s Brownfield Road project in the city of Sequim remains in the permitting process, Robinson said.
Estimated to offer about 50 homes, the property is proposed to be 44 duplexes and four-plexes, she said.
Its application was set to go before the city’s hearing examiner in early 2024 but was put on hold. City staff said a new application was filed in late 2024 and will tentatively go to the hearing examiner early this year.
That project has received many grants, including a $2 million Connecting Housing to Infrastructure Program (CHIP) grant through the state Department of Commerce to help fund utility infrastructure costs.
No construction date has been set for Brownfield Road, Robinson said.
For more information about Habitat for Humanity of Clallam County, visit habitatclallam.org or email to colleen@habitatclallam.org.
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Matthew Nash is a reporter with the Olympic Peninsula News Group, which is composed of Sound Publishing newspapers Peninsula Daily News, Sequim Gazette and Forks Forum. Reach him by email at matthew.nash@sequimgazette.com.
