SEQUIM — Leaders from Habitat for Humanity of Clallam County plan to build affordable homes in addition to its Brownfield Road property in Sequim.
Habitat CEO Colleen Robinson signed a $1.93 million agreement on Oct. 28 to purchase 7.7 acres at 303 Mill Road in Carlsborg, north of Sunny Farms, with a goal to build about 45 homes.
Habitat’s potential homes could range from two-bedroom duplexes to two-story, four-bedroom homes, she said.
“They won’t be cookie cutter,” Robinson said.
The location will be great for walking to the grocery store and bus stop, she added.
Site planning was done by the previous property owner, Logan and Development Inc. of Kingston, Robinson said, and she’s consulted with Clallam County staff about development viability.
Robinson said she’s excited about the opportunities it could present for the area, but she also knows fundraising will be critical.
“In a perfect world,” Habitat would break ground in mid-2026 on the first home, she said.
Future homeowners will contribute “sweat equity” during construction of each home, and 20 percent of the homes will be available for households earning up to 120 percent of Clallam County’s area median income (AMI). The other 80 percent of homes will be available for households at 80 percent or less of the AMI.
Lyon’s Landing
Developer Logan Hammon of Logan and Development Inc. approached Habitat’s staff and board of directors in May about selling the property to become workforce housing, and Robinson said she proposed financial options the following month to her board.
With an $854,000 bequest from Frances J. Lyon of Sequim and the rest from a loan through First Fed, Robinson signed the property agreement last month.
Robinson said they’ll name the property Lyon’s Landing to honor Lyon.
Lyon, who died in September 2023, also bequeathed $850,000 to the Sequim Prairie Grange, with funds so far supporting a new roof and fixing the building’s foundation.
Friends said Lyon was born in California in June 1925, married John H. Lyon in 1944, and they had two daughters and went on to move to Japan, where John was a private airline pilot and engineer.
The couple moved to a 20-acre farm in Carlsborg in the early 1970s where they grew their own food and raised cattle until John died in 1990. Lyon moved into Sequim and lived to be 98. She is survived by one daughter, five grandchildren, numerous great grandchildren and several cousins.
Brownfield Road
Habitat and city officials had a groundbreaking ceremony on the Brownfield Road property at the southeast corner of East Brownfield and South Sequim Avenue in July 2023. Its application also was set to go before the city’s hearing examiner in February 2024. However, it was put on hold due to various factors, including staff turnover and officials working out site issues, such as a portion being delineated a wetland.
Originally estimated at 50 homes, the property is now proposed to be 44 duplexes and four-plexes, Robinson said.
Lindsey Sehmel, Sequim’s community and economic development director, said Habitat staffers have submitted a new application packet and city staff are reviewing it during a 28-day period. She said a hearing examiner review may be conducted in January.
The Brownfield Road project has received many grants in recent years, including a $2 million Connecting Housing to Infrastructure Program (CHIP) grant through the state Department of Commerce to help fund utility infrastructure costs.
In October 2022, the Sequim City Council unanimously voted to allow for multi-family zoning within Sequim city limits, allowing for increased density, which “significantly increases” the number of homes that can be built on the property, Habitat officials said.
A construction date for the Brownfield Road project has not been set, 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.
