PORT HADLOCK — Habitat for Humanity of East Jefferson County unveiled preliminary plans for the neighborhood they hope to build in Port Hadlock once the sewer there is expanded.
At a community meeting at the Jefferson County Library in Port Hadlock on Thursday, members of the public were shown three possible layouts for the planned community, with an option to be selected in May.
About 80 people attended the meeting, said Habitat’s Executive Director Jamie Maciejewski; half online and half in person.
“There were lots of questions about who would live in here in particular,” Maciejewski said. “We let them know it’s really aimed toward people in the local workforce.”
The organization hopes to build at least 150 homes, about a third of which will be reserved for Habitat’s traditional clientele while the remaining homes will be sold to private parties. Habitat will retain ownership of the land in the neighborhood in hopes of keeping homes permanently affordable. Homeowners still will be able to sell their home, but appreciation of the home’s value will be limited.
Proposed plans show a combination of housing types, including cottage housing, town homes and multifamily housing and in Habitat’s preferred layout — Option C — grouped the homes in such a way as to limit vehicle traffic.
Attendees also asked about storage options for the residents and whether retail would be allowed in the development. Both those questions are yet to be answered, Maciejewski said, but Habitat wants to prioritize housing.
In December, Habitat hired Cap Ex Advisory Group of Baltimore, Md., to produce a financial master plan for the neighborhood, which will provide a more detailed analysis of the development.
“We expect to have final information to the (Habitat EJC Board of Directors) probably in May,” Maciejewski said. “Once the board is confident, we’ll move ahead and start the details of the engineering, designs and permitting.
The neighborhood is being made possible by a $35 million sewer system being installed by Jefferson County adjacent to Habitat’s property. That project — funded through a combination of state and federal grants — began construction in August and is expected to be completed in 2025.
Maciejewski said Habitat hopes to have the first homes occupied in 2027.
Habitat still needs to raise between $8-10 million for the construction of the homes over five years, Maciejewski said, but expects to be able to recoup those funds through the sale of the units. Maciejewski said funds had already been secured to construct sewer and road infrastructure at the site once the county sewer is finished.
“It’s an initial estimate,” Maciejewski said. “We will have better numbers when we have a full master plan in four months.”
Additional information about the project can be found at Habitat EJC’s website, habitatejc.org, and questions can be sent to info@habitatejc.org.
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Reporter Peter Segall can be reached at peter.segall@peninsuladailynews.com.
