31.05.100 Housing goals.
(1) Affordable housing opportunities will be available throughout the Straits Planning Region in urban and rural areas. Strategies for supplying affordable housing opportunities will vary in rural and urban areas in order to maintain the character of these areas.
(2) Clallam County should encourage the development of affordable housing opportunities in urban areas. Affordable housing in urban areas will be provided through the following techniques:
(a) Multifamily developments will be encouraged to locate in the urban growth areas where transit access, availability of facilities/utilities and other factors important to multifamily development can be provided.
(b) Manufactured home parks and developments will be encouraged within the urban growth area. Existing manufactured home parks will be encouraged to remain in operation. Home prices within these parks are generally less than stick-built homes on individual sites, due to smaller lot sizes or lot rental practices.
(c) The smaller lot sizes and higher densities allowed within the urban growth area should allow building lots and housing units to be available at prices affordable to many County residents.
(d) Accessory housing will be allowed in all urban and rural zones. Newer mobile homes shall be allowed as accessory housing.
(e) Accessory housing will be allowed above commercial buildings and multifamily dwellings will be permitted to locate behind commercial highway frontages or along back streets in commercially zoned areas.
(f) Existing mobile home parks shall be grandfathered for the original number of lots and setbacks approved when the mobile home park was originally approved by Clallam County.
(3) Affordable housing opportunities should be encouraged in rural areas but will follow rural density and open space guidelines to maintain rural character and limit the development of large urban pockets within the rural area. Affordable housing opportunities in rural areas will be met through the following techniques:
(a) Accessory housing or “granny flats” will be an allowed use. Newer mobile homes shall be allowed as accessory housing.
(b) Under rural low density/mixed use development, homesites smaller than one acre will be approved in rural areas as long as the overall density of the site is not increased over present levels and open space areas (ten (10) acres or larger) are provided as an integral part of the development. These lots of up to one acre in size should sell at prices affordable to many moderate income residents in the County.
(4) The County should place a high priority on the provision of infrastructure to serve high density housing in the unincorporated portion of urban growth areas by working out agreements with urban service providers for sewer and water service to such developments.
(5) Planned unit developments will be encouraged within the urban growth area with incentives provided to supply a percentage of affordable housing in each development.
(6) The County-wide Housing Task Force should set goals for the provision of low cost and special needs housing in the Straits Region. These goals should recognize the needs identified in the Clallam County Needs Assessment Report published in June of 1991 as well as more current data or plans.
(7) Repealed by Ord. 725, 2002.
(8) Infill development in urban growth areas should be encouraged to take place at the maximum densities allowed in order to provide a supply of developable lots at affordable prices.
(9) Clallam County should encourage the housing authority to obtain more Section 8 rental assistance vouchers for the Joyce area.
(10) Clallam County should develop a housing rehabilitation program under the Community Development Block Grant program to aid low-income residents of the Straits Region with home maintenance and repair projects.
(11) Clallam County shall investigate the possibility of reducing housing costs and permit fees through the use of preapproved affordable housing plans.
(12) Clallam County shall continue to foster a people-friendly approach, and shall continue to supply high quality service and advice to all builders and especially in aid of first time owners/builders.
(13) Clallam County should review the fee structure in light of housing affordability.
(14) Clallam County shall continue to allow alternative sanitary disposal systems such as composting systems and alternate energy systems such as solar or wind power. The feasibility of new or alternate building materials and methods and sanitary disposal systems shall be explored by County staff.
(15) Clallam County should examine the feasibility of encouraging the construction of very low and low income housing by a variety of incentives.