PORT ANGELES — The Port Angeles City Council has hired a La Conner consultant to conduct a housing needs assessment for the city.
Council members voted 7-0 Tuesday to approve a $35,000 professional services agreement with Beckwith Consulting Group to determine the current need and status of the housing stock in Port Angeles.
The assessment will be used as a tool to help shape policy that will address the lack of affordable and available housing in Port Angeles.
“I’m very excited to see this move forward,” Council member Mike French said at the Tuesday meeting.
A panel of four rated 10 firms and individuals submitted proposals for the housing needs assessment.
The selection committee was composed of acting Finance Director Therese Agesson, Assistant Planner Benjamin Braudrick, Deputy Chief of Police Jason Viada and Clallam County Economic Development Corp. Executive Director Julie Knott.
Beckwith Consulting Group, which is conducting a similar assessment for the city of Sequim, was identified as the preferred choice based on the six criteria.
“I really appreciate seeing that they’re going to look at policy recommendations, look at economics and look at architecture,” Council member Lindsey Schromen-Wawrin said at the meeting.
“I’m really excited about what I saw here, and I agree that there is some value added for us that they’re also doing Sequim’s assessment.”
According to the agreement, Beckwith will work with city officials to conduct a scoping meeting, develop baseline information, identify housing resources and constraints, and develop and adopt a housing action plan.
The six criteria that the selection committee used in its evaluation of the applicants were:
• Variety of housing data research, inventory and needs assessment.
• Qualifications and depth of personnel.
• Knowledge of housing development incentives.
• References.
• Proximity to the city.
• Ability to perform the work under budget and on schedule.
Port Angeles Community and Economic Development Director Allyson Brekke said Beckwith was the “clear winner.”
“There were no ties,” Brekke told the council. “If there had been any ties or closeness, we would have probably done follow-up interviews or evaluations.”
Beckwith’s current project in Sequim was seen as a potential benefit for Port Angeles, Brekke added.
“We could see them learning from that and actually having some good insight for the study for us,” Brekke said.
Other proposals were submitted by BBC Research & Consulting of Denver, Benjamin Stanley of Port Angeles, Berk Consulting of Seattle, Bowen National Research of Pickerington, Ohio; Community Attributes Inc. of Seattle; Delfin Group of Port Angeles; ECONorthwest of Seattle; Neighborhood Fundamentals LLC of Arlington, VA.; and Novogradac & Co. LLP of Bellevue.
“I’m really thankful to see all the other applicants, especially the other applicants who are local,” Schromen-Wawrin said.
“It’s really great that people are submitting for this and looking at how to improve our city through this kind of assessment.”
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56450, or at rollikainen@peninsula dailynews.com.
