Exclusive | Low-income housing fears stir up hornet’s nest for Kennewick waterfront development

Downtown Kennewick business owners have made it clear to the Port of Kennewick that low-income housing has no place in the development of the city’s waterfront.

“I believe the idea of turning The Willows into homes for low‐income and the homeless is one of the worst public planning ideas I’ve ever heard,” said real estate developer and broker Jared Fielding in written comments this week to the port. “That will destroy the entire attempt to revitalize that area.”

“Our community deserves a waterfront area that is safe, clean and nice for all. By bringing in low-income housing, this will not be accomplished,” said another unnamed community member in a written comment to the port.

Carrie Lundgren, owner of Cedars at Pier One restaurant on Clover Island, told the Herald, “Just by partnering with the housing authority will discourage development down there.”

Lundgren is referring to the port’s partnership with the Kennewick Housing Authority that’s was intended to strengthen the port’s $2.4 million federal Build Back Better grant application. The money would help pay for infrastructure in the Willows area for projects such as water, roads and lights.

The Willows is a former mobile home park called the Willows Trailer Court that the port bought for $1.5 million in 2007, cleared of everything but trees and grass and is now designated an urban mixed use area.

But to stand a better chance at attracting developers, the port needs to install infrastructure. However, that is money the port doesn’t have.

It asked the housing authority for a letter of support to explore mixed income housing after Sen. Patty Murray’s office told port staff that it would increase the chance of an award.

Port officials say they never intended to have a low-income housing complex there, but possibly a small number of units could be reserved for low-income tenants who get rent subsidy vouchers.

Port Commissioner Tom Moak, who also is on the housing authority’s board, told the Herald there are several ways to work with the housing authority that could help shape future development there but no one is considering a “homeless camp” or even an exclusively low-income complex.

However, Lundgren, who also is a longtime real estate agent and owns a houseboat on Clover Island, contends that anything other than a high-end project won’t work.

“The whole idea is cleaning up the area,” she told the Herald. “No where at any time did anyone hear affordable low-income housing. That was not discussed.”

That’s because port staff say the Kennewick Historic Waterfront Master Plan that was the subject of a public hearing this week isn’t meant to get to that level of detail — and that the partnership and grant application is a separate matter entirely.

Director of Planning and Development Larry Peterson emphasized before Tuesday’s hearing that the master plan is intended only as an overall plan for the area’s general uses and housing densities.

He said that the plan suggests a type of use but not the age, income nor ethnicity of possible residents.

The master plan will then be used to help recruit private developers for the projects, such as shops, hotels and housing.

And even though he said the plan does not and will not get into demographics, that didn’t stop neighboring business owners and others from strongly objecting to what they perceived as an 11th hour change in course for the vision for the area.

And one port commissioner is now considering making a motion to pull out of the partnership with the housing authority.

Skip Novakovich told the Herald that the details of the partnership were not worked out and there were too many unknowns about the strings that may come attached if the port was awarded and accepted the grant.

He told the Herald on Thursday that he hasn’t decided on the motion, which also, in effect, would halt the port’s entire grant application.

Commissioners Don Barnes and Moak approved the original resolution. Novakovich abstained from voting, saying he believed public opinion should be considered.

Waterfront redevelopment

The port has worked for years on studies and plans for the redevelopment of Clover Island and port-owned land along Columbia Drive.

The efforts culminated in the recently released waterfront district plan that lays out a broad view of how the area could be developed in 15 to 20 years.

It builds on efforts already made such as the Willows land purchase and on community feedback over the past year.

But outrage mushroomed in recent weeks after the public — largely business owners — criticized the partnership approved by the commission in May.

Ron Swanby, the owner of Swampy’s BBQ food truck in Columbia Gardens, spoke against the partnership in a letter to the port, as did a spokesperson for Lampson International during Tuesday’s hearing.

While the hearing was meant to gather feedback on the overall master plan, roughly half of the 65 written and verbal comments centered on the housing possibilities for the Willows area.

The common thread was the belief that low-income housing will hurt future development and be an economic setback to the revitalization.

“Putting a homeless camp at the entrance to Clover Island is the worst idea I have ever heard,” said one commenter.

Lundgren told the Herald that the vision discussed over the past year was to create higher-end condos or houses with “customers who could actually afford fine dining and the recreation” on Clover Island and within the Columbia Gardens Wine and Artisan Village.

During the meeting, Lundgren said she believes that commercial business development rather than housing is now the best use for that land.

Kennewick custom home builder Gretl Crawford, who is running for city council, agreed and told the commission she objects not only to low-income housing in the Willows but any type of housing.

Crawford said the area is better suited for private development and things that would create thriving public areas such as food venues and creative studios which would support the walking and biking trails, as well as recreation on the shoreline for everyone.

Other speakers agreed that no housing should be built in that area but for entirely different reasons.

“The plan looks like a nice use and development use of the island and the waterfront area. BUT. Now go down and photograph the view you’ll see across Columbia Drive. Why would anyone want to go there for events or activities when across the street is an urban ghetto area?” wrote another unnamed community member.

The area south of the proposed development on Columbia Drive is an aging industrial area.

Next steps

Surprised at the backlash, the housing authority’s Executive Director Lona Hammer told the Herald that her agency has never intended to build a low-income project on that land. The price of the land alone, she said, would be well out of the agency’s budget.

Instead, Hammer recommended to the port in May that 5 percent of any housing units built there be set aside for those eligible for housing assistance.

“Private development dollars should be utilized if this is to be a community that serves only those with substantial means,” Hammer said. “We have many good families — income is not a determining factor of whether a family will be a good tenant or are good people.”

She pointed out that any family of four living in Tri-Cities with a household income of less than $65,000 is considered low income by the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development.

HUD lists low income as being 80 percent of the areas median income — which in the Tri-Cities for the current fiscal year is $78,100 for a family of four. Very low income is calculated at 50 percent of the median income.

Commissioner Barnes said after the hearing that in the early stages of planning that the residential component was discussed for inclusion but the possible types of residents were not.

He said that in the past year more than 1,900 people have been participated in the planning process by either filling out surveys, attending virtual open houses or providing comments and feedback.

Barnes said only when low-income housing was brought up did the public really take notice.

“I don’t want to see the port placed in a position to be discriminatory,” he said at Tuesday’s meeting. “I don’t think that is fair to ask staff or anyone at the port to be discriminatory.”

The port commission has asked its consultants to explain their reasoning for where they suggested placing housing in the waterfront district at not only the Willows but also on Clover Island and the Gables on east Columbia Drive.

The commission plans to continue discussing and possibly adopting the master plan at its June 22 meeting.

To view the draft of the master plan, go to portofkennewick.org. The public comment period is now closed.