I have heard it stated locally that upzoning increases housing prices: by allowing more units on a lot it becomes more desirable to developers who are now willing to pay more in pursuit of favorable returns. I have also heard it stated that upzoning will decrease property values: a multiunit building built next to my … Read more
Necessity Of Trust As ballots are being cast for the District 3 County Commissioner Primary, and Port Townsend prepares for a transition in its most senior leadership role, the City Manager, it is a good time to reflect on the responsibilities of public officials. Their job is not only to make decisions and deliver services, … Read more
How Can We Have Better Conflict? This past weekend I attended an event put on by Braver Angels of North Olympic Peninsula, the local chapter of a national organization focused at dismantling polarizing politics through structured discussions. While they often focus on national issues divided along political party lines, I was interested in how the … Read more
The Costs of Housing Housing that is affordable is often quantified as spending no more than 30% of your income on direct housing related costs (rent, mortgage, property taxes, insurance, utilities). However, while simple and clear, It assumes a very compartmentalized view of housing. It doesn’t consider how the location of that housing impacts so … Read more
HSN is extremely unique, in that we exist to advance community driven solutions and policy with a sole focus on Jefferson County. As HSN’s Director, my role draws me into many conversations across our region where I’m always advocating for housing, local workers and how the two are necessary for our community’s sustainability and resilience. … Read more
Convincing others isn’t about having the better data; it’s about having the better perspective. While a logical person might walk into a debate armed with a stack of citations, they often find that facts alone are surprisingly ineffective at changing minds because people tend to filter information through their own pre-existing beliefs. To build consensus … Read more
HSN has always been a grassroots organization — ordinary people working from the “bottom-up” to create housing solutions. But so often many of the solutions we chase are tied to policy at the state level — restricting possibilities in some cases and mandating it in others. For this reason HSN has gradually been scaling up … Read more
Turning community values into Euclidean zoning policy can feel a bit like trying to fit a lively, free-form conversation into a spreadsheet. Community values are dynamic and human—they’re shaped by daily routines, shared histories, cultural traditions, and aspirations for how neighbors want to live together. Euclidean zoning, on the other hand, speaks a very different … Read more
HSN really skilled up in our ability to monitor and engage with local government policy. This is reflected in many ways: A large portion of the HSN Comp Plan Priorities are reflected in Port Townsend’s update. (FYI Jefferson County’s update has been extended into 2026, but expecting impact there as well.) Monitored over 100 public meetings, identifying … Read more
Too often we find ourselves dwelling on the negatives: the things we fear, disagree with or don’t like. In the housing world it is all too easy to get stuck here. Adversary is large and progress often slow. In our newsletter, A Leader article clip from 1951 suggests this is nothing new even for our … Read more