Habitat for Humanity of East Jefferson County addressed the community on Dec. 12 about its Mason Street affordable housing project in Port Hadlock.

The public meeting took place at the Jefferson County Public Library, also in Port Hadlock where East Jefferson Habitat has already scheduled another public meeting for Jan. 18 at 5 p.m., to solicit the community’s input on conceptual alternatives for the housing project.

During the Dec. 12 public meeting, Habitat announced its selection of two firms for project management and architectural design, to help lead the design and planning efforts for a “permanently affordable,” mixed single and multi-family community in Port Hadlock-Irondale.

Cap Ex Advisory Group is based in Baltimore, Maryland, while the Schemata Workshop architectural firm hails locally from Seattle.

According to Habitat officials, Schemata is slated to lead the design and planning of the community, while Cap Ex develops the financial and supporting work, with both firms working at the close direction of Habitat to help develop “an implementable and financially feasible” master plan for the Mason Street neighborhood.

East Jefferson Habitat Executive Director Jamie Maciejewski cited the partnerships her group is continuing to develop with local businesses and other organizations, with Cap Ex and Schemata playing “key roles” in helping to deliver local affordable housing.

Habitat purchased a 17.12-acre parcel in Port Hadlock-Irondale in 2022, by working with donors and the Jefferson Community Foundation. and plans to oversee the development of the project’s master plan over the next year.

Cap Ex Project Lead Tim Pula expressed enthusiasm for collaborating with Habitat and the community to help create a “sustainable, ecologically responsible” neighborhood, thereby hopefully addressing the county’s significant need for affordable housing.

The 17-acre community is intended to include 140-170 homes, which should be affordable to a  wide range of families and individuals, who live and work in Jefferson County, to the point that the Request for Proposal for professional services, to support the creation of the master plan, stated that the project would yield “a lasting means of providing dignified housing.

East Jefferson Habitat Construction Director Bob Collins touted the selection process as “fair but rigorous,” seeking not only experience, but also “an informed and shared commitment to the Habitat for Humanity vision of creating community.”

The selection of Cap Ex and Schemata marked the project’s official launch over the summer, while the development of the master plan in the coming months is intended to be significantly influenced by a proactive schedule of community outreach, including the public meetings on Dec. 12 and Jan. 18.  

Schemata architect Grace Kim noted her firm’s experience with “translating community vision into implementable plans, by including “authentic community engagement” and finding “stakeholder alignment” to respond to the needs of  the community.

Kim looks forward to contributing to the development of an affordable neighborhood that’s also walkable, “with generous open spaces that foster neighborly interactions, while respecting the existing ecology of the site.”  

Habitat anticipates the Mason Street master plan to be completed by next summer, with the attendant permits, streets and utilities expected to roll out between late 2025 to early 2026, which should coincide with the availability of the new Port Hadlock sewer.

Although Habitat has conducted “listening sessions” with close to 20 different community groups through 2022 and 2023, including employers, schools, government agencies, churches, tribes and service organizations, she emphasized that Habitat is always eager to receive input from others, which is why the habitatejc.org website will be posting a community survey to fill out.