ITEM TITLE:
Prince William Sound 2023 Needs Assessment Report
SUBMITTED BY: Kate Huber, Planning Director
FISCAL NOTES:
Expenditure Required: n/a
Unencumbered Balance: n/a
Funding Source: n/a
RECOMMENDATION:
Receive and file.
SUMMARY STATEMENT:
This report was initiated by the Prince William Sound Economic Development District (PWSEDD). The Planning Director has been serving on a housing working group for the PWSEDD which works with communities in Prince William Sound to discuss housing challenges and share information regarding proposed solutions.
The PWSEDD, with input from the working group, received a grant for technical assistance on housing issues from the Minnesota Housing Partnership. As part of the work under that grant, McKinley Research Group (formerly the McDowell Group) was hired to conduct a housing needs assessment for the participating communities in Prince William Sound.
Valdez is included in the assessment, however a new survey for the community was not conducted, as the same group completed a Housing Market Assessment and Gap Analysis for our community in 2020 (attached). To update the Valdez section, the McKinley Research Group completed interviews with stakeholders in Valdez to learn how the housing market has changed in recent years. The updated version of the Valdez assessment is available within the attached 2023 report.
The working group will continue our work with the Minnesota Housing Partnership, shifting focus to documenting potential solutions and funding sources to address the issues identified in the Housing Needs Assessment Report. The PWSEDD plans to visit the involved communities to conduct presentations later this year.
Please reach out to the Planning Director with any questions about the working group or attached report.