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<br /> <br />Chapter 3 HOUSING <br />KITTITAS COUNTY <br />Page 33 Comprehensive Plan <br />Housing Availability <br />In April of 2017, the Kittitas County Conference of Governments (COG) made a recommendation to the Board <br />of County Commissioners to adopt Office of Financial Management (OFM) numbers and distribution of <br />population projections through 2037. These projections are intended to guide in the development of the <br />2017 Kittitas County Comprehensive Plan. This recommendation included a population projection of 65,967 <br />residents within Kittitas County by the year 2037. From this projection, County-Wide Planning Policies have <br />set population allocations for local jurisdictions. <br />Using this projection, the 20-year population allocation for Kittitas County is anticipated to increase by <br />23,297 people. Based on data collected in the American Community Survey (ACS), there was an average of <br />2.34 people per household in 2016. This figure was for the entire county and represented the number of <br />individuals living within a household. The following equation can be used to determine the number of future <br />housing units that may be needed over the next 20 years. <br /> Projected Population Increase / Average number of persons per household = Total number of dwelling <br />units needed <br />» 23,297 / 2.34 = 9,956 Dwelling Units Needed <br /> Total number of dwelling units needed - Existing vacant units 5 = number of additional units needed <br />» 9,956 – 1,345 = 8,611 <br />By using these estimates in conjunction with 2016 Census projections for the average number of people per <br />households and the County-Wide Planning Policies 20-year population allocation for Kittitas County, the <br />total number of additional units needed between 2017 and 2037 is 8,611. <br />The allocation of these housing units by geographic area and type will be determined by a number of factors <br />including land availability, property ownership, land use controls and market forces. According to 2016 <br />Census estimates, 323 building permits were issued in 2016. For Kittitas County to adequately accommodate <br />its 2037 population projections, approximately 430 housing units will need to be made available on a yearly <br />basis through the 20-year planning horizon. <br />Residential Land Supply <br />A land capacity analysis was conducted in July of 2016, with the intent of identifying existing and future <br />residential land capacity in accordance with RCW 36.70A.070(2)(c). This analysis looked at the total acreage of <br />vacant, partially developed, and underutilized land currently zoned for residential development. The analysis <br />assumes that current (2015) occupancy rates and household sizes remain constant during the 20-year <br />planning period. Study areas with a significant percentage of units in seasonal use show a much lower <br />population capacity per housing unit. <br />While these estimates are expected to accommodate projected growth over the next 20 years, a number of <br />land capacity modeling assumptions have been made. For a full description of the land capacity analysis <br />methodology, see Appendix B of the Kittitas Land Capacity Analysis, 2016 report. It is also important to note <br /> <br />5 The number of vacant units was estimated at 5,411 in 2015. Of those units, approximately 73% were considered seasonal/recreation <br />units. Of the remaining housing units, 1,345 were available in 2015 to accommodate future population growth.