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