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Re: Comments on the Kittitas County 2026 Comprehensive Plan update <br />March 2, 2026 <br />Page 8 <br />including, but not limited to, government -assisted housing, housing for moderate, <br />low, very low, and extremely low-income households, manufactured housing, <br />multifamily housing, group homes, foster care facilities, emergency housing, <br />emergency shelters, permanent supportive housing, and within an urban growth <br />area boundary, consideration of duplexes, triplexes, and townhomes[J" The State <br />of Washington Department of Commerce has documented that in moderate -cost <br />communities to provide housing affordable to families and individuals earning 8o <br />percent or less of the area median income requires low-rise multifamily and mid - <br />rise multifamily housing and accessory dwelling units.22 In moderate cost <br />jurisdictions townhomes, duplexes, triplexes, and quadplexes can be affordable to <br />families earning 8o to 120 percent Area Median Income (AMI).23 Middle housing is <br />not affordable to families earning 8o percent or less AMI .�4 Detached single family <br />homes are only affordable to families earning more than 120 percent AMI.�5 <br />Table 4-2 relies in part on duplexes and triplexes to provide housing affordable to <br />families earning 8o percent or less AMI. This is not possible. Duplexes, triplexes, <br />and manufactured, mobile, and modular homes cannot be produced at rents <br />affordable to families earning zero to less than 30 percent AMI or 30 to less than <br />50 percent AMI. We recommend focusing on low-rise multifamily and mid -rise <br />multifamily housing and accessory dwelling units within urban growth areas.z6 <br />Affordable housing should be focused in cities and urban growth areas. <br />Table 4-2 on page 81 allocates the unincorporated rural county 156 units of <br />housing affordable to families earning between 50 to 8o percent AMI to be <br />produced with duplexes and accessory dwelling units. The State of Washington <br />Department of Commerce has documented that to provide housing affordable to <br />families and individuals earning 8o percent or less of the area median income <br />requires low-rise multifamily and mid -rise multifamily housing and accessory <br />dwelling units.27 In moderate cost jurisdictions townhomes, duplexes, triplexes, <br />and quadplexes can be affordable to families earning 80 to 120 percent AMI.2$ <br />Middle housing is not affordable to families earning 8o percent or less AMI.�9 In <br />addition, there are significant water constraints and placing affordable housing in <br />22 Washington States Department of Commerce, Local Government Division Growth Management <br />Services, Guidance for Updating Your Housing Element: Updating your housing element to address <br />new requirements P. 36 (Aug. 2023, updated Jan. 2026). <br />�3 Id. <br />�4 Id. <br />�5 Id. <br />26 Id. <br />29 Id. <br />2s Id. <br />�9 Id. <br />L <br />