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MAPD 5. Public Land and Tax Title Properties The plan could also address the potential role of public land in supporting housing development.Washington law allows public agencies to transfer surplus land for affordable housing under RCW 39.33.015. Ellensburg has been using this to good effect over the last several years, providing a good example. However, on the County's hands, this is an even more powerful tool, as the County also controls parcels acquired through tax foreclosure, which represent another potential source of land that could support housing development. A policy direction encouraging evaluation of County-owned parcels, including tax-title land, for housing potential could provide a pathway for reducing land costs—one of the most significant barriers to housing development in smaller markets. Some jurisdictions have begun assembling these parcels into small land banks capable of supporting "scattered site" housing projects, which can improve development feasibility when individual parcels are too small to support standalone projects. 6. Development Agreements and Housing Outcomes Finally,the Comprehensive Plan could acknowledge the County's ability to negotiate housing outcomes through development agreements authorized under RCW 36.70B.170—.210. Development agreements may provide a mechanism for securing housing commitments when major subdivisions, rezonings, or infrastructure investments are proposed. Similarly,the County could explore incorporating housing commitments into optional development pathways such as cluster zoning or transfer of development rights proposals. Because these development options are voluntary alternatives to baseline zoning,they may provide a legally durable framework for achieving housing outcomes. That the recent negotiations around the extension of the Suncadia Development Agreement term have not included discussions of additional community benefits around affordable housing and the infrastructure to support it (at least in publicly available documents) seems to suggest that the county is not fully using this source of leverage. 7. Conclusion The draft Comprehensive Plan provides a strong framework for managing growth and protecting rural character. However, given current housing market conditions,the plan may benefit from more clearly identifying the policy tools the County may need to explore.These could include expanding local housing funding capacity, leveraging public land, supporting incremental housing forms such as ADUs and unit lot subdivisions,evaluating modest infill opportunities in LAMIRDs, pursuing infrastructure investments that support existing rural communities, and using development agreements strategically. Taken together,these approaches would better position the County to address housing affordability while remaining consistent with the broader goals of the Comprehensive Plan. 509-968-5201 www.mapd.co 421 N Pearl St,Ste 100,Ellensburg,WA 98926 4