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01 Re: Comments on the Kittitas County 2026 Comprehensive Plan up�a�ment #001 <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[.]" 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).�3 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 8o to 120 percent AMI.28 <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 /> 25 Id. <br /> 26 Id. <br /> 27 Id. <br /> 2s Id. <br /> 29 Id. <br /> L <br />