2018 Governor's Smart Communities Award - Ellensburg Housing Needs Assessment
The City of Ellensburg's Housing Element for the 2017 Comprehensive Plan Update was selected for the 2018 Governor’s Smart Communities Award under the Smart Vision category. BERK led the Housing Needs Assessment which supported the development of this Chapter.
From the application: "[The] Housing Element of the 2017 Ellensburg Comprehensive Plan is a model for effecting meaningful change in a community. Using an innovative Heart & Soul® process for community planning, the city reached unheard voices and encouraged participation from residents who don’t normally participate. In addition, the assessment process findings identified a need for a future affordable housing commission, and as a result, Ellensburg became the first city in the State of Washington to pass a sales tax increase for affordable housing and related services. Ellensburg’s model has scalability and can be implemented in other cities. "
The Department of Commerce will be presenting the award to the City at a Council meeting in August 2018.