Kennewick is located in southeast Washington at the confluence of the Columbia, Snake and Yakima Rivers. With its sister cities of Richland and Pasco, the area is commonly known as the Tri-Cities. The primary economic stimulus for Kennewick and the surrounding Tri-Cities area is the Department of Energy's (DOE) work at the Hanford Reservation.
The City of Kennewick Consolidated Plan is a strategic plan to address housing and community development needs through 1999. A segment of the Consolidated Plan is the One-Year Action Plan that identifies the allocation of approximately $650,000 of Community Development Block Grant funds in 1995. These funds will be primarily directed to housing and public improvement needs.
The Consolidated Plan development process included consulting with local
public housing agencies, social service agencies, and other local jurisdictions
in an effort to reduce the number of households in poverty, address
homelessness, lead-based paint issues, and special needs populations. City
Council conducted a public hearing on December 6, 1994 and adopted the 1995
Consolidated Plan on December 20, 1994.
Between 1980 and 1990, the population increased 23 percent, from 34,397 to 42,155. It is estimated that Kennewick's population is currently 46,960 and conservative estimates indicate that it will reach 50,000 by the year 2000. The most significant increase in the 1990 census information over 1980 was in the elderly population. The elderly population increased by 60 percent and elderly persons made up the majority of the disabled and veteran populations. While the total growth rate was 23 percent for the 10-year period, minorities represented 30 percent of the new growth. The biggest minority increase was in the Hispanic group which nearly tripled in sized. The majority (90 percent) of Kennewick's 1990 population was white, 6 percent were Hispanic, and 4 percent were other minorities.
According to the 1990 census, the median household income in Kennewick was
$28,261. While 38 percent of all households in Kennewick were low- and
moderate-income (below 80 percent of median family income), 65 percent of the
Hispanic households were below this level.
Prices in the region have increased so dramatically that affordability has become an issue in most income ranges. The most vulnerable are those persons at or below 100 percent of the median income, although households up to 125 percent may have difficulty attaining home ownership when costs reach the level of those in the Tri-Cities.
Of the total 17,209 units, Kennewick has 494 pre-1940 dwelling units, and 4,223 units built between 1940-1959. These are the units that are most likely to be in need of update and repair. Simply due to their age, the majority are likely to have a substandard condition or a system which is nearing the end of its useful life.
Affordability and lack of units are both very serious problems in Kennewick and the surrounding region. Condition of units is a problem for some households. A lesser, but important, concern is enhancing the delivery of supportive services to the very low income, special needs populations and the elderly, and making improvements to the public facilities and infrastructure related to housing and neighborhoods.
The Tri-Cities area has been experiencing significant growth in population, averaging an increase of approximately 1,000 persons per year. Most of the new construction has been in single family homes valued in excess of $100,000. According to one major real estate firm's records, the average sales price of a single family home in Kennewick went from $68,200 in 1990 to $119,500 for the first nine months of 1994. This is an increase of 75 percent! Rental rates increased over the same period an average of 101 percent, from $346 to $695 (average of 0-4 bedroom fair market rates).
An area of major concern is the apparent inability of the private market to increase the supply of owner occupied units affordable to low and moderate income persons. Construction costs locally are very high, materials are priced at a premium and land costs are increasing.
The 1990 Census found no homeless persons in the City of Kennewick. Follow-up counts also found no one in this category, except those persons who might become suddenly and temporarily homeless through emergencies, domestic problems or financial difficulties. There are services available in the community to assist persons and families through such temporary difficulties.
Because of Kennewick's physical proximity to the Cities of Richland and Pasco, it is concerned about the needs of homeless persons in the area which are not being met. Through its anticipated citizen participation process (which will emphasize facets of the continuum of care approach), the City will support consortiums of social service agencies of all types, many of whose services will benefit the region's homeless.
Of the 186 public housing units, 86 are one bedroom, 54 are two bedrooms, and 46 are three bedroom dwellings.
The Sunnyslope public housing complex has 120 units. All units that are not currently in renovation are occupied. To date 94 units have been renovated at a cost of $4,482,000. The final units should be completed in 1996. Approximately 8 of these units will be wheelchair accessible. Vacancies are filled immediately from the waiting list.
Keewaydin Plaza is a seven story high-rise that has 66 one bedroom units. It is open to the elderly and the physically and mentally handicapped. In 1994, only 2 vacancies have occurred, and those were filled immediately from the waiting list. The current waiting list has 65 names on it.
The Kennewick Housing Authority last opened its waiting list in May 1994 for one eight- hour period. Over 350 applications were received to be placed on the waiting list.
The City has analyzed its municipal code, comprehensive plan, and other internal policy/rules and finds that no direct impediment exists relative to fair and affordable housing. It has also looked at how emphasis, process and practice might be improved in order to make affordable housing projects easier to accomplish.
Nearly all local residential builders are still devoted to the expensive single family home market. Not surprisingly, the demand for subcontractors to work on expensive homes has created delays and overruns in the City's rehabilitation programs.
Language can be a barrier and Kennewick has a large and growing minority population, many of whom speak English as a second language, if at all.
The City of Kennewick is not aware of any current court orders, consent decrees, or HUD- imposed sanctions that affect the provision of fair housing remedies.
Approximately 15,225 homes in Kennewick were built prior to 1978 (the year paint containing lead was made illegal), and so theoretically could contain lead-based paint. This seems unlikely, however, because the local Health Department does not find lead related health problems in the area. The Housing Authority is performing some lead abatement in its modernization of public housing projects. The Scientific Ecology Group in Richland performs testing, and abatement is performed by GTLO (Get The Lead Out), a local general contractor.
The City will attempt to coordinate with other social service agencies
through a new citizen involvement process in 1995. The City is also involved in
the Housing Consortium coordinated by the Area on Aging office. This forum is
designed to share housing needs and services information.
The City of Kennewick is not faced with just one or two dramatic housing and community development needs which stand out so significantly as to immediately determine spending choices. Lack of units and affordability are the primary housing issues, but they are not relegated to a specific type of housing or a specific target population. This means that there are a variety of needs that are similarly urgent.
Kennewick's options to meet the range of needs are limited by amount and type of resources. The City has chosen in the past to focus on rehabilitation of owner occupied and rental properties, the creation of home ownership opportunities through new construction, infrastructure and neighborhood improvement strategies, some economic development, and senior citizen and disadvantaged youth programs. This utilization of funds touched a range of needs, fit within the requirements of the funding sources, and was administratively manageable given the City's small community development staff.
Choices for the future are still very much limited by the constraints described above. Therefore, the City's only option is to a) look to accessing new resources and/or b) encourage other entities to access resources unavailable to the City. Given this, the City has chosen to continue to pursue the range of programs that have been successful in the past, and to look to new opportunities for the future.
Kennewick intends to focus most of its resources on rehabilitation of existing rental and owner-occupied housing and home ownership opportunity. It will target programs to low and moderate income persons many of whom will live in income eligible census tracts. The City will also use CDBG funds to support housing activities in eligible neighborhoods by repairing sidewalks, reconstructing streets, planting trees, etc.
The City of Kennewick plans to utilize CDBG funds to increase accessibility to public facilities throughout the City pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act. Other planned activities include park and recreation facilities, and improvements to senior centers and other public facilities for low and moderate income persons.
The City of Kennewick plans to continue its support of revolving loan funds for economic development administered by the Benton-Franklin Regional Council. These funds create economic opportunity and assist in the creation of jobs for low and moderate income persons. The City will also pursue opportunities such as its past partnership with the school district to build a nursery for the children of teen parents attending vocational training classes.
Kennewick is planning to identify new resource options through three primary activities:
The housing authority will receive one of the lottery homes from the City's
Affordable Housing Program each year. The programs of the PUD will be
integrated into the City's Housing Rehabilitation Program to extend CDBG funds.
In cooperation with the Cities of Richland and Pasco, space has been rented at
the local shopping mall, where informational brochures are visible and available
to the public.
The rehabilitation programs are available to eligible applicants within the boundaries of the City of Kennewick.
The affordable housing program is primarily located on census tract 113, but may be anywhere in tracts 111, 112, 114, and other older residential areas of the City.
The City's housing programs will be coordinated by the Administrative Service Department. This department currently administers the City's CDBG and Rental Rehabilitation programs.
The weatherization division of Benton County PUD and Benton-Franklin CAC will administer their respective weatherization and conservation programs.
The Section 8 division of the Kennewick Housing Authority will administer rental assistance activities. The executive division will monitor renovation of the Sunnyslope project.
Local social service agencies are responsible to provide different types of funding and services which augment housing activities.
The 1995 plan provides mortgage assistance for ten households and rehabilitation of eight households.
MAP 2 depicts points of interest and low-moderate income areas.
MAP 3 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, and minority concentration levels.
MAP 4 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, and unemployment levels.
MAP 5 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, streets, and proposed HUD funded projects.
MAP 6 depicts low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded projects within one of the neighborhoods.
MAP 7 depicts low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded projects within another neighborhood.
TABLE (without associated map) provides information about the project(s).
Denise Winters
City of Kennewick
PH (509) 585-4279
