The easternmost Lewis County community of Packwood is a destination getaway for many travelers.
It’s nearly equidistant from the White Pass Ski Area, Mount Rainier and the Goat Rocks Wilderness, three of Southwest Washington’s most popular spots for recreation. In and around town are the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, hikes with Cascadian vistas, biannual flea markets, unique local businesses, historic sites and a large herd of local elk.
From 2019 to 2020, the town’s visitors more than doubled. Locals think the number is continuing to grow. Considering the community’s economic crash with the downfall of its logging industry, Packwood’s recent tourism boom has plenty of upsides.
With the profitability of short-term rentals like Airbnbs, though, there’s little incentive for property owners to offer long-term rental options, or even to sell houses they no longer live in.
During a Tuesday evening meeting at the Lewis County Courthouse, the all-volunteer county planning commission heard a proposal on the future of housing in downtown Packwood. The idea is in early phases, but aims to strike a balance between supporting visitors and long-term residents.
The proposal would require newly-built multifamily housing — apartments, row and townhouses, tri and duplexes — to be available as long-term residences, including for seasonal rentals (a major concern for the ski bum and park ranger haven that is Packwood). If adopted, the proposal would only apply in the downtown area.
Once Packwood has sewers, said Lewis County Senior Long-Range Planner Mindy Brooks, multi-family will be an option at several undeveloped downtown lots.
“(Renting) is more profitable in the short-term. That’s one of the reasons why we’re in a housing crisis is people are not producing long-term rental(s) very much,” Brooks said Tuesday. “A lot of what you’re seeing coming down from the state, and what you’re seeing here, is forcing it.”
Early in 2022, Brooks, a Packwood resident herself, formed a committee of diverse local stakeholders. A few dozen people were recruited.
The team spent a year facilitating forums, open houses, committee meetings, research and discussions to form a community-led “subarea plan,” meant to guide development for the coming two decades. Because Packwood is unincorporated, the plan must be adopted at the county level.
In the first phase, the plan outlines visions and goals: the “lofty” stuff, Brooks said. It’s expected that the county commissioners will adopt it this coming fall. In the second phase, with even more engagement from the public, policies and regulations will be drafted. That means it will be a while before any changes occur.
The last time Brooks presented the subarea plan draft to the seven-person planning commission, she said, she was directed to workshop a short-term rental goal. All the subarea plan’s goals and policies apply to the downtown area, not to the several neighborhoods tucked away in the trees outside of town. Residents of those areas are still involved in the planning, though.
The plan isn’t meant to drive growth, Brooks said, but to brace for the inevitable. Growth is driven by infrastructure, she said. Plans for the town’s first-ever sewer system are slowly taking shape. The county recently approved its first $3 million contract for the project from its $8 million legislative budget secured by 20th district state Rep. Peter Abbarno, R-Centralia.
While the policy proposal would limit the options for new developers, Brooks said, several parties have already expressed interest.
Planning Commissioner Gretchen Fritsch thanked Brooks for re-working the subarea plan to include language on short-term rentals. Fritsch is also a Packwood resident currently raising her family’s third generation in the area. She works at The Mountain Goat, a cafe downtown.
She raised concerns in Tuesday’s meeting that for families of a certain income bracket, houses, rather than just apartments and duplexes, may never be an affordable option.
“You are asking the statewide slash West Coast dilemma. ‘How do we make single family housing affordable?’” Brooks said in response. “I mean, this is a huge conundrum, and it’s not an issue that Packwood’s going to take on, certainly. So, we’re just trying to focus on the pieces that Packwood can do, but it is a monumental issue, so you’re absolutely right.”
The subarea plan is available for review at https://bit.ly/Packwood-subarea-plan. The record will be open for public testimony on the plan before it is adopted — notice of the hearing will be posted in The Chronicle’s Classifieds.
Brooks encourages anyone with concerns or questions to reach her via email at mindy.brooks@lewiscountywa.gov.
