This week marks the end of KCAW’s Building Solutions series, a special look at affordable housing solutions in Sitka and Southeast Alaska. To conclude, KCAW’s Erin McKinstry circles back to the Sitka Community Land Trust and talks with Co-Executive Directors Mim McConnell and Randy Hughey. The organization has started an affordable cottage neighborhood with a unique model to help new homeowners enter the market. 

KCAW I just wanted to start off by talking about what exactly a community land trust is and specifically how it works in Sitka for someone who might not be familiar.

RH The model of ownership is that land is acquired and placed into a trust. A trust is a legal mechanism that holds assets for beneficiaries. So the land itself is in this trust. A house is built on the land, and the deed of the house is separated from the deed of the land, and the buyer purchases only the house. That in Sitka saves the cost of a lot, which can be $100,000, just like that. Then the house that we build is very small. So as far as the initial affordability, it’s only that there’s no land cost, and the house is small. 

That affordability is protected over time by a profit-taking limitation at resale. So if a person buys the house at it’s appraised value, then at a period in the future, it’ll be appraised again. And the difference between those two appraisals, they will take 25 percent of the increase in that appraised value. So if they bought it at 200,000 and 10 years later, it’s appraised at 300,000, they get $25,000. And then we sell the house at $225,000. So we’re always selling the house at less than the appraised value. This way, the house does not inflate more than incomes are inflating. So a person at the same income level, let’s say they were at 80 percent of the area median income when they bought it, someone at the 80 percent of area median income 10 years later can still buy that house.

KCAW Yeah, thanks. Thanks for explaining that. So both of you have been involved with this project for a long time since the beginning, basically of the Sitka Community Land Trust back in 2014. And then even before that for you Mim, and I guess I just would love to know from each of you like what exactly made you want to get involved with this kind of work? 

MM Well, I just kind of slid into the affordable housing area of life. But it wasn’t anything, that’s not anything I was trained in or…Mostly it was through getting involved with issues locally. And I got on the Long Range Planning Economic Development Commission, which no longer exists. One of the things that the commission worked on was the long range plan for the community. So we wanted to pick a topic that would benefit from a new way of doing a comprehensive plan. We picked affordable housing because we knew that was the big issue. And it just seemed like identifying some solid steps with action plans and everything would really help move that forward, rather than just talking about ideas all the time. And there were other people in the community that ended up getting involved in that process. And that just kind of led to more and more interest and activity. And that’s when a community land trust idea came up, that’s when the cottage neighborhood idea came up. So this group just kept pushing on it. And that’s 2010. So that’s when I got more involved in it, and the more I learned that it just seemed like a really good thing to put my energy into. And I really liked the idea of the community land trust, and I started attending conferences, national conferences and trying to learn more. And that’s where I met the guy we ended up hiring, the consultant, for helping us create the community land trust. We were going to try and do it on our own. But the more I looked into it, the more overwhelmed I got. And the more I realized, we didn’t know and we’re going to have to learn. So fortunately, we were able to hire Michael Brown and so he helped us create this organization or this project is what we were calling it at the time.

KCAW And Randy what made you want to get involved with this kind of work?

RH Someone from the organization called me and said your name came up with someone that might be interested in helping us work on affordable housing and I said ‘okay.’ It was really quite without deep consideration. Housing has been a problem in Sitka for the 30 years that I have been here. It’s a tremendous problem. In 1990 when we arrived, there were zero places to rent. And I mean, literally zero, we couldn’t find one. We wanted to rent, we didn’t know if we really like it here. And then there were two houses on the market that we could afford to buy, so we bought the better of the two. We didn’t want it. We didn’t like the house, we weren’t sure if we liked the town. We were in the fortunate position at least of having enough money for a downpayment. And so we just bought a house. And every single year, housing is a crisis, sort of it’s a tremendous problem: availability, quality of the stock, affordability. There aren’t enough buildings, they cost too much, and there’s way too many buildings that people shouldn’t be living in. That is at least a 30 year problem, but everyone I’ve ever talked to who was here before says that was has been there. The place where I saw affordable housing to be a crisis was serving on teacher hiring committees over the decades that I worked for Sitka School District, and having people say yes to a job, look around for a house and call us in two weeks and say we’re not moving there. You know, because there was no way that it worked. And they couldn’t possibly afford to buy what was on the market. And many employers can echo this story.

KCAW Yeah. And just sort of more generally, Randy, you talked about the fact that affordable housing has been an issue in Sitka as long as you can remember. And I just wonder, like, what are some of the reasons that you think that is like, like why do you think affordable housing is such a big challenge here?

RH Well, the driving thing is that there isn’t much land, right? We’re stuck between the Tongass and the Pacific. If we were surrounded by you know, 100,000 acres of privately-owned land, the free market of the United States economy would be much more at work. But because there’s such a powerful constraint, there’s the artificial constraint of land scarcity, it is common in Sitka to buy land and have someone build a house and the amount that you spent on the land and the house to exceed the value of the home that you create, that you’re in a negative position when you get done building it. So you have a small amount of land, a small labor pool, excessive costs of shipping, adding on top of the cost of building materials in the United States. So all of those things are absolutely beyond our control.

KCAW Yeah, absolutely. I was wondering if the Sitka Community Land Trust has any plans beyond the cottages that you’re working on right now? Are there other projects in the works or other like long-term goals associated with the organization? 

MM Our corporate documents say that we can work outside of the community to help with affordable housing in the region. The idea with that was to help other outlying small villages that might need some help. So we’ve had some inquiries over the years. But the farthest that’s ever gone to the point of having an actual Zoom meeting with residents was with Tenakee Springs. So it’s just at the very early stages of conversation and, and that came about through representative Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins, and he had been in Tenakee and heard their issues about affordable housing and gentrification that’s going on there and thought of us. And so he connected us with some of the residents there. So we’ve just started talking about how we can help.

KCAW Sure yeah, that makes sense. I mean, I think if we have issues with affordable housing here in Sitka, a lot of these smaller places definitely do too.

MM Especially in Tenakee, they have a lot of Juneau residents that have second home there. And so it makes it challenging to find a place to buy and to find something that’s affordable. There’s not much for making income there. And they’re having a hard time hanging on to younger populations of people and they seem pretty interested in what we were sharing with them about how the CLT works.

KCAW Yeah, that’s really cool. Randy, do you have anything to add as far as that’s concerned?

RH Locally, so we intend to keep building houses. We, you know, is the intention, the organization to complete this neighborhood that we’re involved in now, move on to other parcels. And you get to…well, the city owns a large amount of land. And so if it wants to continue to put land into the trust and enable us to develop, there are some large parcels that whole neighborhoods could be developed in. Also, there are little bits and pieces of land scattered all throughout Sitka, that are potentially able to be developed just to house here and a house there or a cottage here and there kind of thing. And the advantage of these little parcels is that the utilities are nearby. So there’s water, sewer, electrical and telecom infrastructure close. If you take a large undeveloped parcel of land somewhere that the city owns, and you’ve got to start by putting in the roads and the water and the sewer, you know, you’re half a million in the hole before, you know, even get started or more. So, you know, kind of the short answer is we hope to continue to build houses after this whole neighborhood is done. By we, I mean, some other younger people besides Mim and I. We’re of an age where this torch will be passed. And it’s just not that long. And so I would love to pass it off at a point where everybody knew what the next step was, there was some work to do immediately in front of you. Like Hemingway always said about writing, at the end of the day, stop only at a place where you know what you’re going to write in the morning and see keep the organization moving forward like that. But that that point still not that far away.

Throughout April and May, KCAW News is airing stories about affordable housing solutions every Friday as part of our “Building Solutions” series. Erin McKinstry is a Report for America corps member.

Katie Riley, 28, grew up in Sitka. After leaving for college and working abroad, she returned to her hometown and decided to get involved. She’s the youngest member of the Sitka Planning Commission and has a passion for addressing Sitka’s affordable housing crisis. KCAW’s Erin McKinstry spoke with Riley about the problem and possible solutions as part of a special “Building Solutions” series.

KCAW: How long have you been on the Planning Commission? 

KR: Since October 2020.

KCAW: And what made you want to be on the commission? 

KR So what made me want to be on the commission was, I was really interested in the comprehensive plan, and sort of the long term vision for how our community develops and looks, and you know, what kind of opportunities are provided to residents. For you know, for the long term sustainability of the town, and then also, I was very interested in addressing the affordable housing issue, because, you know, I’m a young person living in Sitka, and one of the main things that young people living in Sitka talk about is not being able to afford to live here. So I wanted to be, you know, part of the solution and see how I can work on addressing that.

KCAW  And do you have personal experience with that as well? Or is it more just like friends?

KR It’s a lot of friends. Um, I am extremely fortunate because my, my father is actually a landlord, he, he owns multiple real estate properties around Sitka. So I rent from him and have a first-hand understanding of some of the broader dynamics, I think that you know, it’s really easy to look at it from a bunch of different ways. But I like to like to think that I have a bit more of a holistic perspective, you know, hearing from so many of my peers about what the challenges are hearing from landlords about what the challenges are, knowing sort of the economics of upkeep and trying to provide housing in this market. I mean, anytime you’re looking at, like, issues that face broad swaths of the community, you have to talk to both the people that it is impacting directly, and also the people who are, you know, being blamed for it. Or are being asked to come up with solutions and sort of what is their perspective about why that is, or is not feasible because the contractors in town, you know, the builders, like, they know the economics. We can complain about the cost of housing, but if we’re not understanding, you know, what is the cost for the people actually developing the property and how those are fixed. It’s kind of like fixed here, just the base price is very, very high for bringing in building materials and all of that, you know, we’re not, we’re not going to reach any productive conversation, and it’s more going to be like an argument and a sort of blame game. And so I like to listen to all the all the sides available.

KCAW  So we sort of established that affordable housing is an issue in the community. And you already pointed to one of the reasons which is like, the cost of building materials is pretty high. The cost of building in general is really high. Are there other things that you see as big factors in this really complicated issue in Sitka. Why it is that it is so expensive to find a house or rent an apartment here?

KR  Yeah, you know, we, we have very little developable land is a huge reason hindering more affordable housing is that very little flat, stable land. And not a lot of municipally owned land, like we live in a liminal space, right between the Tongass National Forest and the ocean and build on this very kind of small square real estate that is Sitka. So you’re really confined by both the natural features and land ownership, but I’d say mainly the natural features, right. And then the, the cost of developing land, even that is available to put in utilities. And just basic infrastructure is massively expensive. So not just the building materials for the house itself, but just like to prep the land and also, like, you know, we live around a massive amount of wetlands and it’s very hard to build on wetlands. So that’s another complicating factor I think. So, you know, there’s a real need to get creative in how we address this crisis and everybody having a single family home is not necessarily what’s going to work in Sitka, Alaska for the future, you know, if we if we do want to grow as a community,

KCAW  You use the word crisis, do you see it as a crisis?

KR  Um, yeah, I’m, I see it as a crisis because, you know, there are a lot of my peers that are like, literally looking at moving out of town, because they cannot find a place to live, that either doesn’t accommodate them for the whole year, you know, it’s like a, they have winter housing, but then summer comes around, they get kicked out. There’s not, you know, places being offered for them and their animals. Finding housing for pets is a huge issue. So, you know, when you have young people moving away from a community, not because they can’t find a job, or because they don’t have good friends or social support systems, but just because they can’t find a place to live like, that to me is yeah, that’s a crisis, you know, that’s our economic base moving away, that’s the future of this town, like, we need young people here to invest in Sitka and make it their home, you know, for the future resilience of our town. And the more unaffordable it becomes, and the less sort of entry there is into the housing market, I think the more that crisis worsens. In addition, the factors that we can see on the horizon, the hospital expansion, the potential arrival of a new Coast Guard vessel, you know, the expansion of our tourism industry and the seasonal workforce that will be needed to accompany that, these are all factors that I think will take, you know, the situation, you might say that we have now and definitely turn it into a crisis like very quickly.

KCAW  So, we kind of established the problem and some of the causes of the problem. What do you see as some of the solutions to the problem?

KR  That’s the million dollar question, right? Um, I think that there is no silver bullet. There is no one way to address affordable housing in Sitka, you have to use as many different ideas and draw in as many different people as possible to come up with those ideas. So I am really heartened by some of the ideas that I’m hearing um, one of them is increased focus on planned unit developments. They’re called PUDs. The Sitka Community Land Trust is a type of planned unit development. What Brendan Jones and stowaway enterprises want to do with the old Presbyterian Church is the type of plan unit development where you’re kind of developing a lot of housing units, in conjunction with potential other uses of the land, you know, little community spots, increasing walkability, creating these new types of neighborhoods, while at the same time, like creating denser living spaces, right. So I think that denser accommodation is one of the solutions. And smaller, allowing smaller lot sizes, is one and, you know, the city is pursuing these solutions, which is really cool. I think that they reduced the minimum lot size from 8000 square feet to 6000 square feet, just like in 2019. And it could be further reduced. And ADUs, accessory dwelling units, are another really cool opportunity to create more housing. And I would like to see those more widely permitted, as allowable uses in areas where they make sense. And how can the city work with the Tribe and with the Baranof Island Housing Authority to create more opportunities for affordable housing, especially for low income residents. Because that is another you know, big segment of our population I think that is being impacted by the housing affordability issue and also being you know, faced with these choices about like leaving the community and that’s, you know, this town is meant for all the all the folks that live here and people should not be forced out because they can’t afford to, you know, find a place to live.

Throughout April and May KCAW News will be bringing you stories about affordable housing solutions every Friday as part of our “Building Solutions” series. Erin McKinstry is a Report for America corps member.

28-year old Katie Riley grew up in Sitka. After leaving for college and working abroad, she returned to her hometown and decided to get involved. She’s the youngest member of the Sitka Planning Commission and has a passion for addressing Sitka’s affordable housing crisis. KCAW’s Erin McKinstry spoke with Riley about the problem and possible solutions as part of our special Building Solutions series.

When people think of trailer homes, many envision shoddy construction and unhealthy living conditions, but in places like Sitka where construction costs are high and land availability is low, they’re an important affordable housing alternative. For one Sitkan, renovating a trailer provided a path to debt-free home ownership, and this resident is not the only one looking beyond the stigma of trailer living.

Robin Schmid’s black and white border collie Lady greets me at the door of her olive green trailer home. The mouth of the Indian River spills into Sitka Sound outside her kitchen window.

It’s not just the scenery that’s inviting. Inside, the nearly 900 square foot home looks like any modern apartment or house. It’s bright and tidy, with hardwood cabinets and new appliances.

“I’ve had a lot of people come over and they’re just absolutely stunned when they come in,” she said.

Schmid hasn’t always lived in a trailer. She used to own a big house with land in Wasilla, and it had a big mortgage to go with it.

But a few years back after a divorce, she decided to make a change toward a simpler life. She was old enough to withdraw some of her retirement, and she started asking herself where she wanted to live and what she wanted to do next.

“And I just kept coming back to the idea that being self-employed was the only thing that really worked for me after being an attorney for over 25 years, and the place that I really wanted to live was Sitka, I really wanted to come back to Sitka,” Schmid said. “And I wondered how I could possibly afford to do that.”

When Schmid lived in Sitka before, she’d rented, but it was tricky to find a place that could accommodate her teenage son, her dog and cats. She looked at buying a house, but even places that needed a lot of work were out of her price range. Then, she got a call from a friend asking if she’d be interested in a trailer that a local contractor wanted to sell.

“And we did a walk-through and the place was…whew,” she said. “It’s 1984, and there was the paneling. So it was really, really ugly. And I said I only want the place if you gut it to the studs. I mean new floor, new ceiling, new walls. I said I don’t want to see any paneling anywhere.”

Finding a bank to finance the trailer renovation was a challenge, so they drew up their own contract and payment plan. He replaced everything from the windows to the countertops, and the fully renovated trailer cost Schmid just $75,000. That’s around a fifth of what she would’ve paid for a house that still needed a lot of work.

She does have to pay a couple hundred dollars a month to rent the lot in the trailer court, but she said that’s nothing compared to a mortgage. Besides, she said, owning land comes with extra responsibilities like maintaining the road or dealing with the electrical meter, and she doesn’t mind having neighbors close by.

And the smaller space isn’t a problem either, as long as she stays organized. She even runs her legal practice out of her home.

“It’s comfortable enough that if I want to stay here, retire here, and die here, I think I could that.”

But despite Schmid’s success story, everyone from her plumber to her father has voiced skepticism. She thinks there’s a stigma against trailers that doesn’t exist for other affordable housing alternatives like tiny homes.

“There’s been the belief always is that trailers don’t last,” Schmid said.

Although many of Sitka’s trailers are shoddy and unhealthy, especially those built prior to 1976 when the Department of Housing and Urban Development introduced construction standards, Sitka Building Official Pat Swedeen said many people are pleasantly surprised at the quality of new manufactured homes.

“They’re not built like they used to be. They’re built with much thicker walls. They have insulation equal to what a typical stick-build home,” Swedeen said. “I think that’s an avenue that isn’t getting enough attention in my mind when it comes to really trying to talk about affordable housing.”

Developer Jeremy Twaddle owns Mountain View Estates. He’s slowly expanded the trailer court since he bought it nine years ago. He barges the manufactured homes from down south, installs them on a permanent foundation, and sells them move-in ready.

Even with the cost to ship the home and rent the lot, he said the price per square foot is about half of what someone would pay for a regular house in Sitka. And people have noticed. The remaining spaces are already promised to buyers, and the trailers haven’t even arrived yet.

“I’d say in the last year, there’s been a real uptick in this type of housing I think due to the affordability. And not only in Sitka, but kind of nationwide, the manufactured home builders are backed up about nine months in construction right now,” Twaddle said.

He said getting a loan to buy a trailer can be a challenge, but in Sitka, ALPS Federal Credit Union offers financing.

A bigger hurdle is land. There’s not a lot ripe for development in Sitka anyway, and because of zoning restrictions, the space for trailer courts is even more limited. He said if the land was there, he’d keep bringing in manufactured homes because, as a lifelong Sitkan, he sees the need for affordable housing and the gap that trailers can fill.

“And I don’t think it’s a one-size fits all type scenario,” Twaddle said. “I remember people always had manufactured homes and that’s what they lived in until they could pay that down and take that chunk and put it in on a stick-built home and work their way up from there. Just wanting people to stay in Sitka and succeed and not get run out of town because there’s only rental options or the homes are just too expensive.”

For Schmid, that’s exactly what her trailer provides: a way to stay in a place that she loves and the freedom to live her life the way she wants.

“I feel like I’ve gotten my life back without the debt hanging over my head,” Schmid said. “It’s about freedom to me.”

If she ever decides to move, she thinks she could get her money out of her renovated trailer and then some. But if not, she said, she’s gotten her living out of it.

Erin McKinstry is a Report for America corps member. This story is part of KCAW’s special series on affordable housing called “Building Solutions.”

23-year-old Victoria Compton has been apartment hunting for months. Her landlords sold their house, and she has to find a new place to live soon. The lifelong Sitkan has a steady job with  SEARHC, and she’s not even looking for her dream home, just a place to call her own. 

“At this point, a roof over our head that we can afford,” she says. “A dishwasher would be nice, but we’ll take what we can get. And at this point, if it will take us and the dogs, that’s all that matters to us.”

Compton has two dogs– Mabel and Molly Bear. Finding a dog-friendly apartment in Sitka is particularly challenging. 

“It’s just really hard,” she says. “Overall, the community is usually like, pretty resourceful, and helpful. But when it comes to housing, it’s definitely a ‘You’re on your own,’ kind of deal.”

 Compton has seen some seasonal or short-term rentals advertised on Facebook, and a few people have reached out to offer her temporary housing. But she doesn’t see that as an option unless things get really desperate. She’s looking for a long-term solution.

“There’s so many homes that are seasonal,” she says. “I know that is something that other people are trying to get the city to look into and see how problematic seasonal rentals can be. And it’s not like you want to, you know, attack the people who do seasonal rentals, but highlight how much of a problem it is when it comes to the benefits of the community.”

According to city code, a short-term rental is any property rented for 14 consecutive days or less. Anything from a stand-alone house to mother-in-law apartments or a single room in someone’s home can qualify as a short-term rental in Sitka. They’ve gained popularity over the last decade as online rental marketplaces like Airbnb and VRBO have exploded. 

City policies around them vary. In a few residential areas, they’re not allowed at all. In others, homeowners must seek planning commission approval through a conditional permit process. Just like hotels, they’re required to pay bed taxes to the city. And in commercial and downtown districts, they don’t need a permit, which means the city has no good way of tracking exactly how many there are.

Sitka has tried to curb the short-term rental market before. In 2005, three years before Airbnb was founded, the Sitka Assembly issued a moratorium on new short-term rental permits in residential zones, in an effort to ‘protect the availability of affordable housing in Sitka.’ It was lifted in 2007. And in the last three years, the number of known active short-term rentals has more than doubled, from 22 in 2017 to 53 in 2020. 

Tim Riley owns several short-term and long-term rentals in Sitka. The biggest pro? The return is greater on a short-term rental, and despite the narrative about wild Airbnb parties, Riley says short-term rentals see less wear-and-tear, and any damage is usually covered with the credit card on file.

“Down South we hear about these, you know, somebody rented a house on Airbnb and 700 kids came and had a party. And they’ve made movies about it, the house ends up in flames and stuff, there’s a fleet of police cars and stuff,” Riley laughs. “We don’t see that too often up here.”

On the other-hand, with a long-term rental, the landlord doesn’t have to worry about fluctuations in the tourism economy.

“When you sign a lease for a year with somebody, or when you sign a lease with a Coast Guard for three years, that’s a guaranteed income stream for three years, you don’t have to worry about it,” Riley says. “All you have to do is make sure they leave the lights on and keep the heat going.” 

Sitka’s rainforest environment is rough on housing, and property is expensive to maintain.

“I don’t want to put in gold plated toilets. But at the same time, if I’m going to go to all the trouble to rehab one of my units, and pour that kind of money into them, I need to charge more rent,” he says. “And sometimes the rent that I need to charge is more than people are willing to pay on a long-term basis, but I can get it on a short-term basis.”

Riley also says he’s had such high turnover in an apartment building he co-owns that they’re considering converting a couple of them into short-term rentals. 

And that checks out with recent trends. While short-term rentals have doubled in Sitka, it’s still not clear how much that increase has affected the long-term rental market. In fact, in the last year, more long-term rentals have gone vacant. According to a report issued in March by the Department of Labor, the amount of vacant rentals in Sitka has increased to around 13.8 percent, the second highest rental vacancy rate in the state. But more vacancy does not equal more accessibility. When the average wage is factored in, rent in Sitka is considered the least affordable of any area in the state. 

Other cities that have experienced a surge in short-term rentals have developed stronger regulations in response. Some cities limit the amount of permits per host, and others require that a short-term rental must be the host’s primary residence.

At a recent Sitka Planning Commission meeting (5-5-21), around a dozen residents called for the commission to follow suit.  Commissioner Katie Riley, who is also the daughter of Tim Riley, voiced support for two possible policy changes– requiring short-term rentals be the primary residence of the host, and voiding the permits when the property is sold.

“I don’t want to get to a situation where, you know, we have too many, and it’s like, oh, my gosh, what happened? I’d rather have a discussion about how to sensibly regulate these in a way that, you know, provides flexibility, but also addresses the concerns that people have raised,” she said. “Before we get to a point where Sitka is not a secret anymore.” 

While the Planning Commission didn’t take any action that night, it did direct the Planning Department to develop a survey seeking community feedback on short-term rentals. Victoria Compton hopes the city will make some changes to its policies to keep renters from being pushed out. Just like the many visitors who rent Airbnbs to experience the mountains, ocean and fresh air, she loves everything about living in Sitka.

“I still have close family friends who I consider family that are here. And a lot of people I know are here and so many connections and memories. And then my grandparents are buried here,” she says. “Everything’s just here.”

And soon she hopes to find a home here too. 

Editor’s Note: After our interview with Victoria Compton, she found a pet-friendly rental. Her search took more than three months. Listen to our full interview with Compton here. Throughout April and May, KCAW News will be bringing you stories about affordable housing solutions every Friday as part of our “Building Solutions” series. To find photos and more in-depth reporting, visit kcaw.org/buildingsolutions.

Last week the Planning Department published a survey seeking community feedback on short-term rentals in Sitka. The survey closes on May 26. To participate in the survey click here.

Sitka resident Victoria Compton, her partner and their two dogs started looking for a place to live months ago, after their landlord decided to sell. As part of Building Solutions, a special series on affordable housing, Compton spoke with KCAW’s Erin McKinstry about the struggle to find housing in her hometown.

VC: My name is Victoria Compton. I am 23. And I currently work for SEARHC.

KCAW: And you grew up in Sitka, right?

VC: I did. My family’s from here and has been here about 50 years.

KCAW: Do they still live here? 

VC: No. My grandparents passed away. And after our house sold, my mom moved down to Waitesburg, Washington, to be with her granddaughter. My partner and I left for about seven months but had to come back because it’s Sitka. It’s hard to leave.

KCAW: What do you love about Sitka?

VC: I love everything, honestly. Mostly, you know, the nature aspect of it all. You’ve got the mountains and forests and the ocean and rivers, the boating life, and the people are great too. And I still have close family friends who I consider family that are here. And a lot of people I know are here and so many connections and memories. And then my grandparents are buried here and everything’s just here.

KCAW: And you’ve been searching for housing, right?

VC: Yes, for a very long time.

KCAW: What’s the process been like for you?

VC: It’s been a lot of reaching out, breaking out of comfort zones. And telling yourself that you just reach out to them, even if you don’t know them, just introduce yourself. So it’s been messaging on Facebook, texting numbers that you’re given by other people, calling, going on to the local realtor sites, talking to realtors, going on Zillow, Craigslist, literally anything I can think of. I would start doing Google searches, like rentals in Sitka, pet-friendly rentals in Sitka and looking through the ‘For Sale’ pages, even as far back to see if anything’s still available. And just lots and lots of asking, and you know, being told, oh, we’re moving out of this place, see if they’ll let you in and telling them you know, we’ll put a deposit down now, like we’re really motivated. And it’s been a lot of that, and a lot of dead ends and no response.

KCAW: How does that feel?

VC: It’s really discouraging. It’s just really hard. You know, when you’ve been in a community for so long. And overall, the community is usually like, pretty resourceful and helpful. But when it comes to housing, it’s a, definitely you’re on your own kind of deal. It doesn’t matter who you are. My boyfriend would say, you know, say you’ve been here for a while, and you’re from here, and he would tell people that, and I’m like, it doesn’t matter at this point. Like, it doesn’t matter that my family’s been here, has contributed to the community, it doesn’t matter who I am. If they don’t want you, they don’t want you. If you have a dog, they don’t want you. 

KCAW: This is your hometown, and you can’t find a place to live in your hometown. How does that feel?

VC: It’s absolutely heartbreaking. You know, having that reality of potentially being forced out of everything you know, and love. Yeah.

KCAW: Do you worry about that having to leave?

VC: I do. It’s becoming more and more of a reality every day. I don’t like to think about it. But you know, it is a reality that we are thinking about, and we don’t want to, but it’s, yeah, it’s hard. I don’t want to be forced out. I don’t want to leave the people I love. I don’t want to leave my job. It’s a good job. I have good insurance. And especially with the summer coming up the best time of the year to be here. It’s the hardest time to leave, too. And yeah.

KCAW: Do you worry ever about not having a roof over your head, like not having a place at all?

VC: I do. I’m absolutely petrified by the thought of not having somewhere to live. It’s…I can’t imagine what it would be like, and I hope that we don’t end up at that point. And I like to think that there are people who wouldn’t let us get there, but we just don’t know until that happens. And who would really want to take us in if that did happen.

KCAW: What are you looking for in a place to live?

VC: At this point, a roof over our head that we can afford? Dishwasher would be nice, but we’ll take what we can get. And at this point, if it will take us in the dogs, that’s all that matters to us.

KCAW: And you have to be able to have your dogs with you?

VC: Yes, it’s an absolute must. It’s no exception. They’re part of my family. I can’t let them go. You get a really good bond with them, you get a mutual understanding, you get your own language with one another, and you help each other emotionally, physically, it’s a really strong unique love that you get with them. 

KCAW: Generally, what would be an affordable rent price for you?

VC: If it’s including utilities, 1500–between 1300 and 1500 is good. If it’s not, including utilities or anything, you know, it’s harder that way, it’s probably around 1300 Because utilities can run really high. And if with that, and all other bills, you’re looking at two grand a month. So somewhere around that general area. Something that, you know, we can both afford splitting it and be able to have a safety net while we do it. This has shown us that anything can happen, no matter where you’re living, if you’re renting, anything can happen. And at any moment in time. 

KCAW: And that 1500 ballpark, like, what percentage of your household income is that generally? Do you know?

VC: About 50 percent

KCAW: Wow, that’s a lot. 

VC: Yeah.

KCAW: What does that mean for, I guess, other things in your life, that you would have to put half of your income basically, towards housing?

VC: It’s a lot of saving, thinking about what’s important, you know, not splurging on stuff that you like, because we have other bills. I have medical supplies that I have to pay for, that’s something that I’ve been terrified about, too. Because I’m very expensive to keep alive (laughs). Yeah, you learn how to be a really good saver, you know, maybe a trip to see family once a year. My mom, it’s easier for her to come up here because you know where she living cost of living is cheaper, and so she can afford to come see us. So I don’t even know if I’ll be able to go and visit her this year, you know, especially when we’re going to be having to put down deposits again this year, and probably pay another month’s rent where we’re at now and do all this double stuff, it’s highly unlikely that we will really be able to do anything this year and really cut back on a lot of stuff, which we’ve already done. 

KCAW: Have you thought about buying a house so that you don’t have to deal with this unpredictability of the rental market?

VC: Yeah, we have. It’s hard right now, because it is 150 percent a seller’s market. You can charge whatever you want, here in general, and then this year, it’s pretty, pretty expensive. We have the application for the Rural Housing Development loan, and that can take three months to a year, depends on if the government has funding to do it, what number in line your application is at, and there’s so many other factors and if we ended up qualifying or not, in meeting those expectations. And then if when we find a house, if it’s up to the standards that the loan requires, which in Sitka, it can be really hard, depending on like foundation, where it’s at, because you know, the Muskeg homes and landslide area homes, you know, you have to find the right one. And then if it’s within the amount of your loan, which a lot of them are not. They’re around 500,000, at least, which even for like a two, three bedroom house, which is quite a bit. So it’s not realistic for the average person, the prices of the homes. At least in our opinion. And we’ve both been at our jobs for just over a year now. And it’s still like buying a house is not in the near future of affordability.

KCAW: Do you think that there’s anything that the city could do to help this problem? Is there anything that you wish that they would do?

VC: I’ve talked to a couple people about this, and it really comes down to the seasonal rentals. There’s so many homes that are seasonal, and that’s something that the city can control is how many there are and what the laws and rules on that can be. I’m not too well-versed in it. But I know that it’s something that other people are trying to get the city to look into and see how problematic seasonal rentals can be. And it’s not like you want to, you know, attack the people who do seasonal rentals but highlight how much of a problem it is when it comes to the benefits of the community.

KCAW: From your perspective, how do you think a lack of affordable housing impacts Sitka and impacts the community? 

VC: Well, I guess in terms of community, I think it takes away from the community, people who want to be here and stay here. People who have been here for a while and love the community, it just, it hurts the community when those people are forced out. So like, even my grandparents, you know, having been here 50 years and even when my grandma was in her 70s, she was still doing her B&B a little bit and even she had to scrape by, you know, on her fixed income. It’s not easy. So, and very disproportionate.

Since this interview, Compton and her partner found a place to live. Throughout April and May, KCAW News will be bringing you stories about affordable housing solutions every Friday as part of our “Building Solutions” series. Erin McKinstry is a Report for America corps member.

Tiny homes on wheels have gained traction in recent years as an affordable housing alternative, but building them legally poses challenges in many communities. Sitka was one of the first cities in the country to introduce a set of tiny home friendly code changes last year. But, a year after passing the groundbreaking ordinance, no one is building them.

A few years back, Stephanie Kruse and her husband decided they were sick of renting.

They moved around a lot for Kruse’s job, so buying a house wasn’t a great option. Besides, with Southeast Alaska’s high rental rates, they weren’t saving enough for a down payment.

“It’s hard to put away money when you’re paying so much in rent. And you know, at the end of the year, you don’t get anything back from that besides having had a place to live,” Kruse said. “So, for us, we wanted to do something that would allow us to build some equity with that 1200 plus dollars a month we were paying in rent and housing costs.”

They looked at manufactured homes and RVs, but ultimately settled on a tiny house on wheels. 

“We preferred the tiny house for a lot of reasons. One of them for sure is that a tiny house holds its value a lot better than an RV because it’s built with more traditional construction materials that are meant to withstand the weather. And then also, you know, they’re whimsical and fun and interesting.”

With beige siding and a blue metal roof, the roughly 170-square-foot house looks like a mini single-family home. Kruse and her husband took out an RV loan and paid a company in British Columbia to build it. They moved it to Juneau on the ferry and parked it on a shared lot.

When Kruse’s job brought them to Sitka, the tiny house came with them. Even with their loan payment and the cost to rent a spot at a local RV park, Kruse said they were paying a couple hundred dollars less a month than if they were renting.

“I think the kind of ruling concept for people who do small homes or tiny homes is a small house for a big life. If you can reduce your housing expenses and kind of minimize that in your life, but still make it a pleasant place to be,” Kruse said. “And that gives you the ability to kind of put your funding towards the things that you are really passionate about in your life.”

For Kruse and her husband, that meant a trip to Japan and saving to buy a regular house. And when they sold the tiny house and left Sitka for the Pacific Northwest, that’s exactly what they did. 

“I think it’s a really great stepping stone to home ownership like it was for us.”

But even though rent in Sitka is high and home ownership can be cost prohibitive, people in Sitka aren’t following in Kruse’s footsteps. That’s despite changes to the city’s building and zoning codes a little over a year ago to make tiny homes, and particularly tiny homes on wheels, easier to build. Pat Swedeen is Sitka’s Building Official.  

“There’s definitely been a few individuals who have been interested in it. We’ve also had actually a couple of companies think about maybe trying to go that route,” Sitka’s Building Official Pat Swedeen said. “Thus far we haven’t had anybody actually begin that proper process of permitting and, and constructing a tiny home.”

Even before the changes, Sitka didn’t have a minimum house size, but meeting building standards for small structures was a challenge. So Sitka adopted a set of international regulations to make it easier to build houses under 400 square feet, allowing for things like ladders and lower ceilings. 

It also addressed a legal grey area for tiny homes on wheels. Before last March, Sitka considered them RVs like almost any other place in the country, and legally, you can’t live in an RV year-round in Sitka. Now, they have their own designation. They’re allowed in trailer courts, and there are some zones where they can be placed on lots by themselves with planning commission approval. 

“The two main barriers in most places are zoning and building codes,” Tiny Home Industry Association communications director Alexis Stephens said. She said Sitka’s changes are a big step in the right direction. Sitka is one of just a few across the country to update their zoning regulations to be more tiny home friendly. “The progress is really picking up but to put that into context, there’s almost 90,000 municipalities in the United States, having more than a dozen embracing tiny homes, still leaves quite a bit of work to do.”

And even with the regulations changes, there are still barriers like the cost of construction, Swedeen said.

“Per square foot, a tiny home isn’t really super affordable. You know, since it’s small, it’s not like the cost of building a 2500 square foot house. But you know, you still need to have cooking appliances, you still need to have heating appliances, you still need to have bathing facilities and a toilet and things like that.”

Financing and land availability are also big hurdles. Tiny homes on wheels aren’t allowed as accessory dwelling units in Sitka, so you can’t just buy one and park it in someone’s yard. 

Jennifer Younger bought Kruse’s tiny home as an affordable option for her son. Much like Kruse, it allowed him to save money to buy his own house. Now, they’re looking to sell, but Younger said land availability has stopped a lot of buyers.

“We’ve had several people very interested and check it out and it’s a beautifully built little home, but people just don’t have property to put it on,” she said.

Even though tiny homes haven’t taken off, Sitka Conservation Society Sustainable Communities catalyst Chandler O’Connell said she isn’t discouraged. SCS partnered with a Sitka High School construction class to build their own tiny house a few years ago. Their efforts to sell it sparked a community conversation, which contributed to the eventual code changes.

“And I think our learning from past code changes is it takes a while for that information out there. It takes a while for people to understand the implications and think about how they want to implement that in their own building decisions. I’m excited to see how it can shape Sitka’s housing market over the next few years.”

She said she sees tiny homes as one affordable housing option of many. They won’t work for everyone, but it’s about getting more tools in Sitka’s housing toolbelt.

Throughout April and May, KCAW News will be bringing you stories about affordable housing solutions every Friday as part of our “Building Solutions” series. Erin McKinstry is a Report for America corps member.

The Tongass Tiny Home project, a six-year collaboration between the Sitka Conservation Society and Sitka High School, has finally come to an end. The student-built tiny house was sold to a buyer in Juneau this spring. As part of KCAW’s Building Solutions series about affordable housing, Sitka Conservation Society’s Chandler O’Connell spoke with KCAW’s Erin McKinstry about lessons learned and the possibilities tiny homes hold for Sitka. 

CO  Hello, my name is Chandler O’Connell. I am the Sustainable Communities catalyst with the Sitka Conservation Society and the Sustainable Southeast Partnership here in Sitka.

KCAW  Let’s just start off by talking about the Tongass Tiny Home project. A little bit about when it started and what the project entailed.

CO  Great. The Tongass Tiny Home is a project that started before I joined Sitka Conservation Society actually. It’s been going actively since 2014, and has provided the basis for a high school workforce development curriculum for the past six plus years now. It’s a project that’s been led by Mike Vieira, through the vocational education program at Sitka High School. And it provided the basis for our students to learn advanced construction skills. So everything from framing to siding to flooring, and what was really great about it is that we were building this interesting home using locally and regionally sourced sustainable young growth timber. So it was a unique project that allowed students to learn, not just about the technical skills that are useful in the local economy, but also to think about place-based economies and what makes sense here in Southeast Alaska.

KCAW  And why was the Sitka Conservation Society involved in the project?

CO  So the Sitka Conservation Society has the mission of protecting the Tongass and building sustainable communities. And for us, a sustainable community is one that can thrive, environmentally, but also socially and economically. So we’re super invested in workforce development and exploring sustainable industries that don’t replicate the boom-bust cycles that can be challenging. And so the Tongass Tiny Home project was at an intersection of a lot of things we care about. It was an investment in youth and developing skills that they needed. This was the first time there’d been an advanced construction class at Sitka High School for several years, when this project launched. It was a way to invest in an emerging young growth sector, which was working with small-scale mills who are doing the work to figure out what products are viable, what products make sense for different applications. And so we were excited to purchase products from these mills, figuring that out and seeing what actually was a good fit for local needs. And then finally, it gets to this question of affordable housing. And, you know, a tiny home is one affordable housing solution among many. But in dialogue with our community, we know that citizens are looking for a diversity of options. They’re looking for flexibility, they’re looking for energy efficiency, and the Tongass Tiny Home project allowed us to have a community conversation about what is the role of tiny homes, who do they work for and how they can fit into Sitka’s housing market?

KCAW  Yeah. And you, you found a buyer for it, right?

CO  We did, we did. The Tongass tiny home was recently purchased by a household over in Juneau, and the tiny home successfully made its way to the mainland by barge. So we’re excited for it to sort of start its next phase of existence being actively used by a community member.

KCAW  And why not sell it here in Sitka? Do you face some challenges at all or anything?

CO  Well, we were always open to the tiny home being used anywhere in Southeast Alaska, we love the idea of Southeast wood, building a Southeast home, housing a Southeast family. we would have loved to sell it in Sitka. And you know, a couple years ago, we made an initial attempt at advertising and getting the word out there. And we’ve worked with several potential buyers over the years. And this was the first one where everything aligned in terms of their needs, and what the tiny home offered and also flexibility in terms of where to put it. And so when you ask about challenges, one challenge a lot of buyers typically had was a lack of clarity on well, where is it okay to put it. If they didn’t own land themselves, how to navigate the social networks to find a safe and good spot that aligned with local regulation. So I think there were some challenges and just understanding where a tiny home on wheels specifically fit into the Sitka context. But also, we hadn’t been making the big effort to sell it in the last couple years, we were really continuing to use it as a tool for students. And when this offer came through, it just ended up working out, so we’re happy to see that sort of come full circle.

KCAW  Are there any plans to continue the project in any way? Was it meant to be sort of a pilot project at all or just sort of a one off thing?

CO  When it was initially proposed, it was a one off thing. And what’s been great to see is Mike Vieira really taking the initiative and incorporating other locally relevant construction projects into this same class curriculum. So they’ve produced many garden sheds over the years, some of which make use of this regionally sourced lumber. And those are really popular and sell quickly and get used all around Sitka. And now that we’ve sold the Tongass Tiny Home, we’re excited to have some resources available, where hopefully we can keep on investing in this great intersection between youth workforce development and regional economies. So hopefully, we’ll be continuing to source lumber and supporting this program. What gets built is a whole other question. I don’t think we’re quite ready to jump back into a whole whole new tiny home that’s constructed in a couple hours a week over the course of a school semester, but it was really a fantastic project. And people were really emotionally invested in the home. People were excited to see it roll out at the shop.

KCAW  Yeah, and just, you know, I think people might not always know what exactly a tiny home is. So what is a tiny home?

CO  Tiny Homes run the gamut. They can really be super fancy, glamorous, they can be really minimal. There’s a lot of variety in what a tiny home can be. The features that we cared about was functionality, energy efficiency, and incorporating those beautiful local woods. So the Tongass Tiny Home that the students constructed, was built on a trailer. That was I believe, 20 by eight feet wide. So that’s your footprint, and it involved a sleeping loft, and also a storage loft, a small living area, a small kitchen space, and a small bathroom with shower toilet, sink, everything you’d expect. So it’s basically what the name implies.It’s a tiny home that allows you to keep your costs low, keep your energy use low to support a minimalist lifestyle. I think we’re agreed that here in Southeast we’re so lucky to have this amazing backdoor of the wilderness to explore. So as long as you have a shed for all your wilderness gear, I think it can be a good solution for someone who’s looking for that particular lifestyle.

KCAW  And you said sort of like that this is one piece of the affordable housing puzzle. It’s not for everyone. And so I guess from your perspective, why is it that tiny homes can provide a good affordable housing option for people? Or how does it sort of fit into that puzzle? How does it help address affordable housing and community, I guess?

CO  When Sitka Conservation Society started this project, I think we had as many questions as anyone here in town about whether the tiny home was a right fit for Sitka or what the opportunities were there. But what we’ve heard really consistently from community members throughout this whole process is that it’s about the diversity of options. And that affordability, and quality are really what folks are looking for. And so the tiny home is not going to be the right fit for a lot of people. But for those folks who really want that lifestyle, it is a great option. It’s a way to invest in a home, have that flexibility, keep your footprint small. And so we’re excited about the tiny homes as one of many approaches to diversifying and making housing here more affordable, because we know that’s critical to a sustainable community. But we can’t be thriving here if folks can’t afford safe housing.

KCAW  You also mentioned regulations and people not being sure, where can I put it, where it can’t I and throughout the process that you all were working on this, the city actually changed its regulations to make more space for tiny Homes, particularly tiny homes on wheels. So just wondering how involved you were in that process? Or what was Sitka Conservation Society’s role in that, if any, and sort of how Sitka Conservation Society felt about the changes that were made?

CO  Yeah, well, I think we’ve been involved in those regulation conversations as interested community members. So we would bring forward our learnings from the tiny home project and what we were hearing from potential buyers and participate in that dialogue. But what I think is really great is that what I heard was a consistent request from community members to make more room for these types of options and to provide that clarity about where is it okay, where’s it not okay. And I am happy that I have seen the city respond to that. And I’m excited that there’s been some zoning changes to answer those questions. And I think our learning from past code changes is it takes a while for that information to get out there. It takes a while for people to understand the implications and think about how they want to implement that in their own building decisions. I’m excited to see how it can shape Sitka’s housing market over the next few years.

KCAW  So the regulation changes happened a little over a year ago now and there hasn’t been much movement around tiny homes in Sitka. It sounds like your answer to that is well, it takes time.

CO  I do think it takes time and again like we’re just talking about getting more tools in the tool belt for what people can do to make it work for them. So people canmake thoughtful decisions and take their time thinking about investing in housing. And it’ll be great to see what creative solutions come out of that. And, you know, a great project to shout out is the Sitka Community Land Trust, which has been an effort for years and years, and now you’re really seeing it take off. And so I think that willingness to plan for not just next year, but the next 20 years, and what are the options we need to have available to us is really important in housing and everything we talk about.

KCAW  Any major lessons learned to take away from this project that you’d want to share?

CO  Yeah, I think for me, a major lesson has been, it’s always worth gut checking what you can get regionally. I think there’s often a lot of assumptions about what’s feasible or what’s most affordable. But if you’re willing to have some conversations and talk to small businesses around this region, there can be some really great products out there. We got some amazing timber from across Southeast and sometimes it was shipped on a fishing boat. Sometimes it came on the ferry. So if you’re willing to do a little extra legwork, the benefits can be super huge. And I think that’s been a great learning throughout this process, especially if you’re doing a smaller custom build, like a tiny home, like a garden shed, you know, sourcing those local materials can have a lot of benefits for you personally but also for the planet.

Throughout April and May, KCAW News will be bringing you stories about affordable housing solutions every Friday as part of our “Building Solutions” series. Erin McKinstry is a Report for America corps member.

When land is scarce, one way to make housing more affordable is to increase density by building apartment complexes and multi-family homes. At least that’s the way it’s supposed to work. In Sitka, the largest apartment building in over two decades is going up, but the ten units will be more costly than the market average. A developer behind the project says the economics just don’t pencil out.

Before property manager Vicki D’Amico even advertised the one- and two-bedroom apartments under construction at Sealing Cove, she’d already rented out three of them. 

“It has all top of the line equipment, that’s what makes them so appealing. People walk in and say wow, they have a wow factor,” D’Amico said. “They really do.”

When I visit on a sunny day in late April, the two-story indigo building is a flurry of activity. There are still countertops to install and trim to finish before renters move in just a few weeks from now. All of the apartments are already rented, and D’Amico even has a waiting list. The apartments overlook the harbor and towering snow-capped peaks.

But it’s not just the view or the quality of construction that’s attracting renters — it’s that they can’t find anything else. Even professionals with higher incomes are struggling to find housing.

“I watch the market; I watch what’s available. And I thought there were some things available but so many people said no, there just isn’t. Or it’s not something I’d want to live in is what I hear,” D’Amico said. “And some people put money down site unseen, which tells you about desperation, I think.”

Every year, Sitka’s housing supply increases slightly, but on average, roughly half of that construction comes in the form of single-family homes, according to permit data from the building department. And a lot of it is high quality and high value.

“Most of the new houses we see built are fairly high end,” Building Official Pat Swedeen said. “Pretty high cost per square foot to build.”

New apartment complexes are rare. Sitka’s permitted a little over 20 in the last two decades, and most of them are small, with three or four apartments. Since 2000, only two privately-funded developers have constructed long-term rentals bigger than a four-plex.

“We’re not really ready as a city I don’t think to move beyond the four-plex,” John Hardwick said. He and his wife are the developers behind the new 10-plex at Sealing Cove. “Many times even on a large piece of property, it’s more cost-effective to build two four-plexes than it is to build one eight-plex. Which doesn’t make sense if you’re in the building trades, usually one foundation, one set of exterior walls, one roof is more efficient. “

He said the additional safety requirements for buildings with more than four apartments like sprinkler and fire suppression systems drive up the cost. Financing is also more expensive. He said his company didn’t receive any local, state or federal assistance to help offset the costs.

Add energy efficiency measures, parking requirements, skyrocketing lumber prices, and unforeseen projects like building a seawall, and he says the apartments aren’t going to make money anytime soon, even with high rental rates. They’re charging around $500 more than the fair market rent and that doesn’t include utilities.

“It’s kind of sad that we’re charging $1800 a month for a two-bedroom, unfurnished, no utilities paid. But that would be great if we were making money, but the fact that you’re not making money, you’re treading water here hoping that in the future you can make some money.”

Hardwick said they were trying to fit as much housing on one property as they could, knowing that possible expansions from SEARHC and the Coast Guard could make a tight housing market even tighter. He thinks there are opportunities for the city to work jointly with private developers to address Sitka’s housing issues.

“I know that the comprehensive plan for the City of Sitka says that they would like to have higher densities. And yet when the rubber meets the road, it becomes a little bit more problematic,” Hardwick said. “It’s not saying you can’t do it, you can build it. But if it’s not economic, why would you put your hand in the blender again?”

City planning director Amy Ainslie says there are many ways to encourage denser and more affordable development, from tax incentives and fee breaks to increasing access to financing and relaxing requirements for accessory dwelling units. Some cities even have a dedicated affordable housing fund. 

“The approach that Sitka has generally taken has been to look at our general code and to see what parts of our code might be encouraging or discouraging certain types of development,” Ainslie said.

Sitka’s zoning is fairly accommodating to denser development. The bulk of residential zones do allow for at least a duplex. And even if Sitka isn’t adding a bunch of new apartment complexes, Ainslie said she has seen progress over the last couple of years, especially since the city reduced minimum lot sizes and modified some density requirements. 

“There are definitely developers who are taking advantage of some of these changes to the code,” Ainslie said. “We’ve had some subdivisions that were possible because we decreased the minimum lot size, subdivisions that wouldn’t have otherwise met our standards for subdivision, so more lots are being created as a result.”

Still, she said, there’s a lot of work left to do.

“If you’re measuring success, I think a lot of people tend to do that based on ‘is housing affordable?’ And I think a lot of people would still say the answer is no.”

D’Amico, the property manager, worries about what the housing shortage could mean for Sitka’s future. She said one potential tenant told her, “people are coming into work, and you’re going to have tents pitched if you don’t do something.”

Throughout April and May, KCAW News will be bringing you stories about affordable housing solutions every Friday as part of our “Building Solutions” series. Erin McKinstry is a Report for America corps member.

Whether you rent or buy, housing in Sitka is expensive–median home values and rent prices are consistently among the highest in the state. So, some Sitkans are adding cabins and mother-in-law apartments to their properties to help pay their mortgages and expand Sitka’s tight rental market. Affordable housing advocates want the city to make so-called “Accessory Dwelling Units,” or ADUs, easier to build.

Before the pandemic, 31-year-old Adrienne Wilber lived a transient lifestyle. 

She worked as a mate and crewmember, traveling the world aboard a nonprofit sailing ship, and returned to her hometown of Sitka a few months out of the year. That’s where she was in March 2020 when she found out her entire work season was cancelled.

“I knew that if I didn’t have anything to occupy my time, the like already pretty intense mental strains of the pandemic would just be way worse for me. So I needed something,” she said.

Wilber’s “pandemic project” is a small cottage in the corner of her parent’s property. It’s the first house she’s ever built. The walls and the roof are up but the inside of the 600 square foot studio still needs work.

Before Wilber started this project, she’d never heard of an accessory dwelling unit. She learned from the city planning department that ADU is a catchall term for a small but complete living space added to an existing house, or built nearby on the same lot.

Now, she’s an ADU advocate. She says she’d never be able to buy a home in Sitka on her non-profit salary. And she thinks if more homeowners add them, it could help some of her friends who’ve struggled to find affordable, long-term housing solutions in a place where buildable land is limited.

“Just think, if every house on this block could fit another individual or two people living there in their own house. Maybe you still have a landlord, maybe you still have a relationship with the people who’s land you are living on, but it does provide more options, and people need more options,” she said.

ADUs can also help homeowners. Aaron Routon and his wife tacked a second story apartment onto their house when they were building a downstairs addition. Routon said the income from renting it to a friend helps him and his wife afford things like after school activities for his three kids.

“It’s really big for us as far as the income it generates,” Routon said. “It really allows us the freedom and flexibility to go south and see family there. It also takes some of the pressure off a tighter budget.”

It’s not just Sitkans who are turning to ADUs to help address housing affordability. Anchorage revised their regulations in 2018 to make them easier to build. And Juneau started a $6000 grant program in 2017 for homeowners who want to add one to their properties. Over 30 people have taken advantage of the program since.

Jeannette Lee works on housing issues in Alaska for the Sightline Institute, a public policy think tank. She said many cities are turning to ADUs as a way to increase population density while still preserving the character of a neighborhood.

“If you create a better…regulatory environment for ADUs, what happens is homeowners can benefit because ADUs increase property values. But if they’re turned into rentals, then you create better conditions in the rental market by providing more choice, more competition,” Lee said.

Lee said cities could do more to encourage ADUs by reducing parking requirements, allowing them in more zones, and streamlining the permitting process.

Sitka’s current ADU policy was created in 2013 and revised in 2015 to make it less restrictive. Right now, they’re allowed outright in many parts of the city as long as they meet a set of 14 conditions, which include things like parking and design requirements. 

But there are still some zones where they’re not allowed at all and others where homeowners are required to get planning commission approval no matter what through a conditional use permit process. And there are no tax breaks or incentive programs to help defray the high cost of construction.

Sitka resident and District 35 Representative Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins has long been a proponent of ADUs to address affordable housing. He thinks Sitka could look to other cities to update their policy.

“Basically my view is like, if Sitka wants to be serious about affordable housing and more housing, it can’t just nibble around the edges at public policy. It needs to like commit itself to a solution,” he said. “So I mean like having a much more aggressive ADU policy than currently exists.”

Sitka’s planning commission has identified allowing ADUs by right in more zones as a top priority in addressing affordable housing issues, along with reducing minimum lot sizes and encouraging denser development.

But at a recent meeting, commissioners said they wanted to make the process more restrictive, by requiring anyone who wants to build an ADU to get a conditional use permit. That way neighbors have a chance to weigh in with things like parking and noise concerns in every case.

Twenty-eight-year-old Katie Riley was the lone member opposed. She said she sees a lot of community support for ADUs, and as a young person in Sitka, affordable housing is a major concern.

“So that, to me, just doesn’t seem like the right direction,” she said. “If we are trying to encourage creative solutions, making the process harder for people to pursue those solutions.”

Whether city policy is actually hurting or helping ADU construction is unknown. Neither the planning or building department keep records of how many ADUs are built each year. Since 2013, 11 have been approved by the planning commission, but that doesn’t include anyone who didn’t need approval through the conditional use permit process.

Wilber, who’s building the cottage in her parent’s yard, said she wasn’t deterred by the process. She had support from friends and family, and the time to put in her own labor. But she knows that isn’t the case for everyone. She sees ADUs as just one piece of Sitka’s affordable housing solution.

“It is a powerful tool as part of what would need to be a multi, multi-part plan.”

When she’ll finish her cottage or whether she’ll move in permanently is yet to be determined. But, she said, it’s nice to have options and to learn a new skill along the way.

Throughout April and May, KCAW News will be bringing you stories about affordable housing solutions every Friday as part of our “Building Solutions” series. Erin McKinstry is a Report for America corps member.