Enabling Permanent Affordability

Our Model

Olympic Housing Trust (OHT) is the only community land trust serving Jefferson and Clallam Counties. Our work focuses on creating permanently affordable homeownership opportunities and, increasingly, affordable rental housing for local residents.

A community land trust (CLT) is a nonprofit organization that acquires and stewards land for the long-term benefit of the community. By separating ownership of the land from the ownership of the home, a CLT ensures that housing remains affordable not just for the first buyer, but for every household that follows. In addition to housing, OHT also prioritizes shared community assets such as open space, gardens, and places that support connection and resilience.

OHT serves households who earn steady incomes but are increasingly priced out of both the rental and ownership markets. We use a combination of public and private funding to acquire land and develop housing that would otherwise be unattainable for local workers and families.

When a home is placed in the OHT portfolio, the land beneath it is held by the trust under a renewable 99-year ground lease. This structure allows homeowners to build equity while ensuring that the home remains permanently affordable for future buyers. Resale is guided by a shared-equity formula that provides homeowners with a modest annual appreciation—currently 1.5%—rewarding long-term residency while preventing speculative price escalation.

National data shows that approximately 60% of community land trust homeowners go on to purchase market-rate homes after selling their CLT home, demonstrating that this model can serve as a stable and effective pathway to long-term housing security.

Project Types

OHT develops homes for both ownership and rental through new construction, acquisition, and, when available, land or home donation. We prioritize projects that not only deliver housing, but also support broader community goals such as food production, shared open space, and long-term stewardship of land.

These values are reflected in both the Dundee Hill and Chimacum Commons projects, where housing is clustered to preserve open space and support community-oriented uses.

• Dundee Hill will provide five permanently affordable homeownership opportunities for households earning up to 80% of Area Median Income (AMI).

• Chimacum Commons will include a mix of affordable rental and ownership homes. Final income limits are still being determined.

Understanding Area Median Income

In 2025, the Area Median Income (AMI) for a household of four is $106,200 in Jefferson County and $90,400 in Clallam County.

The homes currently stewarded by OHT are owned by households who were at or below 80% of AMI at the time of purchase.

Most public housing programs restrict eligibility to households earning below 80% of AMI. While this support is essential, it leaves a significant portion of the local workforce unserved—households who earn too much to qualify for assistance but far too little to compete in today’s housing market.

In Jefferson County, where the median home price exceeds $650,000, a household typically needs to earn well over 200% of AMI to purchase a home on the open market. This gap has left many working households with no viable path to stable housing.

In response, OHT has expanded its internal service range to include households earning between 50% and 120% of AMI, where funding allows. However, public funding requirements still constrain many projects to lower income thresholds. As a result, expanding housing opportunities for moderate-income households will depend on philanthropic partners who recognize the importance of supporting the broader local workforce.

Source: Housing Solutions Network
*Home purchasing range is based on a 30 year mortgage financed at 6.6% with a 5% down payment and a private mortgage insurance rate of .85%. Payments include estimated property tax and estimated home insurance, and assume excellent credit and no other debt obligations.
Median Home Price was captured from RocketHomes.com

“A Guide For Local Governments” from the National League of Cities and Grounded Solutions Network