Cordova housing supply committee meets Tuesday at Cordova Center

A 2024 study found Cordova short of at least 40 rental and for-sale homes. The town's Housing Supply Accelerator Committee meets Tuesday, Oct. 6, to continue work on solutions. The meeting runs from 7 to 9 pm in the mayor's conference room at the Cordova Center, 601 1st St. Its only listed discussion item is Mayor Kristin Smith's report on the Northwest Community Land Trust's annual gathering in Sitka. The published agenda lists no public comment item.

The 2024 Prince William Sound housing needs assessment found Cordova needs at least 20 more one- to two-bedroom rental units. The same assessment found a need for 20 more two- to four-bedroom homes for sale. It also found a need for senior housing. The study reported that worn-out homes are leaving the market faster than new ones are built.

The assessment put Cordova's 2021 vacancy rate at 19%. About 38% of the roughly 200 vacant units were held for seasonal or recreational use. The study says cannery worker housing inflates vacancy figures, particularly in Cordova.

The committee met Aug. 25 and heard from a speaker with the Sitka Community Land Trust. Under that model, a resident owns the house and a trust owns the land under it.

Smith raised a funding gap in August. "We aren't eligible for a lot of HUD programs because our income levels are too high, and yet none of those take into account the cost of living in this community," Smith said.