Community Letters to the Editor
Letter to the Editor | Kensington Gardens pursuing a unique but proven model of housing elders
I appreciate the opportunity to respond to recent articles regarding our proposal to divide 23 1/2 acres into a 5-lot plat. The Pierce County Planning Department, the Fire Marshal, and the Health Department have all recommended approval. It is now being reviewed by an independent third-party Hearing Examiner. Our goal is create a sustainable and innovative housing option for our aging and disabled population, and we are currently working through the normal review process to try to achieve that goal.
To be clear, this has been a long journey. It took many years working with many different individuals at the County to approve and build the two existing buildings on the property. There have been no short cuts, and we often did not see eye-to-eye with the County. But we believe that the close scrutiny has resulted in a better project that serves an important community need.
Due to conditions imposed by the County, including limits on the number of occupants, the buildings are approved dwellings unit under the County’s code, where residents live and eat communally.
Some believe elder and disabled care belongs only in urban areas. Not only does this idea violate federal fair housing protections, it ignores the fact that everyone, regardless of their situation, deserves the chance to live in a beautiful place of their choice. Housing and care options for the vulnerable are already in short supply, and our project provides a healthy, thoughtful, and proven model. Importantly, as discussed, both the Fire Marshal and Health Department have signed off on the plat.
Licensing was discussed in the article, and we are currently fully licensed and inspected as an In-Home Care Agency under the State Department of Health (DOH). While our approach to housing and care is a proven model, it is also unique. Because of this we are currently working closely with the Washington Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) on whether DOH or DSHS is the most appropriate agency for licensing. One will apply, it is just a question of which. In the meantime, we continue to legally operate as normal, maintaining the high standard of care we pride ourselves for.
We believe this plat proposal will ultimately help address one of the community’s most significant challenges – i.e., the shortage of quality care and housing for our aging and disabled population. I hope readers will keep an open mind and let the ongoing independent review play out as it is designed to do. We are confident that the end result of this process will be a good, fair, and compliant project.
Thank you.
Kelly Watson
Kensington Gardens