Board awards housing-production grant to Sammy’s Place for Thompson Springs land-trust homeownership project

The Board of Commissioners approved a Housing Production Solutions grant agreement May 21 with Sammy’s Place to support the Thompson Springs project, a community land trust that will provide permanently affordable homeownership units in Tillamook County.

Parker Simmings, housing coordinator in the county’s Department of Community Development, described Thompson Springs as a universal‑design development that will include five two‑bedroom homes reserved for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities at 40% of area median income (AMI), and several additional one‑bedroom and two‑bedroom units targeted at higher AMI tiers for workforce housing. Simmings said the 40% AMI level corresponds to roughly $72,000 annual income and that the project is designed to maintain affordability in perpetuity through the land‑trust model.

Commissioner Scott explained that the county uses a portion of a transient‑lodging/short‑term rental fee pool to fund housing and public‑safety grants; the HPS fund serves as seed money and local support that helps projects attract additional funding. Commissioners praised Sammy’s Place volunteers, a land donation that enabled the project, and the universal‑design approach intended to broaden access. The motion to authorize grant agreement number 2025‑HPSF‑4 passed unanimously.

County staff said the grant will be combined with other private and public funding sources to reach project financing goals; the exact grant amount and other funders were discussed in the county packet but were not read into the public record during the motion.