KEDA tells Port Orchard council: build housing and industrial capacity to capture billions headed to shipyard

Joe Morrison, executive director of the Kitsap Economic Development Alliance, told the Port Orchard City Council that Kitsap County faces both opportunity and constraints as billions in Navy‑linked investment approach the region.

Morrison said Kitsap’s median household income is near $100,000 and Port Orchard’s median sits around $88,000; he told the council that housing costs and home resale prices have risen sharply since 2017. "The only thing that solves the housing challenge and the housing crisis is building more housing," Morrison said, urging more multifamily construction.

KEDA’s five‑year targets include creating or retaining 2,500 jobs and adding 350,000 square feet of industrial space. Morrison warned that local industrial inventory is aged and limited — he cited a roughly 1.8% industrial vacancy rate and building stock often 30–40 years old — and said the Gorst–Belfair corridor remains the largest greenfield industrial site in Puget Sound but requires tens of millions in power, sewer and road upgrades to become market‑ready.

Councilors asked whether local industrial expansion would meaningfully satisfy federal demand tied to shipyard and Navy projects; Morrison said local gains would be a 'tip of the iceberg' but emphasized that building capacity is essential to ensuring jobs and tax revenues remain in Kitsap County.

Morrison also outlined KEDA efforts on workforce development and childcare, including partnerships with Olympic College, a countywide childcare task force, micro‑enterprise training and a government contracting program to help local firms pursue multimillion‑dollar federal contracts.

Morrison closed by inviting council members to a legislative lunch and urging local governments to coordinate on sewer, power and transportation priorities to capture the incoming investment.