Quoting Pogo, “We have met the enemy and he is us.”

The City Council’s been working hard to find housing for low- to moderate-income citizens. They are trying to solve this by not allowing people to rent rooms, apartments or houses, short-term, to tourists, apparently thinking that the owners will then rent those long-term at much lower rates to moderate/low-income locals.

I discovered the fly in the ointment quite by chance. My 44-year-old disabled son is returning to PT, and he will need housing. His monthly income is $775. In the past, he has lived in small apartments or in his own trailer. Last month I found a 1990 29-foot trailer in excellent shape with full bathroom, bedroom kitchen with full-size appliances, and space for friends to visit. Perfect.

Sea Breeze [Park] responded to my inquiry: “We are the only housing community that is affordable and both a mobile home and RV community within the city limits of Port Townsend.”

Rent is a reasonable “$475/mo including: electric, water, sewer, garbage/recycle and Wi-Fi.” However, they have a minimum income requirement, in my son’s case, $950 per month.

Undaunted, I looked for an inexpensive lot adjacent to utilities where his trailer could be parked and, later, a small cottage could be built. I found several, then went to find out restrictions to this plan and discovered that the council, sometime past, outlawed homes on wheels, tiny homes, trailers, all banned. It is even illegal to park one next to your house and plug it in for someone to live in.

There are spots in the business park that would make a great second RV park, so I made inquiries, only to be informed that the city does not allow any residential use of this area, not even building an apartment over the shop.

JOAN BEST

Port Townsend