What will the impact of this proposed project have on housing cost and availability in the general Leavenworth area?
A33: We expect about one-third (30-35 people) of the project’s permanent staff to come from outside the area. The laboratory also expects to host many scientists as visitors, on average perhaps 100 each day. While many of these will use local hotels, others involved in long-term projects will look for apartments or rental houses. We are aware of the local concern about the availability of housing, especially affordable housing. This will affect current, as well as future residents of the Leavenworth area, including graduate or post-graduate student scientists and technicians who will work at the underground laboratory and associated facilities. While we cannot offer a solution at this time, housing experts at the University of Washington have addressed similar problems in Seattle through public/private partnerships. A private builder constructs and operates rental housing on a site owned by the university, at below-market rates. After some designated time (30 or 40 years), the property
