A vision years in the making is taking shape in Port Hadlock
If you drive by the Mason Street Neighborhood, you’ll see that construction has begun. For years, the Mason Street Neighborhood existed as a vision shaped by planning meetings, community conversations, committed and generous donors, and countless hours of work behind the scenes. Today, that vision is starting to take shape on the ground.
Since the groundbreaking in August, one question has come up again and again: How do you build a 138-home neighborhood?
The answer is simple: One intentional phase at a time.
Phase 1 is underway
This first phase, which is fully funded and under construction, will deliver 32 townhouse-style homes, and a group home for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Like any neighborhood, construction begins with what’s beneath the surface. Crews are installing roads, utilities, stormwater systems, and other essential infrastructure before home construction can begin. While that work may not look like housing yet, it lays the foundation for the homes and community that will follow.
Building in phases allows us to align funding, construction, homeownership opportunities, and community support while continuing to move the project forward. Each phase builds on the success of the one before it, providing flexibility, reducing risk, and helping ensure long-term success.
As Bob Collins, Habitat’s Director of Housing and Community Strategy, puts it, “We’re not just building homes. We’re building the infrastructure, partnerships, financing, and future homeowners that make a neighborhood possible.”
When people see the completed neighborhood one day, they will see 138 homes. What they won’t see are the thousands of decisions, hundreds of partnerships, and years of work that made those homes possible.
Site work began on September 16, with the roads, utilities, stormwater systems, and other improvements that have to be in place before homes can be built.
The Groundbreaking on August 29 celebrated the community that brought this vision forward. Read the story: A Community Vision Begins to Take Shape
More Than Construction
The Mason Street Neighborhood is about more than construction. Alongside roads, utilities, and homes, we’re creating opportunities for local families to build stability, preserving affordability for future generations, and developing a neighborhood designed for the people who make this community work.
It may seem like the Mason Street Neighborhood began with the groundbreaking or the first equipment arriving on site, but its story started years earlier.
In 2021, community members looked at a former private airfield in Port Hadlock and saw an opportunity. They imagined a neighborhood where the people who live and work in East Jefferson County could afford to put down roots. Then they got to work.
That’s one reason we’re confident in this project. We’re not starting from scratch.
Over the past several years, key donors contributed to make the purchase of the property possible. Architects and engineers developed plans. Neighbors attended meetings and shared feedback. Volunteers contributed their time and expertise. County staff reviewed permits and infrastructure plans. Together, that work created the foundation we’re building on today.
The construction itself will follow that same collaborative approach. Habitat is prioritizing local contractors and trades whenever possible, helping ensure that dollars raised in the community are then invested in the neighborhood and continue to support the local economy. The first major construction contract for the project has already been awarded to a local company.
None of that happens overnight. One phase at a time, the Mason Street Neighborhood is moving from vision to reality.
Looking Ahead
The full Mason Street Neighborhood is expected to provide housing opportunities for more than 200 members of the local workforce while creating lasting affordability for future generations.
“This is an exciting milestone, but it is only the beginning,” said Jamie Maciejewski. “Breaking ground was a celebration of what is possible. Starting construction on Phase 1 is where the real work begins. We’re laying the groundwork for the first homes and setting a strong foundation for the future neighborhood that generations of local families will call home.”
As infrastructure takes shape over the coming months, the project will continue moving from vision to reality, bringing East Jefferson County one step closer to welcoming the first families home to the Mason Street Neighborhood.
The phased approach gives us a roadmap. Community generosity has brought us this far, and continued community support will help bring the full vision to life.