Everett City Council Votes to Keep Kimberly Clark Property Industrial Mixed Use

With Brenda Stonecipher casting the lone no vote, the Everett City Council voted 6-1 to accept the Everett Planning Commission’s recommendation that the Kimberly-Clark property stay an industrial site. The so-called prefered alternative 4 allows for both water dependent and non-water dependent uses at the site. It’s been a long process since Kimberly-Clark first announced n December 2011 that they were unable to sell the plant and decided to completely shut it down and sell off the property. In February of 2012 the City of Everett issued a moratorium on developing the property so they could have some say on its future. The city of Everett Planning Commission held public hearings and came up with four alternatives on dealing with the property. They narrowed that down to a preferred alternative known as alternative #4 that the Everett City Council considered tonight. During the public hearings the speakers were 4 – 1 in favor of maintaining the zoning as water-dependent industrial mixed use which would allow industrial and commercial use at the deep water portion of the site while also allowing non-water dependent uses on the majority of the site. It was a standing room only audience with many members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union filling the seats. Tim Hudson of the ILWU was one of many who addressed the city council. “You can’t buy a deep water port. You either have one or you don’t,” said Hudson. “We have one.” Others spoke of making sure that the Boeing Company and Navy were not impacted by what will be built on the site. A minority wanted alternative 3 which was supported by council member Stonecipher. It encouraged building a business park with non-water dependent uses and public trails. Council member Paul Roberts tried to add an amendment that would have required public access on the site but that was voted down. Roberts did successfully add water bottling plants to the list of prohibited uses for the land. Those also include exporting or shipping coal, fish processing, storing explosives and several others.

The ordinance now goes to Everett Mayor Ray Stephanson for his signature. Once the ordinance is signed and then goes into effect, the moratorium will be lifted and the site can be sold. As far as the demolition of the current Kimberly-Clark buildings, a representative for the company said that should be complete by the end of March.