Everett Passes Emergency Moratorium On Supportive Housing In Residential Zones

Yesterday we ran a story on residents of the Port Gardner Neighborhood planning to give the Everett City Council a piece of their minds following a lease agreement between Housing Hope and the Everett School District for a surplus school play field to become supportive housing. The play field is in the 3600 block of Grand Avenue in a residential neighborhood.

Before the public comment period could begin Everett City Council member Brenda Stonecipher introduced an emergency ordinance enacting a six month moratorium on supportive housing in residential zones in Everett, Washington.

She called it a “time out” in order to allow the city to study and review the ordinance passed in 2016 that allowed changes to the zoning code. Stonecipher stressed she was not against this particular project but the process and lack of public disclosure.

Other city council members also shared their support for supportive housing while expressing displeasure with the process and concern that the ordinance passed three years ago with good intentions may not be as well thought out as they had first thought.

Council member Jeff Moore recused himself as he is an employee of the Everett School District and he did not take part in the discussion or the vote. The other six council members passed the emergency ordinance unanimously. That means it takes effect immediately but there will be a public hearing scheduled within the next sixty days.