Hope Church is located on Rucker Avenue south of the Totem Diner and north of the Everett Family YMCA.
Hope Church access on Evergreen Way.
Both the City of Everett and Snohomish County have repeatedly stated publicly that this is not a done deal. They have called for more outreach with the public and reportedly are working on plans to engage more people in the area. On April 6th, Snohomish County interrupted a series of scheduled meetings saying it needed more clarity from the City of Everett.
On Friday April 14th, in response to a Public Disclosure Request, MyEverettNews.com received a copy of the Memorandum of Understanding between Snohomish County and Mission Covenant Church concerning a possible purchase and sale agreement that would have to be entered into between the two and receive approval from the Snohomish County Council in a public process. The memorandum of understanding is not binding on either party. Here is the copy we received from Snohomish County in response to our request.
Hope Church MOU Counter Offer to SNOCo 1.27.23
The MOU does say the County is making an all-cash offer with a purchase price of $4.2 million dollars for the property which consists of approximately 2.36 acres and seven tax parcels.
It appears there is the church building and two small single family homes on the property. The property address is considered 4502 Rucker and the County has said in public meetings the property would be fenced and have staff on site 24-hours a day, 7-days a week.
The $4.2 million dollar price tag is just for the property acquisition and does not include the cost to renovate the church into shelter space, make other improvements or staff and fund operation of the 40-person shelter.
At last week’s Everett City Council meeting on April 12th Mayor Cassie Franklin spoke to the project saying in part:
“I would like to take a moment and address the County’s potential purchase of the Hope Covenant Church property and our shared commitment to providing shelter and services to unsheltered individuals in crisis.
First, I want to make it clear that our city is fiercely pro-housing, and this includes being in support of increasing the availability of shelter not just within our city, but throughout our county and within the region.
You just need to walk outside to know we are facing a housing and drug crisis. I know my colleagues on this dais recognize this as well as our partners at the County.
And while I am in favor of providing support to those who need it, i know t’s equally important for there to be accountability and enforcement, especially when it comes to those who are engaging in illegal conduct. Again, I know others on this dais and partners across the County also agree that there must be accountability.
And I truly believe that with the processes in place within our planning department, new ordinances under consideration that ensure appropriate accountability measures, and all the diligent, hard work of our Snohomish County partners and City staff, we will be able to establish an additional successful shelter location SOMEWHERE within our city. But, siting shelter locations is HARD.
I know that there is a lot of confusion regarding Snohomish County’s potential purchase of Hope Covenant Church and on behalf of the City, I want to apologize to our residents and our partners for any confusion around this.
I’ve seen many emails from very passionate residents and businesses sharing their concerns about locating a facility like this near where they live or work, and I understand their apprehension. And we know and continue to hear from advocates about the positive impact a site like this can have for some of the most vulnerable members of our community when done well.
You can click below for the full video of Mayor Franklin’s remarks as well as those of Everett City Councilmembers and community members who addressed the city council. The comments of all last about 35 minutes.
On Wednesday the Everett City Council will get a look at a draft of a proposed ordinance that will authorize the Mayor to decide where “Buffer Zones” could go around service facilities or other areas identified in Everett, Washington. (A reminder this is still in draft form) At a recent Public Safety Committee meeting the Mayor was asked to provide a map of how many such service facilities there are and where they are located.
Here’s the summary from the council’s briefing memo:
This ordinance will add a new chapter 9.54 to Title 9 of the Everett Municipal Code and is necessary to ensure safe access to services to individuals seeking care and mitigate negative impacts in areas with intensive services to ensure general public safety.
The proposed new code (EMC 9.54.020.A) states that “no person shall sit or lie down upon, or place a blanket, sleeping bag, backpack, chair, mattress, couch, stool, or any similar equipment, item, or furniture upon City property, whether improved or unimproved, within a Service Facility Buffer Zone.” This prohibition is subject to certain exceptions contained in proposed EMC 9.54.020.B. “City property” means any City street, park, utility property or other City property or right of way.
“Service Facility Buffer Zones” under proposed EMC 9.54.030 are designated by the Mayor. The Mayor may designate a two-block-radius Service Facility Buffer Zones around either (1) a social service provider (such as substance abuse treatment provider, behavioral health provider, shelter/ temporary housing provider, etc.) or (2) an area highly impacted by streel-level issues.
Proposed EMC 9.54.040 also states that no person on City property may provide within a Service Facility Buffer Zone any food, beverages, goods, supplies or services of any sort to any persons engaging in conduct prohibited by EMC 9.54.020, unless authorized by a valid City permit.
Depending on how many social service facilities there are and how many other areas the Mayor determines are “highly impacted” within Everett, there is no clear picture at this point of how many zones this ordinance could create, how long the zone would be good for, whether there is a sunset clause or if it would be beneficial (or even legal) to have the law apply to all areas of the city. Again this is just a briefing and first reading. Final reading and public hearing could happen May 3rd.
If you’re interested in attending the Everett City Council meeting at 6:30 PM on Wednesday the comment period for citizens is near the start of the meeting while the briefing on the draft is the last agenda item. Here’s how to participate. The meeting is held in the Everett City Council Chambers at 3002 Wetmore in downtown Everett.
PARTICIPATION IN REMOTE COUNCIL MEETINGS
Call in to listen to the Council meetings: 425.616.3920, conference ID: 724 887 726#
Participate remotely via Zoom by registering to speak at everettwa.gov/speakerform. You must register no later than 30 minutes prior to the meeting. Or contact Angela Ely at 425.257.8703 or aely@everettwa.gov and identify the topic you wish to address.
Provide written public comments by email to Council@everettwa.gov or mail to 2930 Wetmore Avenue, Suite 9A, Everett, WA 98201. Emailing comments 24 hours prior to the meeting will ensure your comment is distributed to councilmembers and appropriate staff.
Persons seeking to comment on non-agenda items may be asked to submit the comments in writing if the comment does not address an issue of broad public interest.
AGENDAS, BROADCAST AND RECORDINGS
The Council agendas and meeting recordings can be found, in their entirety, at everettwa.gov/citycouncil.
The Council meetings are broadcast on government-access cable Comcast Channel 21 and Frontier Channel 29. They are rebroadcast on Monday and Tuesday at noon; Thursday at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.; Friday and Sunday at 7 p.m.; Saturday at 10 a.m. – Watch live meetings and recordings at YouTube.com/EverettCity.
CONTACT THE COUNCIL
If you do not wish to participate in the meeting, we provide these other methods of contacting your elected officials: Email the Council at Council@everettwa.gov
Call the Council offices at 425.257.8703 – You may call in just to listen to the meeting: 425.616.3920, conference ID 724 887 726#
April 16, 2023
Everett