Everett Council Declares Emergency – Prohibits Development of Kimberly Clark Site for Six Months

The Everett City Council Wednesday night declared an emergency and passed an emergency ordinance establishing a six month moratorium on issuing building permits in the area surrounding the Kimberly-Clark plant on the Everett waterfront. The ordinance states in part…

“Because of the site’s unique nature, it is a critical economic engine for North Everett, downtown and the greater community. A transition from a mill site to a new use will have ramifications for years to come.”

“We want to be pro-active”, said Everett Planning Director Allan Giffen. “This gives us time to take a look and make sure incompatible uses aren’t established.”

The ordinance passed unanimously after the council was briefed in an executive session after their regular meeting.

Everett City Public information director Kate Reardon issued the following statement on what will happen next…

During the six-month period, the City will lead a land-use planning process to identify and evaluate alternatives for future site use.

The City has not determined that the current industrial land use zone is inappropriate for the site, but it has determined that a thoughtful, transparent evaluation of future site use alternatives is the appropriate next step.

The planning process will begin with a City work plan describing the substance and process and a public meeting that will be held within 60 days. The planning process will include several opportunities for public participation.