Hope Church is located on Rucker Avenue south of the Totem Diner and north of the Everett Family YMCA.
There is secondary access to Hope Church on Evergreen Way.
MyEverettNews.com reached out to the City of Everett. First to Everett City Councilmember Paula Rhyne who represents District 2 where the church is located. Councilmember Rhyne told us she was not aware of the idea and to check with the City Administration. We then checked with Simone Tarver, Project Manager in the Mayor’s Office who provided us the following statement via email:
The Hope Covenant Church site is being considered by Snohomish County and it is our understanding they are in the very early stages, including making plans for alerting their Council of their interest, developing an outreach plan and working with the City through all required land use process.
The City of Everett is just one piece of the puzzle in alleviating homelessness and addressing the impacts of behavioral health conditions like substance use disorder. We are supportive of new strategies and efforts to increase shelter and provide services to those in need, as long as they are ensuring that our businesses’ and our residents’ needs are also taken into consideration and any potential negative impacts are mitigated.
MyEverettNews.com reached out by email to the pastor of the Hope Church but have not received a response. We were referred by Simone Tarver to Kent Patton at the Snohomish County Executive’s Office for an explanation of what is happening with Snohomish County.
We sent the following questions to Snohomish County of Friday February 10th.
It is my understanding that some members of the Snohomish County Council have received inquiries from area businesses. Can you please respond to the following:
1) Was Snohomish County contacted by the City of Everett to facilitate this purchase?
2) What is the status of the purchase?
3) What outreach attempts have been conducted by Snohomish County to the residents and business owners in the area?
4) What are the plans for this site?
We received the following reply on Friday February 17th from Kelsey Nyland in the Snohomish County Executive’s Office..
Regarding the Hope Church, yes, the City of Everett did provide Snohomish County with the initial lead on the property, and as we would for any project in the City, we have been in regular communication with the City. We are in the very early stages of evaluating this property for a variety of possible uses. Outreach to the community may begin within the next month. We want first to coordinate with local officials to make sure they have an opportunity to provide feedback, including on outreach efforts.
Any neighborhood outreach would be similar to the robust outreach we conducted as part of the proposals for the Days Inn and America’s Best Value Inn. We would conduct door-to-door outreach with neighbors – commercial and residential – in the vicinity. We would offer further conversations to anyone who may want them. This has been the approach we’ve taken with neighbors of the Days Inn, and it has been well-received by neighbors and has helped the County understand the surrounding community’s priorities for the facility.
Any next steps would be determined after consultation with local officials and the neighborhood.
As we have with the two motel purchases, we are more than happy to answer any constituent questions directly to make sure folks receive the correct information! Constituents can reach out to us at PublicAdvocate@snoco.org.
On February 17th we asked the following follow-up and received this response from Kelsey Nyland in the Snohomish County Executive’s Office on February 21st.
Kelsey, to confirm, has the County purchased the Hope Church property or entered into an agreement to purchase? If so, when did that happen?
No, we have not purchased the Hope Church facility. Agreements of this kind are called “Purchase and Sale Agreements,” and they must be voted on by the County Council and include a public comment process. It would be the same process that the County used for the purchase of the Days Inn and America’s Best. Any next steps would be determined after consultation with local officials and the neighborhood.
MyEverettNews.com will continue to speak with officials at the City of Everett and Snohomish County regarding the possible sale of the church and conversion of the property and to monitor the public outreach and communication.
Residents, business owners and others interested are encouraged to contact the Everett City Council, Snohomish County Council and elected administrators to express your thoughts on the issue.
February 21, 2023
Everett