Residents urge inclusionary zoning as Everett holds public hearing on 2044 comprehensive plan update

Everett — Dozens of residents and community organizations urged the Everett City Council on Wednesday to keep inclusionary zoning in the draft Everett 2044 comprehensive plan, saying the policy is needed to prevent displacement in low‑income, transit‑adjacent neighborhoods.

At the public hearing on the periodic update and implementing development regulations, speakers from Casino Road and other neighborhoods described housing instability, overcrowding and recent eviction notices. The Planning Commission chair, who addressed the council during the hearing, also urged the council to reconsider removal of inclusionary zoning language that had been part of earlier drafts.

“Removing this policy from the final draft disregards the time, energy, and lived experience that community members brought to this process,” said a Casino Road resident during public comment. Planning Commission Chair Demi Chatters told the council she was “very disappointed in the planning commission in their choice to remove the recommendation for inclusionary zoning” in the version that reached the council and urged the council to “take another look.”

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