Residents, advocates press Everett council to add anti‑displacement measures as comp plan hearing opens

Dozens of residents and community advocates urged the Everett City Council on April 16 to adopt anti‑displacement policies, permanent affordable housing tools and zoning changes targeted to the Casino Road neighborhood as part of the city’s once‑per‑decade Everett 2044 comprehensive plan update.

The comment period on the April draft of the comprehensive plan runs through May 12; council members held a public hearing and staff provided a briefing on the draft. “There is an urgent need for permanently affordable housing in the neighborhood,” said Salvador Guillen, director of Connect Casino Road, who told the council many residents cannot afford the roughly $6,000 cost he said would be required to move from their units.

Why it matters: The comprehensive plan guides land use, housing and infrastructure policy for roughly 20 years. Speakers and staff said light rail investment and other changes increase the risk that long‑time, low‑income residents and legacy neighborhood businesses could be priced out unless targeted protections are written into the plan and implementing regulations.

Community testimony focused on three recurring requests. First, multiple speakers asked the council to adopt inclusionary zoning in the parts of South Everett identified as at high risk of displacement, to require new residential projects in that overlay to include permanently affordable units. “We ask you to listen to the community and adopt all the recommendations included in LISC’s proposal,” said Salvador Guillen. Jasmine Smith, director of local advocacy at Futurewise, told the council the memorandum produced by community groups lists inclusionary zoning among its core recommendations and that organizers will submit that memo as part of the record.

Second, speakers asked for explicit anti‑displacement mapping and policies for Casino Road and related rules to protect small, culturally‑relevant businesses. Bobby Thompson, executive director of a local housing consortium, summarized community outreach and wrote that the “North Star” of the recommendations is to ensure residents who already call Casino Road home are the ones who benefit from transit‑oriented development.

Third, residents of mobile home parks asked for a zoning overlay or other regulatory protection to reduce the risk that investors or developers could purchase parks, raise lot rents, and force seniors and other low‑income homeowners to move. Lawrence Eslick, a Silver Shores Mobile Home Park resident, said more than 100 seniors at his park rely on Social Security and would have no affordable alternative if required to relocate.

Planning staff said the draft comprehensive plan already incorporates many council directions from March and includes a proposed inclusionary housing chapter (development regulations chapter 19.09 in the draft). Staff described the inclusionary requirements as targeted to a roughly defined overlay centered on Casino Road, Evergreen Way and adjacent areas where the Puget Sound Regional Council’s displacement‑risk analysis and planned light‑rail stations overlap. Planning manager Lisonbee Wentzell and planning director York Stevens (as introduced to the council) said state agencies and regional reviewers will provide comments during the review period and that staff will compile written comments and produce a comment report for the council and the planning commission.

Council discussion: Several council members thanked speakers and emphasized the complexity of the issue. Council member Ryan and others said they support the draft overall and want to avoid unintended consequences; Council member Bader raised concerns about “step up” changes in zoning and proposed two parcel‑level map adjustments (9300 West Mall Drive and a parcel at 100th Street and Holly Drive) to reduce abrupt increases in allowed height adjacent to lower‑intensity neighborhoods. Staff responded that they have been working with the historical commission and with council members on map refinements and that some map changes were already incorporated in the April draft.

What the draft contains and next steps: Staff told the council the April draft (released April 7) includes zoning amendments directed by council in March, a mobile home park policy, and the draft inclusionary zoning chapter and map. Staff said the mobile home park overlay and related implementing regulations are still being worked on; they may be adopted as part of the periodic update or as a subsequent ordinance. The planning commission will hold its hearing on May 6 and forward a recommendation to the council; the council will consider final ordinances after the close of the comment period and after staff compiles agency review comments. The council voted to close the public hearing on April 16 and directed staff to continue compiling comments.

Quotes in context: “We call on the city of Everett to implement anti displacement and affordable housing strategies in our neighborhood,” Salvador Guillen told the council. Jasmine Smith said community‑driven outreach informed the memo of recommendations staff has received. Bobby Thompson described multiple community listening sessions and urged the council to adopt anti‑displacement mapping, inclusionary zoning and flexibility for using faith‑owned land for affordable housing.

Ending: Staff said printed copies of the draft comprehensive plan and development‑regulation documents are available at Everett Public Library branches and online; the public comment period runs through May 12. The planning commission will hold a hearing on May 6 and will send a recommendation to the council before the council’s final vote on the periodic update.