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Residents warn recodification could enable tear-down of Pope John; council refers zoning recodification to planning board
Summary
Public commenters pressed the council for community meetings and to save the historic Pope John site from redevelopment; the council voted to refer the citywide zoning recodification ordinance and map to the planning board for review and a public hearing.
Several residents used the council’s public comment period to urge transparency and community meetings on the city’s zoning recodification and to press the council to preserve Pope John as a school rather than allow redevelopment into dense housing.
In public comment, Peggy Serino asked when community meetings promised as part of the recodification process would occur and described fears that zoning changes could allow demolition of Pope John to make way for large apartment buildings. "The people of Everett want Pope John renovated," she said, arguing the city should not permit development that would remove a potential school site.
Other speakers asked whether proposed recodification would permit tear-downs, change parking and setback rules, and affect historic homes across neighborhoods such as School Street, Norman Street, and Broadway. One commenter asked whether the recodification would prevent projects that lack parking or that reduce the stock of family homes.
Why it matters: Zoning recodification reshapes where housing and commercial uses are allowed and can affect neighborhood character, historic properties and school-capacity solutions; residents asked for more opportunity to review proposed changes before the council votes.
Council action: The council referred the proposed zoning ordinance codification and corresponding zoning map to the Planning Board for review and public hearing. The referral to the Planning Board was approved on a roll call recorded in the meeting as 11 yeas, 0 nays. The council noted that after the Planning Board hearing, the item will return to the City Council with the Planning Board’s recommendation and a council public hearing before any final vote.
Ending: Planning Board hearings will be the next formal step; residents urged the administration and councilors to prioritize community meetings so neighbors can review any zoning map changes affecting historic sites and single-family neighborhoods.
