Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Residents and service users urge city to exempt Hope and Wellness from code enforcement
Summary
Multiple residents and service users urged the Everett City Council to grant a zoning or code-compliance exception to Hope and Wellness, saying the organization provides vital services to people experiencing homelessness and that closing it would harm people with no alternatives.
Several Everett residents and people who use the site urged the City Council on Feb. 5 to exempt Hope and Wellness from code enforcement actions and allow it to keep operating downtown.
Amy Heeb, a resident and homeowner in the Riverside neighborhood, told the council the city is enforcing code EMC 19 0 5 1 10 against Hope and Wellness while exempting other businesses in the past. “This is the same code provision that the city has exempted other similarly situated businesses from,” Heeb said. She argued the group’s services — open for five hours on one day per week at the time of her remarks — meet a “higher good” that can justify exceptions to strict code compliance.
The point was echoed in public comment…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
