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Planning commission to fold council’s inclusionary‑zoning review into Casino Road subarea plan
Summary
Commissioners agreed staff should review a council request about relaxed ownership affordability and fee‑in‑lieu provisions as part of a broader Casino Road subarea planning process; staff also previewed grants and outreach plans for the subarea effort.
The Everett Planning Commission on May 19 heard a council request to evaluate proposed changes to the city’s inclusionary zoning requirements for ownership projects and agreed the issue should be reviewed as part of the larger Casino Road subarea planning process.
Planning Director York Stevens Wojta told the commission the council asked staff to explore whether reduced ownership affordability requirements and a lower fee‑in‑lieu should be conditioned on measures such as first‑time homebuyer priority or on projects that demolish an existing habitable unit. “The council, by consensus, asked the planning commission to review that concept,” York said, noting the topic arose during the council’s housekeeping ordinance deliberations.
Staff recommendation: York and project staff recommended incorporating the council’s questions into the Casino Road subarea plan’s scope so the issues can be examined with detailed local data, consultant support and community input. The subarea planning scope presented by staff identifies three nested geographies (a broad study area, a plan area, and a designated mixed‑use center) and lists topic areas including street and park plans, zoning/design incentives for centers, anti‑displacement measures, and financial frameworks for catalyst projects.
Grants and outreach: Staff noted active grant efforts tied to the subarea work — a roughly $125,000 parks planning grant and a $1.7 million corridor study grant for Evergreen Way — and described a community‑centered outreach approach that emphasizes smaller, trusted events and partnerships with local organizations to reach Spanish‑speaking and otherwise underserved residents.
Public comment and next steps: Small‑scale housing developer Ishmael Mohammed spoke in support of lowering the MFTE threshold to 4 units and urged staff to “crack the ownership part” of incentives so ownership opportunities can be realized, suggesting use of community land trusts. Staff said they will return with the requested analysis and that the inclusionary zoning review will be folded into Casino Road work; a public hearing and later commission recommendation are planned once more analysis and community feedback are collected.
The commission did not act on a recommendation at the May 19 meeting; staff will pursue community engagement and return with more detail.
