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Students and residents urge Everett to scale vacant-property fees, target big-box vacancies
Summary
Two residents (both graduate students) urged the council to revise Everett Municipal Code 16.16 so fees for vacant commercial buildings scale with square footage, shorten the vacancy timeline from three years to 18 months, and better target large retail owners such as Fred Meyer/Kroger.
At the May 20 council meeting, two residents—Annika Beach Garcia and Spencer Jones—urged the council to revise Everett Municipal Code 16.16 so the city can better discourage long-term vacancies and generate revenue for neighborhood revitalization.
Annika Beach Garcia (a master's of social work student who attends classes at Everett Community College) told the council that EMC 16.16 currently allows fees up to $1,000 per year and asked the city to consider tying fees to square footage so large-format vacant properties are proportionally charged. "This code ... allows for the city of Everett to collect fees up to $1,000 per year for buildings that sit vacant," she said, and asked that the parks and built environment committee further discuss revisions in June.
Spencer Jones (also an MSW student) described research linking concentrations of vacant, dilapidated buildings to poorer public-health and economic outcomes, argued a flat $1,000 annual fee is insufficient for large companies, and asked the council to shorten the vacancy timeline from three years to 18 months to speed property turnover and reinvest revenue into the community.
Both speakers identified specific local examples (the former Fred Meyer on Casino Road, a former Kmart and a former Walmart on Evergreen Way) as illustrations of the problem. Council members acknowledged the public comments and said the matter would be considered by the parks and built environment committee and staff.
