2020/06/10 Council Agenda Packet

June 3, 2020 Dear City Council Members, I am a resident of the Port Garner Neighborhood in Everett, and have a comment regarding Agenda Item #6 — ReThink Zoning Reboot. I am concerned about the process and timeline going forward on ReThink Zoning. Back in March, I attended the last public Planning Commission meeting before everything was halted due to COVID-19. At that time, the Planning Commission and Department were still reviewing and discussing possible zoning changes, adding tasks and the process and proposals were still in a fluid state. For the past two months there has been no communication from the Planning Department to residents, (because there were no meetings). And also during that time, our neighborhood meetings were cancelled as well. Now, The Planning Department and Commission are rebooting ReThink Zoning, with a timeline that does not take into consideration the challenges we are all facing with communicating as a City and as residents. My neighbors have not had the opportunity to review, understand and question the Planning Department on the newly-posted (late May) proposed changes, much less communicate with other neighbors about how they will affect their properties and neighborhood. I am asking that the City Council slow down the ReThink Zoning Reboot schedule, to allow the neighborhoods to work with the Planning Department to understand and comment on the proposed zoning changes and communicate them to the neighborhood. The City is making major decisions on zoning that will affect, for many homeowners, their largest, single investment. A challenge in the best of times, but now made more challenging during a global health and economic crisis. To make these changes without giving property owners adequate time to understand and respond to them is wrong. Please consider giving us more time and access to the Planning Department before moving forward on ReThink Zoning. Jean Satti-Hewat meanjeancreative@earthlink.net