2023/01/11 Council Agenda Packet

Everett Housing Authority Baker Heights Phase II, now known as the Park District is proposed as 1,500 units. It encompasses a 2 block area from 14th to 12th Streets between Poplar and Fir Streets. This is in addition to the 105 units already under construction in Phase I. We are eager to see this area which was vacated in 2019, prior to the 2020 census, full of residents again. Hopefully we will welcome back a few of our previous neighbors who were displaced. Already the most densely populated neighborhood in North Everett, Delta would have four 12 story buildings under this plan, taller than anything in Metro Everett. Parking and traffic will be major issues with the proposed 1 parking spot per studio and 1 bedroom. 1.5 parking spots per 2 bedroom. 2 parking spots per 3 bedroom and 2 parking spots per townhouse. As part of the Planned Development Overlay process there are a number of items that should be addressed in the course of mitigation. Indeed, what is being proposed is more density than Metro Everett. Building setbacks, parking standards, design standards, wider sidewalk width and more all need to be reviewed. Will bus lines be adjusted to run along 12th street? Will light rail reach the city's new urban center and College District or simply ignore Delta and end at Everett Station? The plan will make Delta the city's new metro zone, or uptown. For this reason, as we greatly increase density we need to preserve existing parks and open spaces. This includes a 2.5 acre parcel adjacent to Wiggums Hollow Park previously known as Bert Erickson Field. In the past it was used for little league baseball. Under the Park District Plan, this parcel is for sale to the highest bidder which would result in a loss of green space. Parks has invested significantly in operating costs maintaining the parcel as park land per a decades old MOU with EHA dating back to the 1940's. This open space should be donated, sold, or land swapped to the Parks Department to be incorporated into Wiggums Hollow Park. There is potential to build a soccer field here, which is a culturally unmet need in a neighborhood which has a high number of immigrants. In addition, there are wetlands behind the Boys and Girls Club in need of restoration. The Club is willing to donate the land to the Parks Department. We will need an organization to help restore the site and provide ongoing maintenance. The Delta Neighborhood Association is willing to arrange meetings and help with the restoration and cleanup efforts. For a properly designed transit -oriented development, the development cannot exist as a pedestrian island. The missing pedestrian connections on 15th street, which connects Baker Heights residents to retail on Broadway and E Marine View Drive need to be built. Sidewalks are missing in both directions leaving pedestrians (many disabled, elderly and families with small children) dodging busses and traffic on the street to access basic services. Wide sidewalks should be designed for high pedestrian traffic with trees on the curbside to protect pedestrians. This also brings the issue of housing and zoning inequity to the foreground again, with a developer taking advantage of cheap land and favorable zoning in a historically marginalized, low-income neighborhood. This is common in places like Casino Road and Delta. These communities need proper planning, investment and support. There is too much development happening in Delta East of Broadway while the west side remains primarily single-family in spite of the proximity to the Port of Everett, Providence Hospital, Broadway and Everett Community College. We have an opportunity to build a thriving, diverse community if we get this right. We must preserve existing parks and open spaces and provide adequate pedestrian safety for residents.