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EVERETT 2044 <br />COMPREHENSIVE PLAN <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> 6/17/2025 <br />COMPREHENSIVE PLAN <br />URBAN FORM ELEMENT <br /> Page 15 <br />Urban Form Element <br />Vision: Everett is walkable, livable, safe and plans for and encourages development downtown and in <br />centers along transportation corridors, while enhancing its natural environment. <br />Element Scope: Urban form is about how the city decides where to permit different land uses and <br />buildings for those uses, such as housing, businesses, manufacturing, and other industrial activities. It is <br />the description of the overall development pattern and area character to inform future investments and <br />development, while protecting the environment. <br />The built and natural areas <br />The City of Everett, almost 50 square miles in area, is situated at the mouth of the Snohomish River and <br />Port Gardner Bay in the Puget Sound. The city has varied topography that ranges from saltwater <br />beaches, rolling hills and rich river bottom farmland in the east with views of forest and alpine <br />wilderness in the Cascade mountains farther to the east. <br />At the intersection of the two water bodies and the peninsula the city developed. There is a long rich <br />history of both human and ecological activity, from a Native American fishing village to a frontier town <br />with a deep-water port supporting regional commerce and a vision of becoming a model industrial city. <br />For more than 100 years, Everett was planned and developed into a city that is the regional center of <br />Snohomish County. It is bounded by the Tulalip <br />lands and the City of Marysville to the north, <br />unincorporated Snohomish County to the east and <br />south, and the City of Mukilteo and Puget Sound <br />to the west. In 2023, the population was 114,200 <br />and there were 90,117 people employed in the <br />city. <br />To meet the needs of residents and businesses, <br />land was designated and developed for a <br />multitude of uses. <br />From its incorporation in 1893, Everett was a <br />planned city with a defined grid development <br />pattern. As the city continued to grow, the grid <br />development pattern was extended along the <br />central spine south to 75th Street. The western <br />hillsides developed with irregular streets shaped <br />by the slopes, ravines, and other natural features. <br />Most of the southern half of the city was <br />developed in the late-20th century suburban style <br />of large arterials and low-density residential