2010/05/19 Council Agenda Packet

I. From Boeing,"Industrial/commercial lands within the Everett planning area are a significant resource for the entire county. They include some of the largest vacant parcels in the Puget Sound Region. We suggest a no-net-loss philosophy be applied to non-residential land in a manner similar to the one applied to environmentally sensitive areas." From the Economic Development Council,"We urge the City to include in the Comprehensive Plan and Final EIS a philosophy and policy of retaining and protecting the inventory of industrial properties." The present set of industrial land use policies were adopted by City Council following publication of the original GMA Draft and Final EIS and review and recommendation of the Planning Commission. Subsequent updates to the Comprehensive Plan since then have retained language protective of existing industrial lands. • While the City can take pride in preserving and protecting its industrial land base,it must now ensure it can meet future needs of this evolving("industrial")use, and affected land owners. Summary of fmdings The previous information indicates that Everett is located in a area of the country where future economic growth is highly likely. Population movement patterns indicate that so long as quality of life is protected,more people will want to live in the Everett area, and skilled and customer service employment will hold steady or grow in the coming years. To these factors we can safely point out that Everett remains a desirable place to live,we have water,we have a good transportation network,we have major nearby employers, of world class defining caliber,Therefore one could argue that Everett's will see increased demand for industrial lands in the future. This assumption is reinforced by the Everett Industrial Lands Analysis by Property Counselors,dated August of 2009 and available to Council in the Background material. Status of Industrial Lands This analysis is undertaken to review current City of Everett, Snohomish County and Puget Sound Regional Council(Vision 2040)adopted policy. Industrial Land Analysis To help understand the implications of such change and resulting impacts,the City commissioned a study of industrial land use and market conditions. The Study' documents existing conditions,market trends past and likely future,and the Study makes recommendations for the City's consideration in light of the proposal before the City at 1 Property Counselors,the South Everett Industrial Land Analysis,July,2009 2 7