Ordinance 2978-07 - Laserfiche WebLink

EVERETT COMPREHENSIVE PLAN south of Lowell. The subarea planning process will focus on restoration options, but may address land use alternatives, including the potential for active recreation use. b. Timber: While there are stands of timber within the Everett Planning Area that have commercial value, the lands upon which they are located are designated for urban activities. Therefore, they do not have long-term commercial significance for timber production. No lands within the Everett Planning Area will be designated for commercial forestry. The City-owned Chaplain Area watershed, which is located outside of the Everett Planning Area and the Urban Growth Area for Snohomish County, includes lands currently managed as commercial forestlands. It is anticipated that timber harvesting will continue to be practiced on these lands, in accordance with applicable forest practices regulations and watershed management plans. c. Housing: Residential uses make up the largest category of land zoned for urban use in the Everett Planning Area(approximately 11,311 acres, or 55.5 percent of the net land area). Housing is also allowed in most commercial zones, either as a permitted use or part of a mixed use development. The population target established for the comprehensive plan proposes that the Everett Planning Area will grow by approximately 41,942 additional persons between 2001 and 2025 to approximatelyl 73,270. A key consideration in addressing adequacy of housing supply and densities is the impact of additional housing and higher densities upon neighborhood character. Everett residents have expressed a strong desire and need to protect neighborhoods from wholesale land use changes that negatively affect the livability of the community. The Everett Vision 2000, Snohomish Countywide Planning Policies, and PSRC VISION 2020 Growth and Transportation Strategy (Multi-County Planning Policies) emphasize the need to promote higher densities through the application of appropriate design standards that make higher densities more compatible with existing neighborhoods. The GMA requires a separate Housing Element that includes an analysis of housing conditions and projected housing needs in the Housing Element section of the comprehensive plan. Rather than repeat that information herein, the projected land use needs as a result of future housing demand are addressed by the land use designations of the Land Use Map of the Land Use Element. Potential implementation strategies to meet housing demand are identified in the Housing Element. In addition to increasing housing opportunities the key recommendations of the Housing Element that will affect the Land Use Element include: 1) Encourage a greater variety of housing types as an alternative to the currently predominant housing types, which are large-scale apartment complexes and the low density single family detached housing types. 2) Encourage a variety of housing types. 3) Encourage multiple family development to be more compatibly integrated with surrounding neighborhoods. LAND USE ELEMENT