Supportive housing may be barred from single-family zones

EVERETT — Supportive housing could be kept from single-family neighborhoods under zoning proposals being considered by the Everett City Council.

After months of heated public meetings, the council is expected to vote on amendments Wednesday. If approved, the zoning change would bar supportive housing in single-family zones. Instead, that land use would be relegated to the city’s multi-family commercial mixed-use zones.

The city had to confront possible changes after Port Gardner neighbors criticized preliminary plans for 34 to 50 low- to moderate-income apartments for students and their families experiencing homelessness along Norton Avenue. There were 1,266 students who experienced homelessness in the 2017-18 school year, according to the district and state data.

In December, the City Council extended a moratorium on such developments and asked the planning director to work with a few members on the zoning code change. What came back effectively kills supportive housing in single-family neighborhoods.

https://www.heraldnet.com/news/supportive-housing-may-be-barred-from-single-family-zones/