EVERETT — Proposed changes to a housing development on former industrial land east of I-5 are scheduled for a briefing at Wednesday’s City Council meeting.
The City Council expects to take a final vote on the changes March 19.
Polygon Northwest’s vision for the south end of the Riverfront area received the unanimous endorsement last month from Everett’s planning commission.
The proposed changes involve: building only single-family homes, without any town homes mixed in; reducing minimum lot widths; and upping the number of homes that can be situated on shared driveways.
Representatives from Bellevue-based Polygon have made several presentations about the plans at council meetings. They scaled back the proposed changes earlier this year, following public criticism of a proposal that would have departed more significantly from the city’s existing regulations.
The current proposal applies to a planned residential neighborhood of about 230 homes where the former Simpson Paper Co. mill used to operate. The two other parcels that constitute the Riverfront area are a former city dump and the former Eclipse Mill site.
The Riverfront area includes about 100 buildable acres, plus wetlands and other areas where construction isn’t allowed.
Polygon bought the property last year from San Diego developer OliverMcMillan. The sale required the city’s approval. The new owner had to agree to abide by the same development rules that the city’s elected leaders spent years crafting before selling the land to OliverMcMillan in 2008.
Local, state and federal agencies have invested a significant amount of money to clean the area and prep it for development. By the time it’s all over, the expenditures are expected to total about $80 million. In addition to roads and utilities, money also has gone toward environmental cleanup. City leaders have said much of cleanup would have been required regardless of future development plans.
Wednesday’s City Council meeting is scheduled at 6:30 p.m. in council chambers, 3002 Wetmore Ave.
Noah Haglund: 425-339-3465, nhaglund@heraldnet.com.
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