Everett School District has no plans to sell land

Published 10:45 pm Wednesday, April 21, 2010

EVERETT — People who live along Norton Avenue thought it would be a good idea to extend historic preservation guidelines to their neighborhood.

They wanted an extra layer of protection from development.

When Everett city officials started talking about the idea, other people began to fret that the plan would result in something else.

They worried, as one neighborhood leader put it, that the Everett School District was trying to sell a neighborhood park behind the community’s back.

The proposed historic overlay zone extension included school district properties, including Sequoia High School and the nearby Norton Ballfield.

Worried neighbors sent letters to officials and showed up at city and school district meetings Tuesday night.

The attention prompted school Superintendent Gary Cohn to send an e-mail Tuesday to more than 50 people and The Herald, to set the record straight.

“Let me reiterate what I stated before: I have no plans to sell the property to developers, nor have I heard any school board members express an inclination to sell the property,” he wrote.

People along Norton Avenue want to extend an existing historical overlay area south of 35th Street. The overlay sets up standards for future development that keep homes compatible with the historic character of the neighborhood.

District officials don’t want to have their land subject to the overlay, since they already go through a special permit process if they want to build, said Allan Giffen, director of the city’s Planning &Community Development department.

Neighbors have been nervous about any changes that could affect the ballfield or nearby Doyle Park.

District officials briefly considered asking the city last fall to change its comprehensive plan for some of its properties, including Doyle Park and the ballfield.

That would have given the district the ability to sell the land to a developer.

Neighbors let the district know just how much they didn’t like that idea. Officials dropped the plan.

What happened last fall has “really nothing to with the expansion” proposed now, Giffen said.

Tuesday, the Everett School Board heard from two people who hoped the school district would be a part of the historical overlay. The board ended up passing a motion to ask the city for language that would protect the historic and residential nature of the neighborhood and keep it compatible for school uses while not having it part of the overlay for now.

“People were very emotional about the value of open spaces and rightfully so, and this is a win-win,” said Mary Waggoner, a school district spokeswoman.

Everett’s Planning Commission passed its own recommendation to approve the overlay, which includes the school district properties. However, the school district would continue to follow the process it always had when it decides to renovate or build.

If the school district decides to sell the property down the line to a developer, the land would then be subject to the overlay guidelines. The plan still has to be approved by the City Council.

Debra Smith: 425-339-3197, dsmith@heraldnet.com