Everett may add new ‘Stay Out of Drug Area’ near downtown
Published 1:30 am Friday, October 10, 2025
EVERETT — Everett is considering expanding the footprint of special zones that ban people accused or convicted of drug crimes from entering certain parts of the city.
About a dozen “Stay Out of Drug Areas,” known as SODA zones, cover a broad area of the city, primarily along some of Everett’s busiest roads. A municipal court judge must issue a SODA order against a person for the ban to be enforced.
The newest SODA zone could be located along Colby Avenue between Pacific Avenue and 36th Street, just south of Everett’s downtown core. Lacey Offutt, an attorney at the city, said Wednesday there had been 55 calls for service related to substance abuse in the past two years and 66 drug or narcotic-related arrests.
Since September 2023, there were 37 suspected overdoses in the proposed zone. Two were fatal, Offutt said.
In June, the city renewed the SODA zones as part of a mandatory review every two years. Everett first approved SODA zones in 2007 before expanding their reach in 2017.
The City Council is expected to vote on whether to add the new zone on Oct. 22.
Will Geschke: 425-339-3443; william.geschke@heraldnet.com; X: @willgeschke.
