EVERETT — When Mike and Robin Stoll want to play with their kids or walk the dog, they don’t have to go far.
Doyle Park is right down the street from their Norton Avenue home, and so is an open field with a baseball diamond.
Stoll and some of his neighbors are concerned these two parks in the Port Gardner Neighborhood might eventually be sold and developed.
The Everett School District mailed a letter last week to neighbors informing them the district plans to ask the city to change the land-use designation of four of its properties to allow for future development. In effect, the change would remove roadblocks to make it easier to sell. An informational meeting is planned for 7 tonight at the district’s administrative office.
Monday afternoon, someone had hung a canary yellow sign on the Norton Avenue ball field: “Save Our Field.”
“Smaller places like Doyle Park are what bring neighbors together,” said Stoll, who brings his daughters, ages 5 and 8, to play there.
The properties are Doyle Park, 3420 Grand Ave., a nearly acre-and-a-half park with playground equipment; a 3-acre ball field in the 3600 block of Norton Avenue; the former transportation center at 2911 California Ave.; and 8 acres of open land around district offices at 4730 Colby Ave. Now, the city leases Doyle and operates it as a park. The ball field is managed by the school district as a community play field.
The school district has no immediate plans to develop the properties, Everett School District spokeswoman Mary Waggoner said. All four properties are designated as “school/church” by the city. The school district wants to update the status of the properties so they reflect the neighborhoods they are located in, she said.
The request is “a matter of housekeeping and a part of the district’s land management responsibilities to oversee and manage taxpayer-owned properties,” she said.
In the case of Doyle Park, the school district is requesting the city change its comprehensive plan so the land use is single-family detached and multiple family. For the ball field and the open space around the district office, the land use would be single-family detached. The former transportation center would be commercial.
The school district’s request to the city indicated the district might consider selling the properties, but they hadn’t formally decided, Everett planning and community development direct Allan Giffen said. Changing the city’s long-term plan for the land would make it clearer to future buyers what the land is intended for, he said.
“It’s a typical politician’s response,” Robin Stoll said of the district’s response. “I think they are going to develop it a lot sooner than we think.”
Debra Smith: 425-339-3197, dsmith@heraldnet.com.
Informational meeting tonight
The Everett School District plans an informational meeting on four properties it would like the city to consider changing the site plan use for future development.
The meeting is 7 tonight at the district’s administrative office, 4730 Colby Ave.
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