It doesn’t matter how long you’ve lived in the north Everett area, many folks still have to think ahead a little bit when they approach the one-way streets Hoyt, Wetmore and California.
And at the intersection of Hoyt and Pacific avenues you can still find some poor soul staring at you from directly across the street with that baffled look, trying to figure out why there’s someone headed straight for them in their lane. By the time they make a desperate right turn west onto Pacific, you know they’ve figured it out — they were headed the wrong way on a one-way.
The city is seriously looking into making one-ways go away. And it’s a project that’s certainly worth exploring as the downtown continues its revitalization efforts.
Imagine the following streets as two-ways: Wetmore Avenue from 19th to 37th streets; Hoyt Avenue from 19th to 32nd streets and California Street from Rucker to Rockefeller avenues.
The city has been smart to meet with the very people the changes would impact most, neighborhood groups, schools and businesses. Similar meetings and continued public input will be critical in order to get the word out about the changes, if indeed the plan goes through. A March 6 city council meeting with a public hearing on the matter should offer people a chance to respectfully share their concerns and hopes for the project with officials.
It’s encouraging to note that a large chunk of the $922,000 project would be paid for by a $600,000 federal grant — another example of the city looking for fiscally creative ways to improve the city’s core.
Whichever way the project goes, the city should seriously examine ways to cull out any extra space for additional parking stalls in front of downtown businesses. A planned parking garage on the Snohomish County Courthouse site will significantly add to the current number of parking sites in the downtown area, too.
Fifty years ago, when the city first instituted those one-way streets, city planners were looking to increase passage through downtown. Things have changed since then. Now, we’re looking at a need to keep neighborhoods safe from speeders and accommodate shoppers in a downtown that is slowly coming to life again. It would take some getting used to. But it’s a project that appears worth the effort.
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