Concerns and frustrations from Snohomish County residents worried about the impact of rezoning in their neighborhoods took up most of the county’s planning commission meeting May 27.

The meeting, which lasted about three hours, had on its agenda an item about potentially rezoning Esperance and other parts of the county’s southwest urban growth area to allow for more housing.

Esperance, an approximately 448-acre unincorporated pocket of land surrounded by the City of Edmonds, could be rezoned from R-8,400 (single-family lots) to Low Density Multiple Residential (multi-family housing). 

The county planning commission held a public hearing for the proposal during its May 27 meeting. The commission voted 6-1 to recommend approval of the areawide rezones proposal, and to include a letter for the County Council to consider. 

Snohomish County Communications Specialist Jacob Lambert said in an email that the County Council might consider the proposed changes later this year. The council sets its own agendas, and it can be found online at snohomish.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx.

The county planning commission is composed of citizen volunteers. They are not county employees, and they are not a part of the County Council. That means they do not have the final say on the proposal. 

The rezone is designed “to more fully implement and provide consistency with the Urban Medium Density Residential and Urban High Density Residential designations on the future land use map in the recently adopted 2024 Snohomish County Growth Management Act Comprehensive Plan,” according to the planning commission’s agenda. 

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, about 4,000 people live in Esperance. 

At the meeting, close to 30 attendees voiced both opposition to and support for the proposed changes. Not all of the attendees lived in Esperance. Some lived in south Everett and other parts of Snohomish County. 

Those who had concerns about the proposal said their neighborhood doesn’t have the infrastructure to hold more people. Some said there isn’t enough parking, and that some roadways barely accommodate first responder vehicles.

Some attendees also worry more housing developments could lead to increased traffic and crime. Some are concerned about tall dwelling units hovering over their homes. Some said the greenery and wildlife will go away if the proposed changes are approved. 

“What are you planning for? How are you going to take care of us? How are you going to accommodate us? Are you thinking in the future so much about where you’re going to put these bodies, but you’re not caring about what we’re going to do with it?” an Edmonds resident said at the meeting.

“Would you allow me to ask you to stop?” replied Robert Larsen, Snohomish County Planning Commission Chair. “I get your point. I hear you … You’re angry. If you could find someone to talk to, like a staff person, would that help?”

“You’re not planning on roads. You’re not planning on exits. You’re not planning on diversion. You’re not planning anything,” the Edmonds resident added. 

“I really wish we could just sit over a cup of coffee,” Larsen said. “I’m hoping I can get some respect from you guys … We are a volunteer group. We are your neighbors.”

An unincorporated Snohomish County resident speaking in favor of the zoning changes said at the meeting that Washington state is facing a housing deficit, and that change is required as per the Growth Management Act. 

“These rezones will not only help alleviate the housing shortage, they also generate new revenue for the county through permitting fees, property taxes and impact fees,” the resident said.

Natalie Reber from the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties said at the meeting that the proposal will increase housing capacity, reduce permitting delays and help address the county’s housing affordability crisis.

“Do you wish for your children or grandchildren to live here? If the answer to that is ‘Yes,’ then you should understand the need for additional housing to enable them to do so,” Reber said.

Esperance resident Colleen McDonald said at the meeting she and her neighbors are against the county rezoning the area in “one broad-based action.” 

“We want to be active participants in the process, not just bystanders who have to watch.” McDonald said. 

McDonald has lived in Esperance for the last 20 years. She said although the goal of the proposed changes is to streamline the permitting process, residents count on the extra steps so they can have a say on what’s going on in their neighborhood. 

“I’ve taken time out of my life and my son’s life to go knock on doors in Esperance for the last week to make sure that people knew about what was going on,” McDonald said. “It’s important that we all have a say in where we live.”

Angelica Relente is a Murrow News Fellow covering housing and related issues in South Snohomish County for the My Neighborhood News Network. Contact her at angelica@myedmondsnews.com.