Authored by Mayor Cassie Franklin, Everett, Wash.
In Everett, Wash., we are proving that communities of all sizes can take meaningful steps to increase housing supply, expand homeownership opportunities and support residents experiencing homelessness. Through our Everett 2044 Comprehensive Plan and other strategic policies, we are building a practical roadmap for growth that other cities can adapt to fit their own needs.
Our approach is simple: use every tool available.
Plan for Growth Before It Arrives
Communities across the country are growing, whether they are ready or not. The question is whether we plan for that growth in a way that creates more opportunity and stronger neighborhoods.
In Everett, we did this through our recent Comprehensive Plan and Development Regulations update – led by a shared vision for what the city can become. Our plan invites residents to imagine walkable neighborhoods filled with diverse housing choices, thriving commercial centers linked by transit and communities where every person has a place to call home.
The Everett 2044 plan creates capacity for significant housing growth while concentrating the highest densities along major corridors, transit routes and areas where infrastructure already exists. At the same time, we have expanded opportunities for middle housing and other housing types that fit within existing neighborhoods.
Growth and neighborhood character do not have to be competing priorities. With thoughtful planning, communities can create more housing choices while preserving what residents value most.
Our Comprehensive Plan does more than outline the future; it provides the inspiration for a full continuum of action taking shape across the City today.
Expand Pathways to Homeownership
For many families, homeownership feels increasingly out of reach.
One strategy Everett is pursuing is small lot land division. By allowing larger residential parcels to be divided into smaller, more attainable lots, we can create new homeownership opportunities while adding housing in a way that complements existing neighborhoods.
This is a practical tool that many communities can consider as they look for ways to increase housing options without dramatically changing neighborhood character.
Make Housing Easier to Build
Increasing housing supply is not just about zoning. It is also about removing barriers that slow down housing production.
Everett is modernizing its Multifamily Tax Exemption program to allow for smaller projects to qualify while encouraging mixed-income housing and supporting development in key growth areas. We’re also launching a library of preapproved ADU and DADU plans that will help homeowners navigate the permitting process more quickly and affordably.
At the same time, we are leveraging artificial intelligence to help streamline permit review. AI will not replace staff expertise, but it can help identify issues earlier, improve consistency and reduce review times so projects can move forward more efficiently.
Our goal is to make Everett the easiest place in Washington state to build housing.
Many of these strategies are scalable and can be implemented by communities regardless of size.
Housing and Human Services Must Work Together
Building more housing is essential, but housing production alone cannot address every challenge facing our communities.
That is why Everett continues to invest in shelter partnerships, outreach programs, supportive services and our CARE Team, an alternative response program that connects residents experiencing behavioral health challenges, housing instability and other crises with the resources they need.
We have also partnered with community organizations and regional providers to expand shelter capacity, supportive services and pathways to stability.
Housing and human services are often discussed separately. In practice, they must work together.
Communities need both a strategy to build more housing and a strategy to support people who need help today.
A Playbook for Communities of All Sizes
No single policy will solve the housing challenges facing our communities. Progress comes from combining multiple strategies that work together.
In Everett, that means planning for density where it makes sense, expanding homeownership opportunities, modernizing permitting and development review, reducing barriers to construction and investing in the services that help people thrive.
The lesson for other cities is that you do not need to be Seattle, Chicago or New York to make meaningful progress.
Small and mid-sized cities have powerful tools available to them right now. Whether through zoning reform, streamlined permitting, preapproved plans, AI-assisted reviews, homeownership initiatives or partnerships that support residents experiencing homelessness, local governments can take meaningful action.
In Everett, we are building a future with more housing choices, stronger neighborhoods and greater opportunity. Communities across the country can do the same.
The housing challenges we face may be national, but many of the solutions start locally.
Explore the Ultimate Housing Resource for City Leaders
The Housing Supply Accelerator Playbook: Solutions, Systems, Partnerships, a collaboration by National League of Cities and American Planning Association, is a comprehensive resource that focuses on how city leaders can accelerate locally driven housing solution.
