Everett looking to sell or lease surplus plot for affordable housing
Published 12:15 pm Friday, August 14, 2026
EVERETT — The city of Everett is looking to lease or sell an empty city-owned plot of land to a developer to build affordable or low-income housing, following a City Council vote Wednesday.
On Wednesday, the council voted to transfer a 0.8 acre property at 6731 Beverly Boulevard from the city’s utility fund to an affordable housing fund, the start of a process to put the property to use as a space for affordable homes, according to a city council memo. The city chose that location for the potential development because of its location near employment centers and Evergreen Way, the memo read.
Everett had originally acquired the property for public utility work, but it was no longer needed for that purpose and is now “surplus to the city’s needs,” a memo read.
Frank Hong, the special projects manager for housing at the city, said during a July 29 council meeting that Everett is currently in negotiations with various housing developers, locally and regionally, that could build affordable housing, family-size housing or other housing types that address needs in the community, he said.
The city has not settled on a final development partner for the project, Hong said, but any proposed lease or sale agreement would require another round of council approval.
In 2020, the city worked with the Washington Food Truck Association to open up the vacant lot at the corner of Beverly Boulevard and Madison Street as a hub for food trucks. It was Everett’s first attempt to set up a food truck park.
At a July 29 council meeting, council member Paula Rhyne said she supported the move to transfer the property’s use to affordable housing, but said she also liked the idea of keeping a food truck park somewhere in the city.
“It was a great idea, maybe not the right location to really have a food truck lot flourish,” Rhyne said. “I’d love to see efforts from the city for placing a food truck lot somewhere that might be more central or better utilized.”
Will Geschke: 425-339-3443; william.geschke@heraldnet.com; X: @willgeschke.
