Development – Edmonds Environmental Council

Council mulls middle housing code updates, hears report from Keep Edmonds Vibrant

by Teresa Wippel
May 28, 2025

A group of about 30 people attended Tuesday’s Edmonds City Council meeting. (Photos by Nick Ng)

The Edmonds City Council spent much of its time Tuesday talking about updating the city’s middle housing development code — a process that must be completed by the end of the month. The council also heard from four community volunteers representing Keep Edmonds Vibrant, who presented the results of their month-long civic engagement initiative.

Letter to the editor: Citizen’s Planning Board public hearing – are you listening?

Posted: April 29, 2025
Larry Williamson
on behalf of Alliance of Citizens for Edmonds

Link to My Edmonds News article and comments:

Editor:

The hearing concerning Residential Zoning (4/23/25) drew a full house with 18 diverse, longtime residents who spoke passionately about the negative residential impacts (increased building heights, lot coverages and density) of the proposed code update. The first, Kim Bayer-Augustavo, chair of the Architectural Design Board, became a de facto keynote for the hearing. Sixteen presenters, including former Planning Board and Housing Commission members, strongly endorsed her comments.

Letter to the editor: Stop planned overdevelopment of our neighborhoods

Posted: April 29, 2025

Link to My Edmonds News Article
Note – There are several excellent comments in the article.

Editor:

Last week’s Planning Board meeting was a packed house, with speakers requesting that the board and staff only implement the state’s minimum requirements to comply with housing legislation due June 25. Citizens clearly voiced they want to prevent negative environmental impacts and overdevelopment of our neighborhoods.

Letter to the editor: Hummingbird Hill Park supporters not ‘misinformed’

Posted: April 3, 2025
By Chelsea Rudd
Edmonds

Link to My Edmonds News Article

Editor:

At Tuesday’s city council meeting, 250 Edmonds residents filled the chambers, with over 60 pleading with the council to remove Hummingbird Hill Park and Frances Anderson Center from consideration for rezoning, sale and commercial development. However, the next day it was reported by King 5, “Multiple city leaders say the public is misinformed.”

Edmonds residents show up for Hummingbird Hill Park, Frances Anderson Center

After a two-and-a-half hour public comment session, the council tabled its votes for the two comprehensive plan amendments.

By Jenna Peterson
Wednesday, April 2

Link to Everett Herald Article

Richie Gabriel, 1, jumps off the bottom of the slide as Matthew Gabriel looks down at him from the play structure at Hummingbird Hill Park on Monday, March 31, 2025, in Edmonds, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)

Parks, trees, zoning: 250 fill Edmonds Council chambers Tuesday to have their say

by Teresa Wippel
Posted: April 2, 2025

Link to My Edmonds News Article

An estimated 250 people attended Tuesday’s council meeting. (Photos by Teresa Wippel)

An estimated crowd of 250 people packed the Edmonds City Council chambers Tuesday, spilling out into the foyer. Some were fearful that a cherished neighborhood park and community center could eventually be sold to help offset the City of Edmonds’ $20 million budget deficit. Still others mourned the removal of a historic 100-foot redwood tree. And yet another group expressed concerns about how future zoning changes could impact their neighborhood.

Council April 1 set to review priorities for Comprehensive Plan amendments

Posted: March 30, 2025

Link to My Edmonds News Article

The Edmonds City Council is scheduled at its Tuesday, April 1 business meeting to review its priorities for 2025 Comprehensive Plan amendments and vote on which ones to pursue for further study.

Walk & Talk tours begin — starting with Westgate neighborhood center

by Nick Ng
Posted: March 27, 2025

Link to My Edmonds News Article

About 15 attendees, including Edmonds City Councilmember Vivian Olson (center), started the Walk & Talk guided tour at the PCC parking lot on March 27. (Photos by Nick Ng)

Speeding, unsafe sidewalks and lack of crosswalks along 100th Avenue West were some of the concerns Edmonds residents voiced during the first day of the Edmonds Walk & Talk tour Thursday morning at the Westgate neighborhood center.

Council hears plan for engaging community in centers, hubs and middle housing concepts

by Teresa Wippel
Posted: March 12, 2025

Photo collage from City of Edmonds Neighborhood Centers and Hubs web page.

Link to My Edmonds News Article

Two phrases — “neighborhood centers and hubs” and “middle housing” — are a major focus for the City of Edmonds this year as staff works to update the city’s development code. The Edmonds City Council Tuesday night learned more about those efforts, which follow the council’s adoption of the 2024 Comprehensive Plan update Dec. 17.

Edmonds Planning Board to continue discussion of neighborhood centers and hubs Feb. 26

Posted: February 24, 2025

Link to My Edmonds News Article

The Edmonds Planning Board during its Wednesday, Feb. 26 meeting is scheduled to continue its discussion of the city’s planned code updates for its neighborhood centers and hubs.

Comments from a packed council chambers set tone for Tuesday meeting

By Teresa Wippel, My Edmonds News
November 11, 2024

Business owner Erika Barnett urges the council to ensure Edmonds’ Comprehensive Plan protects the character of the city’s downtown.

Passionate comments about city planning, providing police and fire services, and protecting the character of downtown Edmonds dominated public testimony at Tuesday night’s Edmonds City Council meeting, as advocates for a range of viewpoints packed the council chambers to have their say.

Reader View: The myth of affordable housing

By Joan Bloom
Posted: December 8, 2024

When Edmonds councilmembers claim their draft Comp Plan, soon to be approved, includes “affordable housing,” are they lying or just ignorant?

Reader View: Let’s extend the deadline for finalizing the Edmonds Comprehensive Plan

By Joan Bloom
Posted: December 1, 2024

An open letter to the Edmonds City Council and Mayor:

I can’t imagine how stressful this holiday season has been for all of you, given the financial state of the city, biennial budget deliberations, the Regional Fire Authority issue, and the Edmonds Comprehensive Plan update.

Many of us are extremely concerned that council will finalize the draft Comp Plan by year end. Yet, xouncil has six months after the Comp Plan update deadline of 12-31-24 to finalize the Comp Plan before the State preempts local control and enforces housing mandates.

Letter – Environmentally Sensitive Zoning and ‘Staggered’ approach to housing density zoning over 20-year Comp Plan

Letter sent to Edmonds Mayor Mike Rosen, Edmonds City Council, and Edmonds Planning Director

From: Edmonds Environmental Council
November 25, 2025

Please see the linked OpEd piece in My Edmonds News yesterday and the comments to it.

Reader View: A better idea for Edmonds Comprehensive Plan update – ‘Environmentally Sensitive’ zoning

Reader View: A better idea for Edmonds Comprehensive Plan update – ‘Environmentally Sensitive’ zoning

By Joe Scordino
Posted: November 23, 2024

Much of Edmonds shouldn’t be further developed because of inadequate or antiquated infrastructure, or the area is already overbuilt for the existing landscape or it has unique landscapes and critical areas requiring additional restrictions. But our state Legislature didn’t take this into account when it mandated every city to update their Comprehensive (Comp) Plan to allow for increased housing density.