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Everett · EVT-CP-2044 · Pages 81-94

Housing Element

The Housing Element sets out Everett's vision and policies for ensuring safe, affordable, and suitable housing for all residents across every income level. It addresses housing types and opportunities, homeownership, affordable housing programs, vulnerable populations, and housing equity including anti-displacement strategies. The element includes 52 numbered policies and responds to recent state mandates including HB 1110 (middle housing) and HB 1337 (ADUs).

Housing Housing Social Economy Governance

“Only 4 of 52 Housing Element policies (8%) include a concrete, measurable commitment.” Real Record SAY vs DO analysis · Everett Comprehensive Plan

About this analysis

Real Record applies the SAY vs DO accountability framework to every chapter of every Washington comprehensive plan we publish. Each policy in the chapter is read individually and scored into one of four buckets:

  • Measurable — the policy names a specific target, deadline, dollar amount, or action that can be verified later.
  • Strong — binding action language (“shall,” “will adopt,” “require”) without a measurable threshold.
  • Aspirational — encouraging or supportive language (“encourage,” “support,” “consider”) with no enforcement.
  • Monitor only — policies that commit to tracking or reporting but not to action.

The accountability score shown in the sidebar is the share of policies in the chapter that landed in the “Measurable” bucket. A score of 0–19 (red) indicates most policies use aspirational language without concrete accountability; 20–49 (orange) is mixed; 50 or higher (green) means the chapter is dominated by measurable commitments.

The underlying text comes from the official adopted comprehensive plan published by the Everett planning department. Scoring is performed by Real Record analysts using a structured rubric; the raw policy text and bucket assignments are archived in the Real Record civic data warehouse.

Read the full methodology, sources, and rubric at Real Record · About.

What the Plan Promises
Formal targets adopted in the Everett Comprehensive Plan.
38,558 new dwelling units by 2044; 3,700 permanent supportive housing units; 2,383 additional shelter beds by 2044; 19,700 units affordable to very low-income households
Goals (4 total)
  • HO-1: Encourage development of 38,558 diverse housing units to meet the needs of Everett's growing community over the next 20 years.
  • HO-2: Housing is available to rent at prices affordable to the economic segments of Everett's population, including 3,700 permanent supportive housing apartments and 19,700 units affordable to very low-income households.
  • HO-3: An additional 2,383 shelter beds are developed by 2044.
  • HO-4: Ensure equitable access to opportunity and housing choice throughout the city's neighborhoods.
Stronger Policy Language (32 policies in this chapter)
  • HO-18: Ensure development regulations accommodate the addition of 38,558 dwelling units in Everett by 2044, affordable to various economic segments of the population.
  • HO-21: Implement inclusionary zoning requirements in areas of the city subject to high displacement risk.
  • HO-44: Employ effective strategies that support and enforce the Fair Housing Act's statutory mandate to affirmatively further fair housing.
  • HO-50: Proactively prevent displacement of marginalized populations and communities due to economic factors, major planning projects, or capital improvement projects.
Show all 32 stronger policies
The four examples above are a representative sample. The remaining 28 stronger policies are catalogued in the Real Record civic data warehouse and indexed by policy number against the adopted plan text. See how policies are scored →
Aspirational / Monitoring Language (16 policies in this chapter)
  • HO-9: Encourage a variety of unit sizes to reflect the diverse housing needs of the community.
  • HO-38: Encourage owners of low-income housing to offer support services like case management and life skills training.
  • HO-39: Raise awareness of and promote the use of universal design to increase housing accessibility.
  • HO-43: Encourage collaboration between jurisdictions, developers, and community organizations to assess the need for and create affordable housing.
Show all 16 aspirational / monitoring policies
The four examples above are a representative sample. The remaining 12 policies in this bucket use language like “encourage,” “support,” “consider,” or “monitor” — phrasing that does not create an enforceable commitment. See how policies are scored →

SAY vs DISCUSS: Did this come up in meetings?

Real Record has not yet indexed any Everett briefings tagged to this chapter’s topics. Browse all Everett council and planning briefings to see related discussions in context.

View Everett Briefings →

SAY vs DO: Where the Money Goes

Departments related to Housing Element in Everett — what the city actually funds, year over year.

Budget analysis for this chapter is in progress. Real Record has mapped 5 Everett departments to this chapter, but the FY2006 / FY2025 line-item totals are not yet loaded into our civic data warehouse. In the meantime, browse the city-wide budget comparison on the index page.