Will the Edmonds New Start center open its doors before winter?

Fencing surrounds the former America’s Best Value Inn, which is scheduled to open as the Edmonds New Start Center and provide transitional housing.

The Edmonds New Start Center — aimed at providing emergency bridge housing for those experiencing homelessness — is still in the permitting phase but the Everett center is moving forward, according to Snohomish County staff.

County staff provided an update on both projects during the May 7 County Council meeting. At the time, they reported that both Edmonds and Everett were awaiting permits. While City of Edmonds building and planning department plan reviews are still outstanding, permits for the Everett facility have since been issued.

“We want to get people into these buildings before it gets cold,” Kara Main-Hester, Snohomish County’s chief recovery and resilience officer, said at the meeting.

The My Neighborhood News Network reported in May 2024 that the New Start centers  are “a first step toward permanent housing” for those experiencing homelessness. The centers come with medical and mental health assistance, job resources and other services.

The Edmonds New Start Center is at 22127 Highway 99. It used to be America’s Best Value Inn. The Everett New Start Center, formerly Days Inn, is at 1602 S.E. Everett Mall Way.

The total budget for both New Start centers is about $37 million. Federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds and money collected from the county’s 0.1% affordable housing sales tax are paying for this project.

Lance Meinhold, the county’s facilities department project manager, said Edmonds’ planning department plan review tripped them up. City code requires any building undergoing a substantial improvement to have EV and e-bike parking spaces and stations.

“Twice I have gone back to the reviewers with reasons why we shouldn’t be subject to that, and twice they’ve come back and said, ‘No, you are subject to it,’” Meinhold said at the meeting. 

Four EV chargers and 15 EV-capable parking spaces (stalls with pre-installed electrical infrastructure to support future EV charging) can cost about $60,000, Meinhold said. 

Main-Hester said the EV and e-bike parking spaces are probably going to be underutilized and may be subject to theft and potential vandalism at the Edmonds New Start Center. However, they understand the city’s policy and its approach to climate.

Neil Neroutsos, Edmonds’ communications strategist and public information officer, told the My Neighborhood News Network that staff does not have the ability to remove the requirement for EV and e-bike parking except for very specific situations as per the Edmonds Community Development Code (ECDC).

“[The county] declined to apply for a variance … and did not demonstrate substantial evidence that the added electrical load would alter local utility infrastructure requirements … as necessary to receive relief from the EV requirements,” Neroutsos wrote in an email, referring to Chapter 17.115 of the ECDC

Neroutsos added: “Because the project is a substantial improvement, bicycle parking compliant with Ch. 17.120 was required … They declined to apply for a variance to these requirements, as well.” The ECDC chapter he referred to is about bicycle parking facilities

Simone Tarver, Everett’s communications manager and public information officer, told the My Neighborhood News Network that permits for the Everett New Start Center have been approved since the May 7 County Council meeting. 

“With major projects like this, involving significant renovations to older structures, the permitting process becomes pretty complicated and typically does take some time,” Tarver wrote in an email. “Since these are matters of life safety, we all want to ensure we’re doing our part – advancing the project as quickly as feasible but also making sure the buildings will meet the relevant codes – as we would with any permitted project.”

County staff said at last week’s meeting that each room at the New Start centers will have a wardrobe (if there is no closet), twin-sized bed, night stand, some dressers, desk, desk chair, table lamp, floor lamp, small refrigerator, microwave and TV.

Common areas will have couches, TVs, desks, computers, tables and chairs. Tenants will have a laundry room and staff will have an industrial laundry room, as well as a warming kitchen.

YWCA Seattle | King | Snohomish will run the 48-unit Edmonds New Start Center. The county issued a neighborhood notification about YWCA being the site operator. YWCA officials toured the site and were happy with the ongoing changes, Main-Hester said. The county is drafting a management plan and has yet to meet with the City of Edmonds about it.

The Salvation Army will run the 75-unit Everett New Start Center. The city already reviewed the county’s management plan and is happy with the approach, Main-Hester said.

County staff hope both of the New Start centers will open in November. 

— By Angelica Relente

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.



  1. I wonder if or how often they are going to test surfaces in the rooms for drug residue. I mean we spent all this money on remediation we wouldn’t want to have to do it all over again, or have to be doing it on a ongoing basis.

  2. The necessity of designated parking spaces and stations for electric vehicles and e-bikes at this facility was amusing to the point of eliciting my uncontrollable laughter.

  3. Will this center have security staff? Multiple article highlight, Seattles transitional housing experiencing violence, crime. Residents of these facilities and surrounding community deserve safe spaces.

    https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/law-justice/residents-shaken-after-second-homicide-at-eastlake-supportive-housing-building/

    “Affordable housing providers and small-scale landlords in Seattle say a rise in mental health crises and substance abuse is impacting their ability to provide safe housing.”

    https://www.kuow.org/stories/seattle-affordable-housing-providers-operating-troubles-mental-health-crisis

  4. I am near the YWCA building in Lynnwood 4-5 times a week and it is a haven for shady activities. A kid was shot there in the last couple months. This location, on highway 99, is going to have more issues. The Lynnwood YWCA does not have security roaming around if they did I would see them. The only security I see near there is the Edmonds College car that drives through the lot next door.
    I do believe that the YWCA can run this building. However, I am extremely concerned about security at both locations. They need parking lot presence no matter what.

  5. Are the resources onsite 24/7? I’m all for helping people out, providing mental health & addiction resources, but we’ve all seen the failed outcomes. CA Governor is now threatening to withhold state funding, if he doesn’t see progress in these issues. Threat comes after CA spent $27 billion on homelessness.

    https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-05-12/newsom-urges-cities-to-ban-homeless-camps

    What are the goals of the facility, does the facility track and publish outcomes? Has the facility reached out to the community to see how they can support these folks?

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