By Seth Daniel
An attorney for Saba Poultry – the company that has proposed putting a slaughterhouse on the Parkway – has sent a letter to the City Council asking for withdrawal without prejudice, but prior to Tuesday night’s meeting (which came too late for Independent deadlines), some councillors hoped to block that request and institute an outright denial – carrying a longer time period before any re-submittal can happen.
“Even though Saba feels that their operation would be no detriment to the city and would serve its customers the highest product available, the probable prolonged process and lawsuit and hostility of the community dictates that Saba Poultry look for a more business friendly community in which to expand,” read the letter from Attorney Al Farese Jr., of Everett.
While that sounded like good news, Councilor Michael McLaughlin said prior to the meeting he plans to put in a motion to not accept the withdrawal without prejudice. Instead, he intended to call for the Council to accept the non-favorable recommendation of the Council of the Whole, which issued that finding at a meeting on Monday, Oct. 3.
“The reason I’m doing that is if we accept their letter, they have six months to wait before they can come back and propose another project,” he said. “I don’t want them back in six months, two years or ever in the City of Everett. By not accepting the letter and, instead, accepting the non-favorable report of the committee, it prevents them from coming back for two years and allows the City Council as a whole to look at our ordinances in the City and write some stronger language for any potential other businesses under a slaughterhouse classification.”
McLaughlin said he anticipated the votes would be in place Tuesday night for his motion, and that he would fight on the floor for that course of action.
Meanwhile, he also indicated that the suggestion that Everett is not business friendly was a bit insulting.
“I have the most development and activity going on in my ward as any other in Everett and I have made a point to be open to businesses,” he said. “To say we’re unfriendly to business is an insult to not only our elected body, but also to the City as a whole.”