EVERETT—The Port of Everett has big plans for the Everett Waterfront over the next ten years, or so, which, upon completion, will include residential housing, hotels, a restaurant row, fresh fish market, amphitheater performance venue, parking, and an entertainment district.

The development project includes a new 1.5 million square foot mixed-use development located on 65 acres at the waterfront in Everett, Washington with waterfront access, recreational amenities and the largest public marina on the west coast with over 2,300 slips and more than 5,000 linear feet of guest dock space.

The development plans include 63,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space, 447,500 square feet of offices, two hotels, 20,000 square feet of marine retail and up to 660 waterfront homes including apartments, condominiums and/or town homes/lofts.

Upon completion the Port expects to support 2,075 family-wage jobs. The project’s $1 billion in public/private development investment is also expected to generate $8.6 million annually in state and local sales taxes; in addition to the temporary construction jobs, sales tax and building permit revenues. Currently the Port’s activities support more than 40,000 jobs for the surrounding community.

Fisherman’s Harbor recently saw the opening of Hotel Indigo and the Waterfront Place Apartments as well as five new restaurants including Fisherman Jack’s and South Fork Bakery – both of which opened within the last year to make up what’s called “restaurant row.” By the end of the year Rustic Cork Wine Bar, Menchie’s frozen yogurt, Tapped Public House, Lazy Boy Brewing, and Hamilton Cellars tasting room are all expected to break ground with openings by Spring 2025.

Just one more tenant space remains available in the A12 building at Fisherman’s Harbor, and the Port is seeking to fill the 2,800-square-foot unit with a complementary family-friendly use, such as a pizza place or breakfast spot. Eventually the plan is to extend restaurant row to connect with Wood’s Coffee, Sound to Summit Brewing, and Lombardi’s Italian Restaurant, and Anthony’s Woodfire Grill.

To honor Everett’s history as a fishing town, nearby restaurant row there will also be a year-round fish market called the “Net Shed,” named to pay homage to the sheds that used to line the nearby site storing fishing nets back when commercial fishing in the area was at its peak. The fish market will offer year-round fresh caught fish and will likely have additional food options, such as fresh fish-n-chips.

“We just want to make sure that there’s this tie to the history since there’s all this new development, so that people can feel really connected despite all this change,” Cat Soper, Director of External Affairs and Business Development at the Port of Everett, told the Lynnwood Times.

Soper joked it’s unlikely that the Net Shed will have flying fish, like Seattle’s iconic Pike Place Market, but she did say it will have a similar “throwback vibe” with several art installations that pay tribute to Everett’s maritime history. 

The Waterfront development project is divided into three phases and is currently straddling both phase one and two. Additionally, before entering its first phase, and any development could begin in general, the Port underwent a rigorous environmental cleanup process over the last decade which included infrastructure improvements to make way for utilities, more fluid traffic, and optimized the strength of the port in order to support the weight of its future developments.

Previous work to prepare for the second phase of the project at the Millwright District was completed by Strider Construction and included importing about 33,000 cubic yards — or about 2,000 dump truck loads — of clean fill dirt known as “preload” to compact the site to prevent settlement after construction and also provide the additional material needed to raise the site.

It also included hardscape demolition, widening a trail, building temporary roads, and realignment of traffic flow and parking lots to support construction.

Phase two is inarguably the Port’s largest phase which includes several massive construction projects on its middle site including a new roadway called the Millwright Loop that brook ground in August of 2023 and likely open by the beginning of 2025. The $13 million Millwright Loop project is being constructed by the Port. LPC West, who developed the Vancouver, WA, waterfront, will then construct housing, retail, and office space in the Millwright District.

The Port hopes to introduce more family entertainment-style retail in the Millwright District such as a movie theater, miniature golf, arcade, bowling, as well small shops, gyms, salons, and other services.

Phase two is expected to break ground on housing by the end of 2024, early 2025 (depending on permitting), and should wrap up within the next two years. Full phase 2 (which includes retail and commercial/office elements of the Millwright District would be completed within five to seven years.

Phase three involves building an amphitheater for plays, concerts, and other performances next to the former Everett Yacht Club. This phase is scheduled to start around seven to ten years out, depending on several variables in the second phase.

The Port has facilitated more than $300 million in public/private investment to date, with about $150 to $200 million of that being Port investment. It carried out a tremendous amount of community engagement in deciding what to bring to the port, to gauge the types of activities the community wished to see the most.

“Really the priority of the project is to create density — to keep the marina operating. The marina was very seasonal so how do you unify the uplands with the water so that it creates this one economic unit that is busy year-round? As a boater you would love to see services here and as a visitor you would love to see services here year-round, but that was never really how it worked because it was really boating season that kept it up and running. It’s creating a destination.” said Soper. “By density really I mean the residential area, and the office spaces, keeps the daytime activity thriving and then you have the activations for weekend and recreation, so it all works together as this unit.”

To date, the project has facilitated more than $300 million in public/private investment, with even more investment and amenities on the horizon. Recent Port investments include more than $50 million in completed projects at the development’s Fisherman’s Harbor district.