EVERETT – At the Dec. 18, 2024 Everett City Council meeting, council members selected a downtown Everett site just east of the Angel of the Winds Arena as the location of Everett’s proposed outdoor multipurpose facility. The stadium will serve as a new home for Everett’s minor league baseball team, the Everett AquaSox; a venue for other community events; and potentially a public park.
“The AquaSox have called Everett home for 40 years and they’ve become an important and beloved part of Everett– creating jobs, supporting our economy and giving back to the community,” said Everett Mayor Cassie Franklin. “MLB changed the game with their new requirements, but we’re committed to maximizing this once-in a-generation opportunity to make an infrastructure investment that will boost our economy and provide a new quality of life amenity.”
The Stadium Fiscal Advisory Committee recommended the downtown site, siting the significantly greater economic impact and additional revenue generation opportunities available at a downtown location, as compared to the current site or taking no action. The downtown site would also allow for the inclusion of a soccer field and a potential new partnership with the United Soccer League (USL), bringing men’s and women’s professional soccer to Everett.
“After digging into the pros and cons of the options before us, it was clear that building this new facility downtown is the best opportunity for Everett and I’m proud our council selected Category 1: Public Information this site,” said Council President Don Schwab. “I want to thank everyone that shared their thoughts with us.”
“We’ve heard overwhelmingly from the community that they want to keep the AquaSox in Everett, and I advocated early on for the incorporation of soccer so it would be financially feasible without raising taxes. The downtown site is the option that does that,” said Councilmember Mary Fosse.
Over the past two years, the City and the AquaSox completed studies regarding environmental impacts, economic impacts, construction budgets, facility uses and other factors for three alternatives: renovate/ expand the existing facility on the school district owned site; build a new facility on a 12.5-acre site near downtown Everett; or take no action.
The studies showed the downtown alternative would have greater economic impact, jobs creation, available parking, alternative uses (such as soccer and concerts) and pedestrian and transit connections compared to the school district site alternative. Selecting the downtown site would eliminate the scheduling conflicts inherent in the school district owned site alternative. Also, the final EIS showed environmental impacts for the downtown location would be generally comparable to the present and can be appropriately mitigated.
Building a facility on the downtown site is estimated at $100 million, whereas using the school district owned location is estimated to cost $70 million; however, the downtown site has more funding options and revenue generation opportunities.
The third “No Action” alternative would have no associated costs, but once the team was pulled from Everett, the local economy would be negatively impacted.
The project team provided an update on the initial recommendations provided by the Stadium Fiscal Advisory Committee, an advisory body that considered the financial options available for funding this project. Recommendations include limiting the City’s funding sources to existing sources, rightsizing the initial phase of the project based on identified funding and maximizing private investment.
Ultimately, Council voted in favor of the downtown site, marking a key milestone in the project, allowing for the project team to move forward towards starting facility planning and design.
“On behalf of 7th Inning Stretch, we’d like to express our gratitude to Mayor Franklin, her administration, and the entire City Council, as well as all our amazing fans and business leaders who stepped up to the plate and gave their support for the downtown location. We are excited for the next 40 years of affordable, family-friendly entertainment in Everett,” said Chad Volpe, co-owner of the Everett Aquasox.
“We are pleased with tonight’s developments and the potential for bringing professional soccer to Everett,” said Justin Papadakis, Deputy CEO of the United Soccer League. “We agree that a downtown stadium offers significant benefits for the City, and it can play a key role in catalyzing the area. USL looks forward to continued discussions towards a partnership on a new, multi-purpose stadium that could serve both the community and the growing demand for sports and entertainment in the region.”
In early 2025, the project team will be back in front of City Council asking for their concurrence to select the Progressive Design Build team and approve an initial limited contract to start the design process.
To learn more about this project, please visit everettwa.gov/mfp.
Source: City of Everett
Author: Lynnwood Times Staff
