Vibrant city district coming to riverfront
Published 9:00 pm Saturday, February 17, 2007
The dramatic and long-sought transformation of Everett’s riverfront is ready to pass its most important milestone Wednesday evening. That’s when the City Council is expected to approve the sale of the former Simpson mill and city landfill sites along the Snohomish River, launching in earnest a development that could set a new standard for creating urban centers in pastoral settings.
This is a good deal for Everett, and the culmination of more than 15 years of visionary planning.
It was that long ago that the City Council adopted its “Everett 2000” plan, which called for the city’s waterfronts to be “a primary base for Everett’s economic future including port activities, industry, housing, tourism, commerce and entertainment.”
That marked a major departure from the waterfront’s primarily industrial past, a turn toward greater public access and environmental stewardship, and a commitment to conscientious growth.
Soon, where smokestacks and a garbage dump once dominated the landscape, a green, vibrant city district will begin to take shape. Its smart, ecologically friendly mix of residential and retail will be enhanced by open space, wetlands, trails and parks that take up roughly half of the total area.
OliverMcMillan, a San Diego developer with an impressive history of creating distinctive urban “places” from virtual nothingness, will buy 216 acres from the city for $8 million, and commit to investing between $400 million and $500 million in the project. OliverMcMillan’s commitments include developing at least 400,000 square feet of retail space, including shops new to Everett, and at least 100 residential and/or hotel units. The developer’s plans call for much more: up to 800,000 square feet of retail and 800 to 1,000 residential units.
OliverMcMillan will give the city easements for open space, wetlands and parks, which the city will build and maintain. The city will also pay to have existing railroad tracks moved from the center to the perimeter of the development (the rail line will be converted to a pedestrian and bicycle trail), and to provide road access via 41st Street from the west and Pacific Avenue from the north. The city will invest another $30 million to $45 million, much of which would have been required anyway for continued cleanup and shoreline restoration.
Those who think $8 million is a steal for 216 acres of riverfront land need to consider the constraints that come with building on this property. Because it’s a former landfill, the land under the retail center will compress over time, and accounting for that in construction will be expensive. The city had the entire plan independently reviewed by private, public and local experts, and all confirmed that the city’s investment is a balanced, prudent one that will pay off in increased tax revenues.
The bigger payoff for citizens, and for Everett’s future, will be in the creation of a magnificent riverfront district that will offer a vibrant gathering place and a showcase for a city that not only knows how to create a vision, but make it real.
