Dealership breaks ground on 99
Published 8:38 pm Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Groundbreaking on the permanent home for Mercedes-Benz of Lynnwood began Thursday, Sept. 3. Construction of the 40,000 sq. ft. auto dealership is expected to be completed next summer. The new private investment will bring 50 jobs to the area.
“The state of the art facility will give us the ability to take care of our clients even better than before,” said John R. Halata, dealer principal. The new building has been designed to follow the Mercedes-Benz signature Autohaus design concept. Mercedes-Benz of Lynnwood will feature a 26 bay state-of-the-art service center, a 5,000-square-foot, eight-car first floor showroom and a 4,100-square-foot three car second floor showroom plus a rooftop area designed for 91 parking stalls.
Built by Bellingham-based Exxel Pacific, Inc, construction practices will maximize the use of recycled material, locally supplied products wherever possible and products which give off little or no chemical contamiants to the environment. Landscaping is planned to cleanse ground water runoff with a “rain garden” system. More than 100 construction jobs are being created to complete the project.
The new dealership falls within the city’s vision for a revitalized Highway 99 corridor, with zones identified that include Community Transit Swift Bus stops. These zones would be developed for mixed use in mind with general commercial strips linking them. These strips would accommodate a variety of businesses including large and small businesses, flex spaces that would incorporate office space with studio or small manufacturing space.
“Thank you for giving us the opportunity to build our community,” said Don Gough, mayor. “Highway 99 is in serious need of redevelopment. This is a powerful project. When we asked Lynnwood citizens the kind of community they wanted, a healthy community was number one with having a broad business base coming in as a strong second. If businesses do development, our citizens want it to be of high quality.”
The Lynnwood project started in 2001 as the dealership focused on Lynnwood.
The new location is a three acre plot in the 17800 block of Highway 99. The spot was the former location of Lynnwood Auto Wreckers. The owners of that business retired after completing the sale of the property. Late in 2005 the dealership opened in a temporary location just south of the construction site.
Mercedes-Benz of Lynnwood is a partnership between John Halata and Phil Smart. Phil Smart, Inc. that operates the downtown Seattle location.
Mercedes-Benz of Lynnwood is part of the Washington State Mercedes-Benz dealer base. In addition to the Phil Smart, Inc. locations, others in the group include Hahn Motor Company in Yakima, McCurley Imports in Pasco, Wilson Motors in Bellingham plus Mercedes-Benz of Spokane, Bellevue and Tacoma.
“This is a significant new dealer investment,” said David O. Kleitsch, economic development director for the city. “This four mile area functions as an ‘auto row’ with ten dealerships in place. Upgrading the existing automotive businesses is a desire of Lynnwood citizens and part of the revitalization strategy for Highway 99.”
