Everett OKs use of eminent domain if stadium project advances

Published 1:30 am Thursday, June 25, 2026

EVERETT — The city of Everett now has the authority to move forward with eminent domain proceedings to acquire properties at the site of a proposed stadium in the city’s downtown, following a city council vote Wednesday.

The ordinance’s approval does not mean the use of eminent domain is a certainty. Staff say negotiations with property owners — their preferred method to acquiring any properties — are still ongoing. The stadium project itself would still need to receive final approval before any property sales can close.

The vote was unanimous, though two council members — Paula Rhyne and Judy Tuohy — were absent.

The city council had already given the mayor’s office permission to begin negotiations with property owners at the site of the proposed stadium, known as the Outdoor Event Center, in June 2025. That permission allowed for the city to enter into agreements with property owners and for the use of eminent domain, though the city council would have to vote again to close any final property sales.

Wednesday’s vote ticked a checkbox required in state law, which states that cities need to take a “final action,” like passing an ordinance, before moving forward with condemnation.

“We are having and have had positive negotiations with property owners,” city spokesperson Simone Tarver wrote in an email. “This process takes 5-6 weeks, and we did it now ‘just in case’ so that we can stay on schedule going forward.”

To build the stadium, Everett would need to buy 15 pieces of property on the stadium site. It has signed agreements with the owners of at least five parcels, has pending agreements with the owners of three more and is continuing negotiations with the owners of seven others, city staffer Scott Pattison said earlier in June. The city has relocated four businesses from the stadium site and is working to relocate five more, Tarver wrote Wednesday.

Everett has allocated just under $18 million to the stadium project since 2023, which would host the Everett AquaSox and United Soccer League teams if built. Work to study the possibility of a new stadium began in 2022 after Major League Baseball announced new regulations for its minor league ballparks — Funko Field, the team’s current home, didn’t meet those requirements. With the fear that the minor league team could leave the city, officials studied the possibility of renovating the stadium or building an entirely new ballpark.

The city studied locations across the city for the proposed stadium before choosing a downtown site, between Hewitt and Pacific Avenues along Broadway, in December 2024.

The stadium is expected to come with a $120 million price tag, up from previous estimates.

Everett still needs to find a way to pay for the entirety of the project. Current sources of funding, beyond the capital dollars already invested, would include a city bond paid back by stadium revenues, funding from Snohomish County and the state, as well as capital contributions from the AquaSox and United Soccer League. But there’s still a looming funding gap of about $25 million because of the recent cost increases, officials have said. The city is exploring public-private partnerships to make up the difference.

The city has funded the full design of the project. Plans show it would include 5,000 seats, a clubhouse area and a public walking path around the outside of the stadium. Under the terms of a potential lease with the baseball team and soccer league, the city would have guaranteed 50 days per year to host events at the facility.

If the project goes forward, the city could vote on a final funding plan as soon as August, city officials previously said. If built, Everett’s goal is to open the stadium by the end of 2027.

Will Geschke: 425-339-3443; william.geschke@heraldnet.com; X: @willgeschke.