NorthPoint Development plans to construct nine industrial buildings at this site at the Cascade Industrial Center. (City of Marysville)

NorthPoint Development plans to construct nine industrial buildings at this site at the Cascade Industrial Center. (City of Marysville)

9 massive buildings planned at Cascade Industrial Center

NorthPoint Development plans to invest $400 million, and then some, in a business park that spans Marysville and Arlington.

MARYSVILLE — NorthPoint Development, a Kansas City-based company, plans to construct nine industrial buildings at the Cascade Industrial Center over the next 10 years.

Together, the structures will form the Cascade Business Park, a new 4-million-square-foot complex on a 426-acre parcel at the industrial center, which spans the cities of Marysville and Arlington.

The business park is expected to generate some 4,000 jobs, depending on the mix of occupants, city officials estimate.

The largest portion of the undeveloped tract — 329 acres — is in Marysville, with the balance in Arlington. NorthPoint recently purchased the property for $26.7 million.

The Marysville City Council unanimously approved NorthPoint’s business park plan after a public hearing May 10. NorthPoint, a privately held firm, will pay for improvements to public streets and other infrastructure.

“We are very pleased to receive this significant approval and we are grateful to Marysville leadership and staff who participated in creating this important development agreement which will govern the development of the Cascade Business Park,” said Thane Smith, NorthPoint’s director of development for the Western U.S. “This is a very important step in making a successful employment center.”

In the past 10 years, NorthPoint has developed more than 70 million square feet of industrial space across the U.S., including California, Kansas and Pennsylvania.

Plans call for six buildings east of 51st Avenue NE and west of the BNSF railroad spur, just south of the Marysville-Arlington boundary. A seventh building, in Marysville, was approved separately and is not part of the development agreement, city officials said.

On the Arlington side, NorthPoint will construct two large industrial buildings.

NorthPoint will also relocate Edgecomb Creek, restore wetland habitat and build a public trail within the creek buffer as part of a multimillion-dollar project to make the stream fish-friendly.

NorthPoint will invest $400 million in the first construction phase of the project, but plans to invest “three or four times that amount” over the next decade or so, Smith said. Construction of the first building, a 240,000-square-foot structure on the Marysville side, is targeted to begin this summer. A tenant has yet to be secured, Smith said. Other buildings are expected to be on the same scale.

Marysville Mayor Jon Nehring called the project “a significant step forward toward achieving our vision of attracting local family-wage job opportunities for our residents.”

“A lot of people who live here have to hit I-5 and have long commutes,” Nehring said. “This project will give our citizens the opportunity to pursue a career locally.”

NorthPoint hopes to apply for a tax break that exempts property owners from paying the local portion of property taxes due on the value of improvements, such as the construction of new buildings and manufacturing facilities, in exchange for creating a specific number of family-wage jobs, Smith said.

On the Arlington side of the industrial center, construction of a $355 million Amazon distribution center got underway last month. The massive five-story facility will be at 4620 172nd Street NE, south of Arlington Municipal Airport. The project includes parking for more than 1,500 vehicles and local street improvements.

The center, formerly known as the Arlington-Marysville Manufacturing and Industrial Center, covers roughly 4,000 acres and overlaps both cities.

Except for Arlington Municipal Airport, the majority of the Cascade Industrial Center is owned by private landowners. It is the largest stretch of undeveloped industrial land in western Washington, local officials say.

In the past decade, Marysville and Arlington have worked together to establish and promote the industrial center, city officials said.

“Realizing the city’s vision for jobs creation and industrial development is a remarkable feat that has taken over 30 years,” said Gloria Hirashima, the city of Marysville’s chief administrative officer.

The Port of Everett executed a memorandum of understanding last month with NorthPoint to market the new business park.

Janice Podsada; jpodsada@heraldnet.com; 425-339-3097; Twitter: JanicePods

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Business

A closing sign hangs above the entrance of the Big Lots at Evergreen and Madison on Monday, July 22, 2024, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Big Lots announces it will shutter Everett and Lynnwood stores

The Marysville store will remain open for now. The retailer reported declining sales in the first quarter of the year.

George Montemor poses for a photo in front of his office in Lynnwood, Washington on Tuesday, July 30, 2024.  (Annie Barker / The Herald)
Despite high mortgage rates, Snohomish County home market still competitive

Snohomish County homes priced from $550K to $850K are pulling in multiple offers and selling quickly.

Henry M. Jackson High School’s robotic team, Jack in the Bot, shake hands at the 2024 Indiana Robotics Invitational.(Henry M. Jackson High School)
Mill Creek robotics team — Jack in the Bot — wins big

Henry M. Jackson High School students took first place at the Indiana Robotic Invitational for the second year in a row.

The computer science and robotics and artificial intelligence department faculty includes (left to right) faculty department head Allison Obourn; Dean Carey Schroyer; Ishaani Priyadarshini; ROBAI department head Sirine Maalej and Charlene Lugli. PHOTO: Arutyun Sargsyan / Edmonds College.
Edmonds College to offer 2 new four-year degree programs

The college is accepting applications for bachelor programs in computer science as well as robotics and artificial intelligence.

FILE — Boeing 737 MAX8 airplanes on the assembly line at the Boeing plant in Renton, Wash., on March 27, 2019. Boeing said on Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024, that it was shaking up the leadership in its commercial airplanes unit after a harrowing incident last month during which a piece fell off a 737 Max 9 jet in flight. (Ruth Fremson/The New York Times)
Federal judge rejects Boeing’s guilty plea related to 737 Max crashes

The plea agreement included a fine of up to $487 million and three years of probation.

Neetha Hsu practices a command with Marley, left, and Andie Holsten practices with Oshie, right, during a puppy training class at The Everett Zoom Room in Everett, Washington on Wednesday, July 3, 2024. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
Tricks of the trade: New Everett dog training gym is a people-pleaser

Everett Zoom Room offers training for puppies, dogs and their owners: “We don’t train dogs, we train the people who love them.”

Andy Bronson/ The Herald 

Everett mayor Ray Stephenson looks over the city on Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2015 in Everett, Wa. Stephanson sees  Utah’s “housing first” model – dealing with homelessness first before tackling related issues – is one Everett and Snohomish County should adopt.

Local:issuesStephanson

Shot on: 1/5/16
Economic Alliance taps former Everett mayor as CEO

Ray Stephanson will serve as the interim leader of the Snohomish County group.

Molbak's Garden + Home in Woodinville, Washington will close on Jan. 28. (Photo courtesy of Molbak's)
After tumultuous year, Molbak’s is being demolished in Woodinville

The beloved garden store closed in January. And a fundraising initiative to revitalize the space fell short.

Everett Mayor Cassie Franklin, Advanced Manufacturing Skills Center executive director Larry Cluphf, Boeing Director of manufacturing and safety Cameron Myers, Edmonds College President Amit Singh, U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen, and Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers participate in a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday, July 2 celebrating the opening of a new fuselage training lab at Paine Field. Credit: Arutyun Sargsyan / Edmonds College
‘Magic happens’: Paine Field aerospace center dedicates new hands-on lab

Last month, Edmonds College officials cut the ribbon on a new training lab — a section of a 12-ton Boeing 767 tanker.

Gov. Jay Inslee presents CEO Fredrik Hellstrom with the Swedish flag during a grand opening ceremony for Sweden-based Echandia on Tuesday, July 30, 2024, in Marysville, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Swedish battery maker opens first U.S. facility in Marysville

Echandia’s marine battery systems power everything from tug boats to passenger and car ferries.

Helion Energy CEO and co-founder David Kirtley talks to Governor Jay Inslee about Trenta, Helion’s 6th fusion prototype, during a tour of their facility on Tuesday, July 9, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
State grants Everett-based Helion a fusion energy license

The permit allows Helion to use radioactive materials to operate the company’s fusion generator.

People walk past the new J.sweets storefront in Alderwood Mall on Thursday, July 25, 2024, in Lynnwood, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
New Japanese-style sweets shop to open in Lynnwood

J. Sweets, offering traditional Japanese and western style treats opens, could open by early August at the Alderwood mall.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.