Community Transit considers buying south Everett Goodwill

Published 5:24 pm Thursday, January 8, 2026

EVERETT — Community Transit is in talks to possibly purchase a south Everett Goodwill location to support the expansion of its operations, board members shared at a meeting Wednesday.

The transit agency’s board of directors made a vote to consider the purchase at a November 2025 meeting. On Wednesday, the board amended the 2026-27 biennial budget to reflect the cost of the potential purchase, as well as the revenue that could come from leasing the building back to Goodwill.

As part of the amendment, the agency now has the budget authority to spend $25.4 million to acquire the property, should the board move forward with buying it. The amended budget also reflects a possible $2.7 million in lease revenue Community Transit could collect through 2027, according to board materials.

The Goodwill, an outlet thrift store located at 2208 W Casino Road, is situated next door to Community Transit’s current office space. Sound Transit’s Link light rail extension to Everett will also include a station close to the building, which is located near Paine Field.

“As Community Transit grows to serve more riders, we continue to look at options, including through this exploration process, for ways to support operational expansion,” Monica Spain, a Community Transit spokesperson, wrote Tuesday.

Roland Behee, the chief operating officer at Community Transit, said in a November meeting that purchasing the property would provide “a lot of strategic value and flexibility for future growth and expansion.”

“We believe it represents good value for the organization in terms of being strategically located and a good investment, in terms of being a property that is in high demand and likely to increase in value,” Behee said.

Goodwill purchased the property in 2011 for $10.9 million, Snohomish County property records show.

Spain said the agency is still in an exploratory phase in regard to buying the property. The board would need to approve a purchase through a separate action.

“If we do reach an agreement with the seller, we would bring back a report on that and seek authorization to move forward,” Community Transit CEO Ric Ilgenfritz said at Wednesday’s meeting.

If the agency purchases the property, Community Transit could lease the building back to Goodwill in 2026 and 2027, according to a board resolution. But terms of a possible leaseback would be explored as part of the negotiation process, Spain wrote.

It’s unclear if or when the thrift store may close if the purchase goes through. On Tuesday, an Evergreen Goodwill spokesperson said the company could not share more information at this time.

Goodwill operates two other thrift shops in Everett, one in the city’s downtown core and another near the Everett Mall.

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