County close to giving up on new courthouse project

EVERETT — Frustration boiled Monday as Snohomish County leaders all but scrapped plans to build a new eight-story courthouse downtown.

The $162 million project had been on track to break ground this month. The Everett City Council threw that into doubt last week when it postponed voting on a parking agreement that’s necessary for construction to begin.

On top of that, some county officials have started sounding the alarm about the shaky state of the county’s finances.

County council members now are contemplating cheaper options. They could return to a earlier plan of tacking a new wing onto the existing courthouse — or even look at building sites outside of Everett.

“At this point, we don’t know quite where to go with the project,” county facilities director Mark Thunberg said.

During a discussion Monday, Councilman Brian Sullivan showed just how much has changed. Only two weeks earlier, Sullivan had called it “insane” to go back on the courthouse project that’s “absolutely necessary.” On Monday, he conceded, “I just don’t see how we move forward at this point.”

The turnaround drew strong words from Michael Downes, the presiding judge in Snohomish County Superior Court. Downes said his impatience has been growing for the 11 years he and other county leaders have discussed a new courthouse. All along, they’ve agreed that the new building is imperative — a conclusion supported by independent studies and first-hand experience.

“There are significant, real, honest-to-God safety issues in that building that we deal with every day,” Downes said.

County Council Chairman Dave Somers said he would be open to an alternative that would cost $90 million to $100 million. That’s less than any of the new courthouse options the county considered earlier in the process. That might leave remodeling the existing 1967 courthouse and adding a new wing as the only affordable option.

Somers voted to oppose a remodeling plan in 2012, but on Monday said financial concerns have caused him to rethink his position.

Downes said he doesn’t care where a new building goes, or exactly how big it is, as long as it addresses the courts’ needs. Sprucing up the old building won’t cut it, though.

“We will not support spending public money for a project that does not meet our needs,” Downes said.

The old building, he said, can’t be retrofitted to address myriad problems, which beyond safety include structural issues, maintenance headaches and being inaccessible for many people with disabilities.

“It cannot be done — I’m not an architect and I can tell you that,” Downes said.

Downes said he’s not ready to throw in the towel on the courthouse plans. The longer people wait, though, the more costs will rise, he warned.

Designs for the new courthouse include 21 courtrooms — the same number as in the existing building. The interior has 253,000 square feet, compared to 165,000 square feet in the existing courthouse and adjoining Mission building. The extra space would help court staff separate detainees from the public and court staff, including different elevators for transport. The new design also includes jury boxes and bathrooms that physically disabled people can access.

Staff would not grow in the new building. On the contrary, layoffs are a real possibility throughout county government, including the courts. County departments have been warned that they could face funding cuts of up to 6.2 percent in next year’s budget. The only way to trim that much is through layoffs.

“Having that big, giant building across the street with fewer employees than we have now makes no sense to me,” Councilman Ken Klein said.

The council and Executive John Lovick’s administration have yet to schedule a discussion about several issues threatening to erode millions of dollars from next year’s county budget. Among the challenges are new labor contracts and Oso mudslide costs.

The courthouse project has been upended several times already.

The County Council in 2008 approved a $163 million ballot measure to ask voters to approve taxes for remodeling the old courthouse and adding a 10-story addition. Aaron Reardon, who was then county executive, vetoed the measure.

The current plans originated while Reardon was still in office as a remodeling project estimated to cost of $75 million. The County Council in early 2013 instead opted for a new court building after Thunberg said it wouldn’t cost that much more than the remodeling plan.

Later that year, Lovick was appointed executive after Reardon resigned amid scandal. The council put the courthouse project on pause. Lovick’s administration soon determined the earlier cost assumptions were inaccurate and proposed alternatives, all at a higher cost.

The County Council in November 2013 raised property taxes to pay for the most expensive option on the table: a $162 million building on the opposite side of Wall Street, a block east of the existing courthouse. If built, that project would take up the southern two-thirds of the block that also borders Hewitt, Rockefeller and Oakes avenues. Much of the site was a county-owned parking lot. The plan required using eminent domain to buy out six businesses, including law offices.

The new courthouse project appeared to be moving ahead until December, when the Everett City Council enacted emergency parking requirements for the new building. City officials said they feared the new courthouse would displace parking for nearby businesses and next-door Xfinity Arena.

In February, as the project sat in limbo, county officials said stopping the project in its tracks would cost taxpayers $26.4 million — with nothing to show for it. Every month of delay was expected to add $200,000 to that total.

In April, Lovick and Everett Mayor Ray Stephanson’s administrations broke the impasse by announcing a tentative parking agreement.

The proposal would have obligated the county to lease up to 300 parking spaces in a future parking garage as a condition of building the new courthouse. The city would have had to build or acquire the garage within 15 years of the courthouse receiving a certificate of occupancy.

Everett council members had been expected to vote on the parking agreement last week, but instead pushed that decision off until Sept. 2.

Among other issues, city officials said they were concerned about the costs of a proposed retail and parking redevelopment the city has studied on the south side of Hewitt Avenue, on the same block where the county intended to build the courthouse.

A city consultant recently concluded that the retail and parking project would never bring in enough cash to offset the investment. Depending on interest rates used to finance the project, the city would end up subsidizing it for up to $1.4 million per year.

Chris Winters contributed to this report. Noah Haglund: 425-339-3465; nhaglund@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @NWhaglund.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Customers enter and exit the Costco on Dec. 2, 2022, in Lake Stevens. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Costco stores could be impacted by looming truck driver strike threat

Truck drivers who deliver groceries and produce to Costco warehouses… Continue reading

Two Washington State ferries pass along the route between Mukilteo and Clinton as scuba divers swim near the shore Sunday, Oct. 22, 2023, in Mukilteo, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Ferry system increases ridership by a half million in 2024

Edmonds-Kingston route remains second-busiest route in the system.

Alina Langbehn, 6, center, and Vera A., 6, right, sit on a swing together at Drew Nielsen Neighborhood Park after school on Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Everett council votes to renovate Drew Nielsen Park

Construction on the $345,000 upgrade could start as early as this fall.

Northshore School District bus driver Stewart O’Leary pictured next to his buses shattered drivers side windshield on Friday, Feb. 14, 2025 in Bothell, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
‘Put me in, coach’: Bus driver back at work after struck by metal bar

Stewart O’Leary, a Northshore employee, has received national attention for his composure during a frightening bus trip.

Lynnwood councilor Joshua Binda speaks during a Lynnwood City Council meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Does the Lynnwood Council VP live in Lynnwood? It’s hard to say.

Josh Binda’s residency has been called into question following an eviction and FEC filings listing an Everett address. He insists he lives in Lynnwood.

Robin Cain with 50 of her marathon medals hanging on a display board she made with her father on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025 in Lake Stevens, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Running a marathon is hard. She ran one in every state.

Robin Cain, of Lake Stevens, is one of only a few thousand people to ever achieve the feat.

People line up to grab food at the Everett Recovery Cafe on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Coffee, meals and compassion are free at the Everett Recovery Cafe

The free, membership-based day center offers free coffee and meals and more importantly, camaraderie and recovery support.

The Everett Wastewater Treatment Plant along the Snohomish River on Thursday, June 16, 2022 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Everett water, sewer rates could jump 43% by 2028

The rate hikes would pay for improvements to the city’s sewer infrastructure.

The bond funded new track and field at Northshore Middle School on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024 in Bothell, Washington. (Courtesy of Northshore School District)
Northshore School District bond improvements underway

The $425 million bond is funding new track and field complexes, playgrounds and phase one of two school replacements.

An American Robin picks a berry from a holly tree on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025 in Edmonds, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Calling all birders for the annual Great Backyard Bird Count

The Audubon Society will hold its 28th annual Great Backyard… Continue reading

A view of one of the potential locations of the new Aquasox stadium on Monday, Feb. 26, 2024 in Everett, Washington. The site sits between Hewitt Avenue, Broadway, Pacific Avenue and the railroad. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Initial prep work for AquaSox stadium to start, with $200k price tag

The temporary agreement allows some surveying and design work as the city negotiates contracts with designers and builders.

Aaron Kennedy / The Herald
The Joann Fabric and Crafts store at 7601 Evergreen Way, Everett, is one of three stores in Snohomish County that will close as part of the retailer’s larger plan to shutter more than half of its stores nationwide.
Joann store closure plan includes Everett, Arlington, Lynnwood locations

The retail giant filed a motion in court to close approximately 500 stores in the U.S.

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.