EVERETT — A developer and gym owner is seeking approval on plans to build a 45,000-square-foot sports facility in south Everett.
Ed Ducheane, who owns 8.4 acres in the 11500 block of Airport Road, said the proposed facility would have 10 courts for basketball, volleyball, indoor soccer or other indoor sports.
There would be some space for concessions, a lounge to hang out in and other uses. “Think of it as a Fred Meyer’s with acres of hardwood floors,” Ducheane said.
The target market for such a development would be youth and amateur sports leagues, for whom finding available court space for tournaments is often tough.
Ducheane also owns Lynnwood CrossFit and the Northside Basketball Club, a competitive girls’ league that currently practices at Eisenhower Middle School.
The facility would rent courts to all comers, unless he worked out a partnership agreement with the city to provide free court time to local groups.
The project is currently undergoing environmental review under the state Environmental Protection Act. That process can take up to four months, said Everett Planning Director Allan Giffen.
Ducheane owns four parcels along Airport Road, which he bought in 2014 and 2015. He plans to build the facility on the three undeveloped parcels that back up to the Wal-Mart store on Evergreen Way.
The fourth parcel fronting Airport Road has a triplex apartment building on it. Ducheane said he’s in talks to sell the 0.3-acre parcel to another developer to build a hotel on it.
Large sports facilities aren’t common, and Ducheane thinks the closest comparison to what he hopes to build is Excel Sports Academy in Tacoma, a privately-owned 30,000 square-foot facility that offers youth basketball, volleyball and baseball training.
Ducheane estimates that his new sports complex will cost $13 million-$14 million to build. “Our big key right now is we’re waiting on financing,” he said.
Some early investors dropped out, so he’s seeking more, he added.
If the financing gets lined up, Ducheane estimates that he’d be able to open the facility within two years.
“This is new. There’s nothing like this in the entire area,” he said.
Chris Winters: 425-374-4165; cwinters@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @Chris_At_Herald.
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