Everett Transit wants to sell a parking lot at Everett Station to a developer in an effort to revitalize the area and make some cash.
There are no firm offers for the $1.9 million parking lot, but now seems like the right time to sell, said Tom Hingson, director of Everett Transit.
Everett Station is the major transportation hub in the city, serving both trains and buses.
The property is known as Parking Lot A and it’s located on Smith Street between 32nd and 33rd streets. It has 242 parking spaces, about a quarter of the total spaces available for public parking at the station.
The city envisions a mixed-use development that combines retail, offices and perhaps housing. The developer would be required to retain the same capacity for parking and that parking would remain free, Hingson said.
The developer also would own the land and independently finance the project.
During construction, people would have to park in whatever spaces remained open.
The city built Everett Station a decade ago, and since then it’s been the cornerstone of what the city hopes will be a redevelopment of the area. Right now, there aren’t many services available in the vicinity, other than the beverages and food available in the station.
“You can’t buy a gallon of milk without walking some distance,” Hingson said.
Working or living next to a transit hub might be appealing to people who don’t want to own a car, he said.
“It’s exciting to see transit-orientated development,” said Everett Councilman Paul Roberts.
He also expressed concern over providing enough parking during construction.
“These lots become full once fuel hits a certain price point,” he said. “We want to understand that dance of availability during construction and afterward.”
Everett Transit has to receive the approval of the City Council before moving ahead. That decision is expected in the next several weeks.
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