EVERETT – City leaders appear poised to sell or lease for development more than 100 acres of prime property on Everett’s “front porch.”

At its meeting tonight, the City Council will decide whether to approve the sale or lease of the land between I-5 and the Snohomish River.

If the council approves freeing up the riverfront property for development, the city will call on prospective developers to provide ideas.

“I believe we’ll get a number of proposals that we’re going to be able to evaluate, and we’ll let our citizens participate in seeing them and really choosing the best of the best,” Mayor Ray Stephanson said Tuesday.

The application deadline for proposals would be Jan. 11.

The patch of land, formerly home to a landfill and the Simpson-Lee pulp and paper mill, is one of Everett’s crown jewels for several reasons, said Lanie McMullin, the city’s executive director.

It’s beloved because of its mill history and its proximity to the river, which provides not only waterfront access but also a woodsy setting and impressive views of Mount Baker.

It’s marketable because it’s one of the first things people see when driving north through Everett, McMullin said, which is why she calls it Everett’s “front porch.”

It’s valuable because it is one of the few remaining large sites available for development in the I-5 corridor, McMullin said.

“One hundred acres is a lot of room,” she said. “As one developer said, ‘You can create worlds on 100 acres.’ “

City leaders are hoping the property can serve a mix of uses, including residential, retail and public access.

The site’s retail possibilities are somewhat limited by Alderwood mall to the south and the Tulalip Tribes’ proposed upscale outlet mall to the north.

“We’re asking for a flagship development like no other – one with personality and character that actually provides us with a gateway,” McMullin said. “Ours has to be a very unique, entertainment-oriented lifestyle center.”

The city is looking for the best fit aesthetically, environmentally, economically and in “supplying us amenities that we do not have in our community,” she said.

City leaders say there’s no question that Bastyr University, a Kenmore-based college, could be one of those amenities. Bastyr, which teaches natural healing and health sciences, hopes to add educational and health services in Everett, possibly with a branch campus on the site.

City officials said interested developers would be advised that Bastyr will somehow figure into the site’s future.

Sandi Cutler, vice president for institutional planning and public affairs at Bastyr, said it’s exciting that Everett is moving to lease or sell the land and engaging potential developers.

“We have sent a letter to the mayor just affirming our interest in that site and that location, and our interest in working with developer candidates to incorporate what our plans would be with what their interests are,” Cutler said.

The city owns 200 riverfront acres but is developing half and keeping half the land in a natural state, Stephanson said.

The property is worth more than $4.6 million, but because part of it was a landfill, it may be more difficult and costly to develop than other sites. After the city spent $22 million cleaning up the landfill and mill site, much of it federal and state money, the property was given a clean bill of health a year ago.

After all that time, Olson for one is anxious to “get the property out there for the purposes of development.”

“We just want qualified people to give us their best ideas, their best thoughts about this place so it can be developed,” he said.

The City Council meets at 6:30 tonight at City Hall, 3002 Wetmore Ave.