EVERETT – Three contenders are vying for the job of developing the city’s so-called “front porch” – the area southeast of Everett’s downtown between I-5 and the Snohomish River.
City leaders say they believe any of the three nationally known candidates would do a good job. The trick is picking a developer that connects with the city and its vision for the riverfront site.
Forest City Enterprises
Founded more than 80 years ago, this publicly traded company owns $5.9 billion in property in 21 states and the District of Columbia. Its portfolio includes mixed-use projects across the country. Those include Victoria Gardens in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., and Tower City in Cleveland.
Forest City spokeswoman Mindi Carr of Liggett-Stashower Public Relations in Cleveland said the company preferred not to comment in advance of Wednesday’s presentation to the City Council.
OliverMcMillan
“I don’t want people to come to a shopping center,” Oliver- McMillan chief executive Dene Oliver said by phone last week. “I want people to come to their riverfront.”
OliverMcMillan, a 25-year-old, 42-employee private development firm out of San Diego, takes on only one big project at a time.
“This won’t be one of 10 or 20 projects. Everett will be our focus,” he said.
When the city called on developers to send qualifications, six companies responded. In the stack of reports, OliverMcMillan’s submission stood out. It looked more like a coffee-table book than a report.
The company sent two full-color books of Everett scenes and landmarks. The books talked about the company’s experience and the potential it saw in Everett.
“Everything we do is going to be done with that level of care,” Oliver said.
Oliver said he and his employees are committed to making it an open process, and if chosen will immediately open an office in Everett and call a public meeting to listen to what taxpayers and neighbors have to say.
OliverMcMillan has extensive experience in developments that mix retail, residential, office and community space, he said. It also has experience with environmentally challenging sites and building on landfills.
When it comes to public investment in the project, Oliver said his goal is to see it done with nothing more than the city’s help on the land.
“We can work with the city on an equitable agreement, but at the end of the day, it’s the artistry and the soul of the project,” Oliver said. “That’s what’s going to make you want to go there.”
OliverMcMillan’s projects include The Glen Town Center in Glenview, Ill., and the Downtown San Diego G Street Corridor. Its completed projects are valued at $1.5 billion.
Opus Northwest
“Every development deserves a different approach, not to be crammed into the old box,” Opus Northwest’s Tom Parsons told city leaders when they visited an Opus project in Oregon recently.
Parsons is vice president of Opus’ Pacific Northwest office in Bellevue. The 50-year-old Opus Northwest is a branch of the Opus Group, which has 28 offices and about 1,300 employees nationwide.
Parsons emphasized the company’s local ties and its experience with a variety of types of developments.
“We have developments ranging from office, industrial and retail to residential,” Parsons said. “Also, our office is less than an hour from Everett City Hall. We’re here every day in this market.”
One of Opus’ key project directors, David Cuthill, is an Everett native. In addition, many of the company’s employees come from Oregon and Washington.
“We’ve known about this site for three or four years,” Parsons said. “It’s a unique site, and a unique opportunity. I think it has tremendous potential for development. The question is what exactly will the ultimate mix end up being.”
Opus also has experience building on landfills.
“We can take whatever the best alternatives for the site are and have the expertise to implement them,” Parsons said.
Some Opus projects include Bridgeport Village in Tigard, Ore., and Bremerton Harborside in Bremerton. The company’s revenue in 2003 was about $1.1 billion.
Reporter Jennifer Warnick: 425-339-3429 or jwarnick@ heraldnet.com.
Michael V. Martina / The Herald
Larry Crawford (right), Everett’s chief administrator, tours Bridgeport Village in Tualatin, Ore., in March. The center is being built by Opus Northwest, a finalist to develop Everett’s riverfront area.
On the Web:
* Forest City Enterprises of Los Angeles: www.forestcity.net
* OliverMcMillan of San Diego: www.olivermcmillan.com
* Opus Northwest of Bellevue: www.opusnw.com
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