A renewal has been spreading across downtown Everett for some time. Now, to move onward, it’s time to look upward.
From the renovation of the Monte Cristo Hotel and the addition of the new Children’s Museum to the makeover of Hewitt Avenue and construction of the Everett Events Center, the downtown area has become a more vibrant, welcoming place for citizens of all ages.
More progress is in the works. Pending development of the riverfront area could include a Bastyr University campus, which would be a welcome addition to a growing college population here. Waterfront projects along Port Gardner Bay will offer new housing and retail options that will draw talented people to the city.
That’s an important goal. Having thousands of people live in the urban core is the best way to maintain an energetic, clean and safe downtown.
And that’s just what planners have in mind as they explore the idea of increasing maximum heights for residential buildings in an area east of Rucker Avenue between Pacific and Everett avenues. A proposal to raise that limit from 80 feet to 150 feet is an important next step in the effort to give downtown Everett a strong, sustainable heartbeat.
Skotdal Real Estate, which is responsible for some of the best recent development downtown (the Frontier Bank building at Hewitt and Colby is a good example), wants to build one tall residential building on the current site of the Elks Club at Rucker and California, and another at the southeast corner of Rucker and Hewitt, where a car-rental agency now sits.
The plan would mix condos or apartments with street-level retail shops and underground parking. The idea is to attract young professionals and empty nesters looking for an urban lifestyle. Doing so, it is hoped, would spark more high-quality development, from restaurants and major retailers to additional park space. And the addition of higher-income residents doesn’t mean the subtraction of others – a quality downtown is a diverse one that includes a variety of income levels.
Care should be taken to ensure that any rezoning doesn’t jeopardize existing businesses. And in order to preserve views, lower building heights should be maintained closer to the waterfront.
Everett plans to absorb 27,000 new residents in the next 20 years. Doing so will require creative planning that emphasizes high-quality development. In the downtown core, the only way to go is up.
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