Take time to discover new downtown Everett

Fall is officially here and the city of Everett is entering another season in its self-improvement movement. As a news headline stated last month, "Everett will soon have a new look."

The "new look" is one of upheaval and obvious disruption. While drivers and pedestrians are figuring out how to negotiate the detours, bumps and maze of sidewalks, we all need to make sure we’re not forgetting about the businesses that are working hard to help revitalize downtown.

Anyone who lives or works in north Everett probably was just getting used to the $71.5 million event center under construction at Broadway and Hewitt. The site drew attention when it was just a mound of dirt. Now drivers at the nearby intersection are straining to get a look at the pre-cast pieces being put in place this month. That part of the project is expected to be finished soon, but there’ll be plenty more to gawk at in the months to come.

By itself, the arena project would be enough to keep everyone busy with intersection closures and detours. But add the $12 million sewer upgrade and street renovation along Hewitt Avenue and the Everett Avenue overpass project and it feels like the city has been turned upside down. Just wait until next week, when the first of five buildings comes down near the Snohomish County Courthouse. That will be followed by the construction of a new jail and county administration campus. And before you know it, the marina renovation project will be underway. Bottom line: Get used to dealing with construction.

If drivers are impacted, so are the small businesses trying to stay alive in a downtown on the cusp of revitalization. It’s an exciting time to be in business in a city well on its way to reinventing itself. But it’s also frightening for some owners who wonder if they’ll still be in business when the work is finally completed.

Many of these are the same businesses that took a chance on a struggling downtown when many storefronts were still boarded up. It might take a little extra effort to navigate your way through the construction zones to your favorite restaurant for lunch or dinner or make that trip to the dry cleaner or shoe repair shop, but it’s an effort worth making. They deserve our business now.

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