Transit very limited from Everett north

Exactly when did 10 miles or less designate one area rural and another urban? While the exact property of the Marysville site is undeveloped, I would hardly call the location rural. The Marysville/Lakewood/Smokey Point area is booming economically.

Moreover, when did decisions to place a campus get decided on where the closest transit center is located? Adding buses from Everett Station and Skagit and Island counties to the Marysville location would be easier than adding buses to an already crowded Everett Station. Frankly, there is very limited existing transportation from north Snohomish County and Skagit/Island counties to Everett Station, none of which is convenient. Sound Transit doesn’t have trains running from Seattle or Mount Vernon to Everett for commuters. Everett Station is designed to get people from Everett to Seattle.

Honestly, the site location preference in Everett has more to do with economic urban renewal than anything else. Everett wants to duplicate Tacoma’s success. However, the Tacoma campus was developed to incorporate historic architecture, the Everett site is composed of industrial/manufacturing buildings of no historic value that will mostly be demolished.

Wherever you build the campus, employers, commercial development, student housing and activities, and transportation will come.

Jennifer Payne