A demonstration sketch of the proposed outdoor stadium site and its orientation.
City of Everett presentation slide
EVERETT — City Council members approved preliminary funding toward a new $82 million AquaSox stadium last week, vowing to move as little dirt as possible to build the downtown Outdoor Event Center.
Council has already selected the location, but has not had a vote to authorize construction.
By a 6-1 vote, the council approved spending $4.8 million to advance the stadium project. The city forecasts contributing a total of about $8 million toward construction and has budgeted an additional $20 million to acquire 15 properties needed to clear room for the facility.
The money comes from capital improvement funds and a fund for park impact fees. Additional support for the center will come from the state ($7.4 million), Snohomish County ($5 million) and jointly from the AquaSox and the United Soccer League ($20 million). Everett already has the state and county money in hand.
The council has selected Public Facilities Group as a nonprofit partner on the project. Public Facilities will oversee a $40 million construction-bond issue once design is 60% finished, then rent the center back to the city.
“The key thing was to keep the risk down,” council president Don Schwab said. “We’ve done everything imaginable to reduce the risks. It’s a good return on our investment.”
A progressive design build and the partnership with Public Facilities significantly reduces city capital costs, project manager Scott Pattison told the council.
He also said that the AquaSox and United Soccer League (USL) have agreed to be responsible for daily maintenance of the stadium, saving the city operating expenses.
The USL — which will have both a men’s and women’s team — and the AquaSox have committed to 106 dates at the center and asked for about 100 more.
The center can also host concerts, festivals and other events. It will seat 3,500 for baseball and about 5,000 for soccer.
“It will not be a big, luxurious stadium unless we get more investors,” Schwab said. “It will be a moderate, functional stadium.”
Council member Judy Tuohy doubted the price tag. She cast the only ‘no’ vote, saying the project lacks full funding and transparency at this time.
“As a council member, I want to know the realistic financial impacts to our city and our taxpayers,” Tuohy said.
She noted that the Everett Event Center, which includes Angel of the Winds Arena, could not cover its debt for more than 10 years despite being home to several sports teams such as Everett Silvertips hockey.
“We need to ask ourselves, are we comfortable with a potential general fund subsidy or increased taxes to pay for annual stadium overhead?” Tuohy said. “We need to prepare for that.”
Pattison said many questions will be answered during lease negotiations. Everett can generate additional revenue by imposing a ticket tax, selling naming rights, and incorporating suites. The AquaSox and USL have pledged a range of capital investment money depending on the final stadium design.
Businesses would be displaced
The Outdoor Event Center would sit east of Angel of the Winds Arena and replace most of the block except the buildings along Hewitt. The properties the city would seek to remove are a mix of commercial businesses, including light industrial, distribution, retail, restaurant and office, that lie along Pacific Avenue, Wall Street, McDougall Avenue, Smith Avenue and Broadway.
Of the $20 million for property acquisition, $2 million is targeted for business relocation assistance.
The council has “an all-out will” to take care of the businesses, Schwab said. “There isn’t a business there we couldn’t find a new location for.”
Two affected business owners addressed the council at its June 11 meeting.
Jeremy Reed, who owns a business on Hewitt Avenue, noted the city will lose 16 tax parcels. “It’s a bad plan,” he said. “The economics are bad. Thirteen USL teams have failed. Thirteen!”
Jasper Mosbacher, co-owner of the Bayside Café in a building on Broadway that is listed for removal, said she wants transparency and clear direction.
“I ask that you make it important for those being affected as well,” Mosbacher told the council. “I want to give everyone assurance that their safe space has a plan.”
Other businesses in buildings listed to be removed include the Chevron gas station at Pacific and Wall; on Pacific, Performance Radiator and Sherwin-Williams Paint; on Wall, Aladdin Bail Bonds and NW Safety & Apparel; and many inside the block such as North Cascade Building Materials.
Bayside Café is the only restaurant in Snohomish County that only serves vegan, gluten-free food, Mosbacher said. It also supports local musicians and people who identify as LGBTQ.
“These are the things we are also bringing to this community,” she said. “Don’t disregard that please.”
