Category: Exploring Everett

What’s happening? The Port of Everett Commission adopted a $70 million operating and capital budget for 2026 on November 12, 2025. The budget includes $8.1 million for Seaport modernization, $2.6 million for new public infrastructure and Waterfront Place retail and restaurant buildings, and $7.1 million for maintenance and preservation of Port facilities including pier strengthening, marina bulkhead work, boat launch updates, and dredging. The 2026 spending represents the next phase of the Port’s $1 billion Waterfront Place redevelopment.

If you’ve been watching cranes and construction fences pop up along Everett’s waterfront and wondering what’s actually funded versus what’s still hypothetical, the Port of Everett’s 2026 budget is the most useful document you can read. The commission adopted it in November, and the real-world execution is what’s driving the activity you’re seeing right now.

We pulled out the line items that matter for anyone who lives in Everett, works near the marina, or just watches the waterfront change.

The Headline Number

The Port of Everett commission adopted a $70 million operating and capital budget for 2026. The commission described the budget as continuing to deliver on the Port’s Strategic Plan for “a vibrant and balanced waterfront despite challenges amid changing tariff guidance and market uncertainty.”

That tariff language is worth pausing on. The Port of Everett operates the largest public marina on the West Coast and a working seaport that handles oversized cargo for Boeing, aerospace components, and other industrial freight. Shifts in trade policy directly affect seaport revenue. A balanced budget that funds both the marina recreation side and the seaport industrial side is how the Port keeps itself resilient when one side wobbles.

Where the Capital Dollars Go in 2026

The 2026 capital program breaks out into three big buckets:

$8.1 million — Seaport Modernization

This covers two headline initiatives:

• Electrifying the pier — a shift toward shore power capability for vessels docked at the Port’s marine terminals, reducing diesel generator use and emissions while docked. This aligns with broader Pacific Northwest port decarbonization goals.
• Security upgrades — infrastructure improvements for the seaport’s security perimeter, cargo handling, and access control.

$2.6 million — Public Infrastructure and Waterfront Place Buildouts

This is the bucket most Everett residents will actually see. It includes:

• Public infrastructure improvements (streets, sidewalks, utilities inside Waterfront Place)
• New retail and restaurant buildings
• Public access improvements

This is the money that funds the visible changes along Craftsman Way — the buildings going vertical, the promenade extensions, and the connections between the marina and downtown.

$7.1 million — Maintenance and Preservation

Probably the least glamorous number on the list, but arguably the most important. This bucket covers:

• Pier strengthening — keeping industrial seaport infrastructure safe and operational
• Marina bulkhead improvements — shoreline engineering that holds the marina in place
• Boat launch updates — including work at Jetty Landing, which is getting a major renovation with construction anticipated to start in 2027
• Dredging — keeping the marina’s 2,300 permanent slips and 5,000 lineal feet of guest moorage navigable

Combined, maintenance and seaport modernization represent more capital than the flashier Waterfront Place retail buildout — a reminder that the Port’s core business is still moving cargo and keeping vessels in water.

The Waterfront Place Big Picture

For context on where the $2.6 million in public infrastructure fits, here’s the full scope of what the Port of Everett’s Waterfront Place is building out, per Port documentation:

• Size: 1.5 million square feet of mixed-use development
• Footprint: 65 acres at the waterfront near downtown Everett
• Retail/restaurant space: 63,000 square feet
• Marine retail space: 20,000 square feet
• Office space: 447,500 square feet
• Hotels: Two waterfront hotels planned
• Housing: Up to 660 waterfront housing units
• Total expected investment: $1 billion in public/private capital
• Jobs projected: ~2,100 family-wage jobs at full build-out
• Annual tax revenue projected: $8.6 million in state and local sales taxes
• Invested to date: More than $350 million already deployed

The 2026 budget’s $2.6 million is one year’s layer on top of an already substantial stack. It’s the piece that gets Phase 2 — the Millwright District — closer to opening.

What This Means for Jetty Landing

One line item that often gets lost but matters a lot for Everett boaters: the Port secured a $1 million grant from the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office (RCO) to help fund renovation work at the Jetty Landing Boat Launch, which is the state’s largest public boat launch.

In-water construction is anticipated to start in 2027. For now, the 2026 budget includes planning, design, and preliminary work that sets up that 2027 start.

If you launch a boat from Jetty Landing, expect the planning phase activity this year and real disruption next year.

How This Fits the Bigger Everett Story

Zoom out, and the Port’s $70 million 2026 budget is just one leg of a three-legged Everett transformation stool:

1. Port of Everett’s Waterfront Place — $70 million in 2026, $1 billion lifetime, 1.5 million square feet of mixed-use waterfront 2. Downtown Outdoor Event Center (stadium) — $120 million projected, targeting late-2027 opening 3. Sound Transit Everett Link extension — the light rail project connecting Everett to the regional network, now facing a $500 million funding gap

Each project has its own funding mechanism, its own timeline, and its own political dynamics. But together they represent roughly $2 billion in capital flowing into Everett infrastructure over the next decade. The Port of Everett is the one entity with the most predictable budget — it has independent taxing authority, grant access, and revenue from existing marina and seaport operations — which is why its work tends to actually happen on the schedule it sets.

That matters for anyone watching the waterfront. When the Port says construction crews will be at a given site in 2026, construction crews show up.

The New Fuel Dock Context

One detail worth calling out for 2025 → 2026 continuity: the Port’s new fuel dock opened in 2025. The 2026 budget is the first full operational year with the new dock, which means higher fuel service capacity for the marina’s 2,300 slips and guest moorage capability. For recreational boaters, it’s a tangible quality-of-life improvement that’s already in service.

Combined with the 18-plus marine service providers operating at the marina, the new fuel dock reinforces the Port’s goal of positioning the largest public marina on the West Coast as a full-service destination rather than just a place to store boats.

What to Watch From Here

Three things to keep an eye on across the rest of 2026:

• Millwright District openings — new buildings and roads in Phase 2 are scheduled to open beginning in 2026
• Pier electrification progress — look for construction activity at the seaport terminals
• RCO grant execution at Jetty Landing — design work this year sets up 2027 in-water construction

The citizen budget guide is available at portofeverett.com/2026Budget if you want the full line items. For the lived experience on the waterfront, the cranes and concrete trucks are a pretty good tell.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much is the Port of Everett’s 2026 budget? $70 million total for operating and capital expenses. The commission adopted the budget on November 12, 2025.

What does the Port of Everett’s 2026 capital budget include? $8.1 million for Seaport modernization (pier electrification, security upgrades), $2.6 million for public infrastructure, new retail/restaurant buildings, and public access at Waterfront Place, and $7.1 million for maintenance including pier strengthening, marina bulkhead improvements, boat launch updates, and dredging.

What is Waterfront Place? A 1.5 million square foot mixed-use development on 65 acres at the Port of Everett waterfront. At full build-out it will include 63,000 square feet of retail/restaurant space, 20,000 square feet of marine retail, 447,500 square feet of office, two hotels, and up to 660 housing units. Total expected investment is $1 billion.

How much has the Port of Everett already invested in Waterfront Place? More than $350 million in public and private capital has been deployed to date, according to Port documentation.

When does the Jetty Landing Boat Launch renovation start? In-water construction is anticipated to start in 2027. The Port received a $1 million grant from the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office to help fund the work.

How many jobs will Waterfront Place create? The project is estimated to support nearly 2,100 family-wage jobs at full build-out, and generate $8.6 million annually in state and local sales taxes.

Where can I read the full Port of Everett 2026 budget? The Port published a Citizen Budget Guide at portofeverett.com/2026Budget.

What’s happening? S3 Maritime, a Seattle-based full-service marine installation, maintenance, and repair company, opened its fifth service center in early March 2026 at the Port of Everett’s Waterfront Place. The new facility occupies over 2,600 square feet of office and retail space at 1205 Craftsman Way, Suite 107, with access to the boat yard and moorage. S3 Maritime joins 18-plus marine service providers already operating at the largest public marina on the West Coast.

If you’ve been walking the Waterfront Place promenade this spring and noticed a new marine services banner up at the Waterfront Center building, that’s S3 Maritime — and it represents a specific kind of tenant that doesn’t get the headlines the way a flashy new restaurant does, but arguably matters more to how Everett’s marina economy actually works.

We stopped by the Craftsman District earlier this month to see the new facility and figure out what the addition changes for local boaters.

Who S3 Maritime Is

S3 Maritime is a Seattle-based marine services company that has been quietly expanding up the I-5 corridor for almost two decades. The company’s timeline:

• 2007 — Opened in Seattle
• 2007–present — Operates two service centers in the Ballard area
• 2021 — Opened a dedicated Anacortes facility
• 2025 — Expanded to a second Anacortes facility
• March 2026 — Opened the Everett location at Waterfront Place

Everett is the company’s fifth marine service center. The Port of Everett Commission authorized the three-year lease in mid-January 2026, and the facility went operational in early March.

What They Do

S3 Maritime is a full-service shop — not specialists in one narrow service. The company’s slate of capabilities:

• Electrical systems
• Electronics installation and service
• Engine and mechanical work
• HVAC systems on recreational vessels
• Hydraulics
• Metal fabrication
• Paint and fiberglass work
• Water systems
• Yard services

The team is also highly mobile, meaning they can meet boat owners at the vessel when an in-yard visit isn’t practical.

“We are excited to join the Port of Everett and become part of this dynamic waterfront community,” Kalin Tobin, S3 Maritime’s General Manager, said in the Port’s announcement. “This expansion reflects our commitment to delivering high-quality, reliable marine services to a broader customer base while investing in the long-term maritime infrastructure of the region.”

The Space at Waterfront Place

The new facility occupies over 2,600 square feet in the Waterfront Center building at 1205 Craftsman Way, Suite 107, in the Craftsman District of Waterfront Place. The lease gives S3 Maritime:

• Office and retail frontage
• Access to the boat yard
• Access to moorage

For recreational vessel owners, the location matters as much as the square footage. Having a full-service shop physically inside the marina complex — rather than across town — means shorter wait times when a boat needs to be hauled, serviced, and relaunched.

Why Another Marine Services Tenant Matters

The Waterfront Place headlines tend to go to restaurants and housing. But the marine services side of the marina economy is what keeps the 2,300 permanent slips and 5,000 lineal feet of guest moorage actually usable.

There are now 18-plus marine service providers operating at the Port of Everett’s marina. With each new addition, the marina gets closer to a true “one-stop” destination where a boat owner doesn’t have to trailer the vessel somewhere else for major work.

Jeff Lindhout, the Port’s Chief of Marina Operations, framed it this way in the Port’s announcement: “S3 Maritime is a strong addition to the Port of Everett’s marine-related business community, expanding local access to vessel maintenance, repair, and custom services while supporting continued economic activity on the waterfront.”

For the Port’s business model, marine services tenants do something restaurants don’t — they attract and retain boat owners who pay slip fees year-round. That’s the recurring revenue that funds the 2026 capital budget’s $7.1 million in marina maintenance and preservation work.

The Marina Context

A few numbers worth carrying in your head when thinking about how S3 Maritime fits:

• 2,300 permanent slips at the Port of Everett marina
• 5,000 lineal feet of guest moorage for transient boaters
• 18+ marine service providers already operating on-site
• New fuel dock — opened in 2025, adding fueling capacity
• Largest public marina on the West Coast by slip count
• $1 million RCO grant secured for Jetty Landing Boat Launch renovation — Washington State’s largest public boat launch — with in-water construction targeted for 2027
• 90+ waterfront events per year held at Waterfront Place

The marina isn’t just a storage facility. It’s a regional maritime hub, and adding service capacity makes the math work for the Port’s long-term Waterfront Place vision of $1 billion in total investment, 2,100 projected jobs, and 1.5 million square feet of mixed-use development.

The Strategic Location Angle

S3 Maritime’s General Manager specifically mentioned the I-5 corridor in the Port’s announcement, and the geographic logic is worth unpacking. With service centers in:

• Seattle (2 locations, Ballard)
• Anacortes (2 locations)
• Everett (new)

The company now has service points anchoring both ends of the major Puget Sound recreational boating area, plus a midpoint. For a boat owner cruising between the San Juans and Seattle, there’s now a service option along the entire route. That’s a meaningful competitive advantage in a service industry where response time and proximity often determine which shop gets the work.

What This Means If You Own a Boat at the Everett Marina

A few practical implications:

• More service competition — more providers at the marina typically means faster scheduling and more competitive pricing
• Reduced travel for major service — fewer reasons to trailer a vessel to another marina for specialized work
• Mobile availability — S3 Maritime’s mobile team means the shop can come to your slip for many service needs
• Broader expertise — the nine-category service list covers most of what a recreational vessel owner will need over a boat’s lifetime

For boat buyers considering a slip at Everett versus another Puget Sound marina, the density of on-site service providers is starting to tilt the math.

What to Watch Next at Waterfront Place

S3 Maritime is one tenant announcement in a longer pipeline. The Port’s 2026 budget includes $2.6 million specifically for new retail and restaurant buildings and public access improvements, and Phase 2 of the buildout — the Millwright District — is scheduled to open beginning in 2026.

Expect more tenant announcements through the year. Marine services, food and beverage, retail, and office tenants are all on the Port’s target list as the remaining 63,000 square feet of retail/restaurant space and 447,500 square feet of office space gets built out over the next several years.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is S3 Maritime located at the Port of Everett? 1205 Craftsman Way, Suite 107, Everett WA 98201 — in the Waterfront Center building in the Craftsman District of Waterfront Place.

What services does S3 Maritime provide? Full-service marine installation, maintenance, and repair including electrical, electronics, engine and mechanical, HVAC, hydraulics, metal fabrication, paint and fiberglass, water systems, and yard services. The team is also highly mobile.

When did S3 Maritime open in Everett? The Port of Everett Commission authorized a three-year lease in mid-January 2026, and S3 Maritime opened the Everett facility in early March 2026.

How many marine service providers operate at the Port of Everett’s marina? There are now 18 or more marine service providers at the marina, which is the largest public marina on the West Coast.

How big is the Port of Everett’s marina? The marina has 2,300 permanent slips and 5,000 lineal feet of guest moorage. A new fuel dock opened in 2025.

Is S3 Maritime a Seattle company? Yes. S3 Maritime opened in Seattle in 2007 and maintains two service centers in the Ballard area, two in Anacortes, and now a fifth in Everett.

Who can I contact at S3 Maritime? The General Manager is Kalin Tobin. For current contact information, the Port of Everett’s public affairs team can be reached at publicaffairs@portofeverett.com.

What’s happening? Everett city staff are asking the city council to approve an additional $10.6 million in spending on the downtown stadium, a funding measure that would complete the design of the site. The council vote is scheduled for April 29, 2026. City staff told the council on April 15 that the $120 million project still has a $25 million funding gap, and the stadium’s expected opening has been pushed from April 2027 to late 2027.

If you’ve been following the downtown stadium story, April 29 is the date to circle. That’s when the Everett City Council is expected to vote on a $10.6 million funding measure that city staff described this week as the most significant decision the council will make on the project to date.

We watched Wednesday night’s council presentation from project manager Scott Pattison and consultant Ben Franz, and the headline is simple: the stadium is moving forward, but the financial picture is getting bigger and the timeline is slipping.

What the $10.6M Would Pay For

The new funding request would do two things. First, it would complete the design of the Outdoor Event Center, which has already hit roughly 60 percent design completion using the $7.2 million the city has already committed in capital funds. Second, it would continue property acquisition work on the stadium site.

On the property side, the city needs to buy 15 parcels to build the stadium at the corner of Broadway and Pacific, right next to the Sounder rail line and just east of Angel of the Winds Arena. As of Wednesday, the city has:

• Signed purchase agreements for 2 parcels
• Pending agreements with 4 more
• Active negotiations with the owners of 8 others
• Zero parcels actually purchased outright (that only happens after the council approves construction)

The money itself wouldn’t come from new revenue. The city would get the $10.6 million through an interfund loan from its general fund balance, with the plan to repay it later when the city passes a stadium bond measure.

Here’s the catch Franz acknowledged on Wednesday: if the council approves the $10.6 million loan but later doesn’t approve a stadium bond to pay it back, it could mean a loss of at least $4.8 million in general fund dollars. Some property acquisition money could be reclaimed if the project falls apart, but the design work is sunk cost.

The $25 Million Gap the City Still Has to Close

The stadium is not yet fully funded. Not by a long shot.

When the city first asked for the initial $4.8 million in June 2025, the project was pegged at $82 million. By the council’s January retreat, that number had grown to $120 million, driven by rising property acquisition costs and construction cost inflation. The city’s direct capital contributions to the project currently make up about 8 percent of the stadium’s total cost. Staff said Wednesday that the project is about $25 million short of its $120 million budget.

Here’s the funding picture as it stands right now:

• Stadium bond (planned): More than $40 million, repaid through lease revenue from the teams
• State youth athletic fields fund: $7.4 million
• Snohomish County contribution: $5 million spread across 2027-2030
• AquaSox and USL team upfront commitment: $17 million
• AquaSox and USL team lease payments: About $100 million over 30 years
• City direct capital (already spent): ~$7.2 million
• Gap to close: ~$25 million

Franz told the council that filling the gap could involve “a number of options, including some very unique public-private partnerships,” but said he couldn’t share specifics. He also mentioned a federal loan program that distributes funds to economic development projects near rail infrastructure as a possibility — the favorable interest rate would be attractive, but the application process is long.

“The more upfront capital we’re able to secure, the less debt the city has to issue,” Franz said after the meeting. “And that’s the piece we’re balancing, which is why we can’t sit here today and say, ‘Here’s the full funding plan.’”

The Stadium Itself: What’s in the Design

Contractors and architects showed the council initial design work Wednesday. The stadium would feature:

• 5,000 seats
• A clubhouse area that can be used for non-game events
• An artificial turf field
• A perimeter walking area
• A main entrance where Wall Street meets Broadway

The project is being delivered through a progressive design-build process, meaning the contractor — DLR Group with Bayley Construction — is designing the stadium alongside the architects rather than after. If the full project gets approved, the contractor would be locked in at a guaranteed price.

The goal, according to Franz, is to break ground in September 2026. The previous target of opening for the AquaSox’s 2027 season is no longer realistic — the new opening window is late 2027.

What the Teams Are Bringing

Both the Everett AquaSox and the United Soccer League have now agreed to the financial terms of a lease, according to Franz. The key numbers:

• $17 million upfront — combined team contribution toward construction
• ~$100 million in lease payments over 30 years
• Day-to-day maintenance responsibility falls to the teams
• City staffing commitment: likely one employee to oversee operations
• 50 guaranteed days per year for the city to host its own events or lease to other groups

Once the bonds are paid off, the lease revenue flows into the city’s general fund.

Mayor Cassie Franklin noted at Wednesday’s meeting that the maintenance arrangement is a significant win for the city — major capital repairs and upgrades remain the city’s responsibility, but the teams handle operations.

The USL Piece That’s Still Unresolved

Before the United Soccer League’s portion of the money can flow, the league still needs to find an owner or ownership group to actually buy the Everett men’s and women’s teams. Pattison said Wednesday in an interview that the league has “two or three people that are interested.”

A USL spokesperson didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

For context, franchise fees in the USL ecosystem run roughly:

• USL League One team: ~$5 million (per ESPN reporting)
• USL Championship team: ~$20 million
• USL Super League (women’s professional) team: ~$10 million (per Backheeled and The Athletic)

The league’s ownership search could affect the stadium’s timeline. “It really depends on where they are in the process, and where we are in overall readiness to start construction,” Franz said. “We have commitments to the AquaSox that we want to meet at this point. Our goal is to start construction in September, and so we’ll work diligently with them together to meet that.”

Why This Project Started in the First Place

Everett first began studying a stadium upgrade in 2022 after Major League Baseball announced new facility standards for minor league stadiums. Funko Field, in its current state, doesn’t meet those requirements. In 2024, the AquaSox’s owner said the city was in danger of losing the team. Later that year, the council decided to study a downtown site — partly because a downtown location could unlock more public and private funding than a rebuild at Funko Field.

The stadium has become, effectively, the signature piece of Everett’s downtown revitalization strategy. It anchors development plans next to Angel of the Winds Arena, the Sounder station, and the Millwright District’s growing footprint on the waterfront.

The Calendar From Here

Three dates worth writing down:

• April 29, 2026 — City council vote on the $10.6 million funding measure
• July 2026 — Target for completing a full funding plan
• August 2026 — Expected council vote on approving stadium construction
• September 2026 — Target date to break ground
• Late 2027 — Revised stadium opening

The April 29 vote does not commit the city to building the stadium. But it does commit $10.6 million — with real financial consequences if the project doesn’t move forward later.

Frequently Asked Questions

When does the Everett City Council vote on the $10.6 million stadium funding? The vote is scheduled for April 29, 2026. It would complete the design of the Outdoor Event Center and continue work on acquiring the 15 parcels needed to build the stadium.

How much is the Everett stadium projected to cost? The current cost estimate is $120 million, up from an initial estimate of $82 million in June 2025. The city is about $25 million short of the full budget.

When will the downtown stadium open? City staff have pushed the opening from April 2027 to late 2027. The new target is to break ground in September 2026.

Who would play at the Everett Outdoor Event Center? The Everett AquaSox (Seattle Mariners High-A minor league baseball) and two new United Soccer League teams — a men’s team and a women’s team — if the USL finds ownership groups to buy them.

Where will the new Everett stadium be located? At the corner of Broadway and Pacific, east of Angel of the Winds Arena and next to the Sounder rail line. The main entrance is planned for where Wall Street meets Broadway.

What happens if the stadium project doesn’t get approved? At least $4.8 million of the $10.6 million loan could be lost. Some property acquisition money might be recoverable if the city backs out of purchases, but design work is a sunk cost.

Who is designing and building the stadium? DLR Group and Bayley Construction are delivering the project through a progressive design-build process, where the contractor is working alongside the architects during design.