The Work Has Already Started: Bayley Construction Is Surveying Everett’s Stadium Site — and the City Has 15 Parcels to Acquire

Q: Has construction work actually started on the Everett stadium?
A: Yes — the city has awarded a $200,000 limited early work agreement to Bayley Construction to begin site surveying on the 12.5-acre downtown parcel. Meanwhile, the city needs to acquire 15 separate properties before groundbreaking, with 2 purchase-and-sale agreements signed, 4 pending, and 8 in active negotiation.

Ten days after the Everett City Council voted to release $10.6 million in design and acquisition funding for the new downtown stadium, the physical work has begun.

Bayley Construction, the Mercer Island-based general contractor selected as part of the DLR Group/Bayley design-build team, has received a $200,000 limited early work agreement to begin site surveying on the stadium’s 12.5-acre parcel on Everett’s downtown east side, between Angel of the Winds Arena and Interstate 5. This is the moment when the stadium shifts from a city council decision to a job that has people on the actual ground.

At the same time, the city is working through an acquisition list of 15 separate properties it needs to purchase before any heavy construction can begin — and the status of that acquisition is more complex than a single timeline suggests.

The property acquisition scorecard

Before Bayley can do much more than survey, the city needs to acquire 15 parcels that sit within the stadium’s footprint. Here’s where that stands as of early May 2026:

• 2 parcels: Purchase-and-sale agreements signed. Finalized and done.
• 4 parcels: Agreements pending. Terms are agreed upon; paperwork in final stages.
• 8 parcels: Active negotiations. The city is in conversation with owners; no agreements yet.
• 1 parcel: Being formally added to the acquisition list. Not publicly identified.

Of the $10.6 million the council approved April 29, about $5.6 million is earmarked specifically for property acquisition. The remaining funds cover continued design work with DLR Group, permitting, and other pre-construction costs.

The math on 15 parcels averaging out to roughly $370,000 each reflects a mix of small commercial lots, surface parking, and light industrial parcels scattered across the stadium footprint east of Angel of the Winds Arena. The 2 signed agreements and 4 pending deals suggest the more straightforward cases are closing first. The 8 active negotiations are the ones worth watching.

DLR Group and Bayley Construction: who’s building this

The design-build team selection was completed before the April 29 vote. The city used a Progressive Design Build process, and DLR Group/Bayley Construction scored highest among the finalists.

DLR Group is the global architecture firm with a Seattle office that’s been doing the stadium design work. Their renderings show the open-air design: 5,000-seat capacity, a covered premium club area with seating for 200 and standing room for 400, and ADA-accessible sight lines throughout.

Bayley Construction is the contractor that will build it. Headquartered on Mercer Island, they have prior experience in sports facility construction including the University of Washington Husky Ballpark. The $200,000 early work agreement for site surveying is the first physical contract they’re executing — before the full design-build contract, which will come back to the City Council for approval within the next several months.

The site: 12.5 acres east of Angel of the Winds Arena

The stadium site is approximately 12.5 acres on the eastern edge of downtown Everett, directly adjacent to Angel of the Winds Arena and roughly a half-mile west of Interstate 5. The proximity to the arena has been deliberate — city planners have been thinking about the two facilities as a combined entertainment district, not just adjacent buildings, capable of drawing people downtown for multiple reasons on the same block.

The AquaSox opening target of April 2027 creates the deadline that’s driving everything: a September 2026 groundbreaking is required to hit that date. That’s roughly four months away from where we stand today.

The $25 million gap that still needs to close

Even with the $10.6 million approved and the design-build team conducting survey work, the stadium project still carries a funding gap. Total project cost is now approximately $118 million. Current committed or anticipated funding falls roughly $25 million short — a gap the city is working to close through state funding requests, naming rights negotiations, and other sources being tracked by Council Vice President Paula Rhyne’s Finance and Administration Committee.

We’ve covered the four-step pathway from the April 29 vote to groundbreaking in earlier coverage. What’s new today is that while the governance process continues upstairs at City Hall, the physical pre-development process is starting on the ground. That’s the right posture for a project with this little margin in its timeline.

Three milestones to watch

Whether the September 2026 groundbreaking timeline holds will come down to three things:

1. Property acquisition progress — specifically whether the 8 parcels in active negotiation move to signed agreements by early summer. A holdout owner or legal challenge could push the timeline. The city has eminent domain authority, but using it adds time and cost.
2. Final design-build contract approval — that City Council vote will include the full contract value and a revised cost estimate. If DLR Group’s number has moved from the $82 million design-to-budget figure, that’s significant news.
3. The $25 million funding gap — naming rights negotiations and state funding requests have to land before groundbreaking. The FAC meetings are where this closes or doesn’t.

We’ll be tracking all three. The survey work starting now is the right signal — the city isn’t waiting for the funding gap to close before beginning the physical pre-development sequence. That discipline matters when you have 11 months between today and Opening Day 2027.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is building the Everett downtown stadium?

The design-build team is DLR Group (architecture, Seattle office) and Bayley Construction (general contractor, Mercer Island). Bayley has received a $200,000 limited early work agreement to begin site surveying — the first physical contract on the project.

When will the Everett stadium break ground?

The city’s target is September 2026. That timeline requires acquiring 15 parcels, closing a roughly $25 million funding gap, and approving the full design-build contract — all within approximately four months.

How many properties does the city need to acquire for the stadium?

15 parcels total. As of early May 2026: 2 purchase-and-sale agreements signed, 4 agreements pending, 8 in active negotiation, and 1 more being added to the list.

How big is the new Everett stadium?

The new multipurpose outdoor stadium will seat 5,000 with a covered premium club area seating 200 plus 400 standing. The site covers approximately 12.5 acres east of Angel of the Winds Arena in downtown Everett.

How much will the new Everett stadium cost?

The current total estimate is approximately $118 million. The April 29 council vote released $10.6 million, of which about $5.6 million is for property acquisition. A funding gap of roughly $25 million remains to be closed.

When will the AquaSox play their first game at the new stadium?

The target is April 2027 — but that requires the September 2026 groundbreaking timeline to hold through property acquisition, final contract approval, and gap funding closure.