Tag: Everett

  • Everett Mall Redevelopment: Hub@Everett Status 2026

    Everett Mall Redevelopment: Hub@Everett Status 2026

    What is The Hub @ Everett? The Hub @ Everett is Brixton Capital’s redevelopment of the former Everett Mall into an outdoor walkable retail, dining, and entertainment district on roughly 11 acres at 1402 SE Everett Mall Way. As of September 2026, Topgolf remains part of the plan on the southeast corner, Shake Shack and Boot Barn have signed leases, construction is estimated to start in November 2026, and grand openings are slated for late 2028 (HeraldNet; Brixton Capital; Snohomish County Tribune). For the full Topgolf / lease update, see our Hub@Everett Topgolf update.

    If you have driven past the Everett Mall in the last year, you have already noticed it: the old indoor mall is becoming something else. The interior corridors have been closed for renovations, the central building is being reworked, and the property is flipping from an inward-facing mall into an outdoor-facing district. What is going up has a new name — The Hub @ Everett — and a different idea of what a shopping center is supposed to do.

    This is one of the largest physical transformations in Everett right now: about 11 acres at Everett Mall Way and the Mall Station bus loop. Here is where things stand after Brixton’s September 17, 2026 announcement.

    The Hub @ Everett, in plain English

    The Hub @ Everett is the rebrand and redesign of the former Everett Mall. Brixton Capital announced the transformation in 2022 and has spent the years since working through demolition, permitting, transit relocation, and tenant negotiations.

    The big idea is to flip the model. Instead of an indoor mall pointed inward with a parking moat outside, The Hub is planned as an outdoor walkable shopping street through the middle of the property — storefronts to the sidewalk, restaurant patios, a center spine as the front door. Brixton has described turning the mall inside out; the Tribune notes a plan to open a center path through the former enclosed mall similar in spirit to outdoor portions of other regional centers.

    The entertainment and dining mix is what is supposed to give the district a reason to exist after 8 p.m. That entertainment anchor is Topgolf — and as of September 2026 it is back in the announced program, not replaced by the spring self-storage/office alternate.

    The Topgolf piece (updated September 2026)

    Topgolf is slated for the southeast corner of the property, near the Regal Cinemas side of the campus. The City of Everett approved building permits in January 2025 for a roughly 68,000-square-foot, three-story venue. Spring 2026 brought real doubt when Brixton’s pre-application showed self-storage and a proposed office on that footprint; Brixton called that filing one option at the time.

    On September 17, 2026, Brixton and Topgolf publicly reconfirmed Topgolf for the southeast corner. The same announcement packaged signed leases for Shake Shack (~3,475 sq ft near Old Navy — Everett’s first) and Boot Barn (~20,028 sq ft absorbing part of the former At Home space), with construction estimated to begin in November 2026 and grand openings aimed at late 2028. Full detail and source links: Topgolf back in Hub@Everett plans.

    What is actually open and moving

    Mall Station. Everett Transit’s Mall Station relocated about 500 feet west of its original location and reopened in December 2025. The roughly $2 million rebuild cleared a parcel Brixton needed and kept transit access intact through the redevelopment.

    Ulta Beauty remains part of the site in the former Sears box / north-side retail. At Home, which had been moving into that box in earlier 2026 coverage, is out of the program as that chain contracts, per the Tribune’s September 23 report — replaced in the leasing story by Boot Barn taking part of that footprint.

    Interior mall. The enclosed interior has been closed for renovations while Brixton advances the outdoor-facing rebuild. Some exterior-facing retailers have continued operating through the transition; confirm current hours on site.

    Why this matters for Everett’s south end

    The Everett Mall has been the retail center of gravity south of 41st Street for decades. By the late 2010s it was on the familiar indoor-mall arc — bleeding tenants and watching anchors close. The Hub is the bet that the cure is not a slightly nicer indoor mall but an outdoor district with food, entertainment, and walkable retail.

    If that bet works, south Everett gets a real destination at one of the city’s most accessible spots — Everett Mall Way with I-5 / SR 526 access and the relocated Mall Station. If construction slips or the entertainment anchor falters again, the risk is a multi-year partial redevelopment. The September confirmation puts Topgolf, Shake Shack, and Boot Barn on a late-2028 opening path, which is later than the original “open in 2026” headline but clearer than the spring silence.

    The honest read on the timeline

    • Now: interior closed for renovation; Mall Station open; Topgolf reconfirmed; Shake Shack and Boot Barn leased.
    • November 2026 (estimated): construction start per Brixton.
    • Late 2028 (targeted): grand openings for the announced package.

    Treat those dates as owner/tenant targets, not city guarantees. Watch permits and groundbreaking against the November estimate.

    What to watch

    • Formal entitlements / building activity that match the September Topgolf + Shake Shack + Boot Barn program (not the April self-storage/office alternate).
    • Construction start confirmation around November 2026.
    • Additional national-retailer leases Brixton said are in negotiation.
    • Whether Ulta and other operating exterior tenants stay open through construction.

    We will keep watching. For the Topgolf-specific timeline and the September sources, start with our Hub@Everett Topgolf update.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Where is The Hub @ Everett located?
    At the former Everett Mall, 1402 SE Everett Mall Way in south Everett, on roughly 11 acres at Everett Mall Way and the relocated Mall Station bus loop.

    Is the old Everett Mall closed?
    The interior is closed for renovations. Some exterior-facing retailers have remained part of the site through the transition.

    Is Topgolf still coming?
    Yes, according to Brixton Capital and Topgolf’s September 17, 2026 statements. A facility is slated for the southeast corner. See the full update.

    What about Shake Shack and Boot Barn?
    Both have signed leases (Shake Shack ~3,475 sq ft near Old Navy; Boot Barn ~20,028 sq ft in part of the former At Home space), with openings aimed at late 2028 alongside the broader construction timeline.

    Why was the Mall Station moved?
    It was relocated about 500 feet west to clear a parcel for redevelopment. The rebuilt station opened in December 2025 and serves Everett Transit and Community Transit routes.

    Who owns the property?
    Brixton Capital, which rebranded the redevelopment as The Hub @ Everett.

  • Moving to Port Gardner Everett: 2026 Neighborhood Guide

    Moving to Port Gardner Everett: 2026 Neighborhood Guide

    If you’re considering Port Gardner, this is the relocation read. What the bluff bay views actually mean day to day, what the architecture stock looks like in a 1890-platted neighborhood, how the walkability to downtown and the marina works, and how the neighborhood compares to Northwest Everett, Bayside, and Boulevard Bluffs.

    What Port Gardner Is

    Port Gardner is Everett’s second-oldest neighborhood — the original 50-acre townsite the Rucker brothers platted in 1890 as the founding act of the Everett Land Company. The boundaries are clear: Possession Sound and Port Gardner Bay to the west, the Snohomish River to the east, a combination of Hewitt and Pacific avenues to the north, and 41st Street to the south. That puts you immediately south of Northwest Everett and immediately west of Bayside, with downtown Everett at the neighborhood’s northern edge.

    Architecture Stock — What You’re Actually Buying

    Port Gardner has one of the most architecturally diverse housing stocks in the city for its size. On a single block you can find:

    • Queen Anne mansions from the 1890s — turrets, wraparound porches, ornate trim. Many are still in original-family ownership; supply at any given time is limited.
    • Craftsman bungalows from the 1910s and 1920s — smaller in scale, deep porches, built with care for materials. The most plentiful category in the neighborhood.
    • Mid-century cottages infilled during Everett’s wartime housing crunch — often the most affordable entry point into the neighborhood.
    • Maritime-influenced homes near the bluff — designed to capture water views, often with renovations that have preserved historic exterior detail while modernizing the interior.

    The practical implication for a buyer: the inspection conversation in Port Gardner is different from the inspection conversation in a 2010s subdivision. Older homes mean older systems, which means budget for some combination of foundation, electrical, plumbing, or insulation work depending on when the home was last updated. The flip side is that these are homes built when materials were better and craftsmanship was the assumption — many Craftsman bungalows in Port Gardner have outlasted three generations of newer construction.

    The Bluff Bay View, Honestly

    Almost everyone north of Hewitt has some kind of water view. Honest framing: bay views in Port Gardner are not the unobstructed open-water views of, say, an oceanfront in California. They take in Possession Sound, Port Gardner Bay, and — closer in — the Port of Everett’s working waterfront with its cargo cranes, marina, and (on weekdays) the cargo barges loading oversized Boeing parts. Some buyers find that working-waterfront foreground charming. Others want the postcard-clean view and end up choosing Boulevard Bluffs or another neighborhood instead. Walk both before deciding.

    Walkability — What’s a Real Walk From Here

    Port Gardner is one of the more walkable historic neighborhoods in Everett:

    • Downtown Everett: a short walk to the north — restaurants, the Historic Everett Theatre, Hewitt Avenue retail.
    • Grand Avenue Park: inside the neighborhood, with bay views and an active community use pattern.
    • Waterfront Place: a flat fifteen-minute walk down the hill to the Port of Everett marina, Boxcar Park, and the new Fisherman’s Harbor restaurants.
    • Everett Station / transit: a longer walk or short drive to the regional bus and Sound Transit hub, including the post-merger Community Transit network.

    Schools, Services, Amenities

    Port Gardner is in the Everett Public Schools district. Specific school assignments depend on the home’s address — verify with the district before contracting. There are no commercial corridors inside the neighborhood; restaurants, grocery, and most services are reached either north (downtown Everett) or down the hill (Waterfront Place). For most relocating buyers, that pattern is a feature, not a bug — the neighborhood stays residential and quiet.

    Comparing to the Neighbors

    How Port Gardner stacks up against the neighborhoods relocating buyers most often weigh against it:

    • Northwest Everett: The closest comparable. Slightly larger geographically, anchored by Everett Community College and Grand Avenue Park. Newer-resident energy. Our Northwest Everett guide covers the comparison in depth.
    • Bayside: Directly east of Port Gardner, between the neighborhood and the river. Different residential character; less of the historic-architecture density.
    • Boulevard Bluffs / View Ridge–Madison: Newer, family-oriented neighborhoods further south. Newer schools, newer parks, newer construction. The trade-off: less of the original-Everett story.

    The Right-Buyer Profile, Honestly

    Port Gardner is the right neighborhood if you:

    • Value historic architecture and want the inspection-conversation reality of older homes.
    • Want walkability to downtown and to the waterfront more than walkability to schools.
    • Like the working-waterfront character of the bay view rather than wanting an unobstructed open-water view.
    • Plan to invest in your home over time — many Port Gardner homes reward sustained restoration work with both lifestyle and resale upside.

    It’s the wrong neighborhood if you want new construction, family-oriented school catchments at the doorstep, or a neighborhood with commercial conveniences inside its boundaries. Both Boulevard Bluffs and View Ridge–Madison are better fits for those buyers.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Are most Port Gardner homes original?

    Many are, particularly the Craftsman bungalow stock from the 1910s and 1920s and the Queen Anne mansions from the 1890s. Mid-century cottages were infilled during Everett’s wartime housing crunch.

    How does pricing compare to Northwest Everett?

    Pricing is comparable to Northwest Everett at the historic-bluff level, with Port Gardner often slightly more for premium Rucker Hill addresses and slightly less for blocks further from the bluff. Our three-submarket Everett housing guide walks through the broader comparison.

    What’s the schools situation?

    Port Gardner is in the Everett Public Schools district. Specific assignments depend on the home’s address; verify with the district before contracting.

    Can I walk to the marina from a Port Gardner home?

    Yes. From Rucker Hill or the bluff streets, the walk to Waterfront Place at the Port of Everett is flat (well, downhill on the way out) and runs about fifteen minutes. The walk back is uphill.

    What’s the commute like?

    Downtown Everett is short. Paine Field and the Boeing complex are 10–20 minutes by car depending on traffic. Seattle is 30–45 minutes most days; Everett Station provides Sound Transit and bus connections. The post-merger Everett/Community Transit network covers the regional bus side.

    Is HOA membership required?

    The Port Gardner Neighborhood Association is a voluntary residents’ association — not an HOA in the legal/contract sense. Most Port Gardner homes have no HOA dues; verify on a property-by-property basis through the seller’s disclosure.

    Related Exploring Everett Coverage

  • Port Gardner Everett: 2026 Walking Tour & Day Trip Guide

    Port Gardner Everett: 2026 Walking Tour & Day Trip Guide

    If you have one afternoon in Everett and you want to see the city’s founding chapter, Port Gardner is the route. A 2026 day-trip guide to Everett’s second-oldest neighborhood — the Rucker Mansion, the Historic Everett walking tour, the Grand Avenue Park bluff, and the flat fifteen-minute walk down to Waterfront Place at the Port of Everett.

    The One-Afternoon Itinerary

    Port Gardner is one of those neighborhoods that rewards the visitor who comes in on foot and takes their time. The whole route is walkable in three to four hours; you can also do it in two if you skip the marina detour. A practical sequence:

    1. Park near Grand Avenue Park at the north end of the neighborhood. Grand Avenue between Pacific and 23rd has the most parking and is the easiest entry point.
    2. Pull up the Historic Everett walking tour at historiceverett.org/walkingtour/PortGardner.html on your phone. It is a self-guided route that hits the most significant homes.
    3. Walk south toward Rucker Hill, taking in 1890s Queen Anne mansions, 1910s and 1920s Craftsman bungalows, and the maritime-influenced homes along the bluff.
    4. Stop at the Rucker Mansion (13,000 square feet, 1905, Federal Revival, $40,000 to build). The exterior is visible from the public right-of-way; the home is privately owned and not open inside.
    5. Optional detour: walk down to Waterfront Place. A flat fifteen-minute walk takes you from Rucker Hill to the Port of Everett marina, Boxcar Park, and the new Fisherman’s Harbor restaurants. Eat. Walk back up.

    Why Visit Port Gardner Specifically

    Most visitors to Everett come in for the waterfront, AquaSox baseball, or Boeing’s Future of Flight. All three are worth doing. None of them tells the founding story. Port Gardner does — it is the original 50-acre townsite the Rucker brothers platted in 1890 to start the Everett Land Company. Walking the streets the Ruckers laid out is the fastest way to understand why Everett looks the way it does.

    The architectural density is the second reason. In one block of Port Gardner you can stand in front of a Queen Anne mansion built when Grover Cleveland was president, walk five doors down to a Craftsman bungalow built when Calvin Coolidge was, and end the block at a postwar cottage built during the wartime housing crunch. Few neighborhoods in the Pacific Northwest layer their architectural history that visibly.

    The Bay View, in Plain Language

    From Grand Avenue Park and the bluff that runs west of the avenue, you get one of the best public-access water views in Snohomish County. On a clear day you can see Whidbey Island across Possession Sound, the Olympics behind it, and — directly below — the Port of Everett’s working waterfront, where Boxcar Park, the marina, and the cargo terminals all sit. It is a fifteen-minute walk down the hill from the bluff to Waterfront Place if you want to put boots on the marina deck.

    Where to Eat (And Where Not to Walk Hungry)

    Port Gardner is residential. The places to eat are downtown to the north (a short walk uphill from the neighborhood’s north edge) or down the hill at Waterfront Place at the Port of Everett, where Bluewater Distilling, Lombardi’s Italian Restaurants, Salty’s at Waterfront Place, and Menchie’s are all within a one-minute walk of one another.

    The visitor mistake to avoid: assuming there are restaurants inside Port Gardner itself. There aren’t. Plan to start hungry uphill or eat downhill at the marina.

    What to Time Your Visit Around

    Three things make a Port Gardner visit better:

    • Daylight. The architectural detail is what you came for. Mid-day to late afternoon is best.
    • Clear weather. The bluff bay views are the second reason to come, and clear days take in Whidbey Island and the Olympics.
    • Saturday morning. The Historic Everett walking-tour route is most rewarding on a quiet weekend morning when you can take your time on each home without traffic on Rucker, Hoyt, and Grand.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    How long does the Port Gardner walking tour take?

    The Historic Everett self-guided walking tour at historiceverett.org/walkingtour/PortGardner.html takes about an hour at a normal pace. Add another hour if you do the Waterfront Place detour. Add another hour if you stop for lunch.

    Can I tour the inside of the Rucker Mansion?

    No. The Rucker Mansion is privately owned. The exterior remains visible from the public right-of-way and is a regular stop on the Historic Everett walking tour.

    Where do I park?

    Grand Avenue and side streets between Pacific and 23rd offer the easiest parking and put you at the north end of the neighborhood for the walking tour.

    Is the neighborhood family-friendly for a visit?

    Yes. Sidewalks are good, traffic is light by Pacific Northwest standards, and Grand Avenue Park inside the neighborhood is a working public park with views over the bay. The walking tour pace works well for families with school-aged kids, especially if you frame it as a treasure-hunt for architectural details.

    Combine with what?

    The most natural pairings are Waterfront Place at the Port of Everett (down the hill, fifteen minutes on foot) or downtown Everett to the north for lunch and shopping.

    Related Exploring Everett Coverage

  • Port Gardner Everett: 2026 Neighborhood & History Guide

    Port Gardner Everett: 2026 Neighborhood & History Guide

    Quick answer: Port Gardner is Everett’s second-oldest neighborhood, platted in 1890 by Bethel J. and Wyatt Rucker as the original 50-acre townsite of the Everett Land Company. It stretches from Possession Sound and Port Gardner Bay east to the Snohomish River, and from a combination of Hewitt and Pacific avenues south to 41st Street. The neighborhood is anchored by Rucker Hill — a Rucker-era residential bluff listed on the National Register of Historic Places — and by some of the most architecturally significant homes in the Pacific Northwest, including the 1905, 13,000-square-foot Rucker Mansion. Today Port Gardner is one of Everett’s most settled, walkable, water-view neighborhoods, with the Port of Everett’s Waterfront Place a fifteen-minute walk down the hill.

    Where Port Gardner Begins and Ends

    The Port Gardner Neighborhood Association draws the boundaries clearly:

    • West: Port Gardner Bay and Possession Sound
    • East: The Snohomish River
    • North: A combination of Hewitt Avenue and Pacific Avenue
    • South: 41st Street

    That puts Port Gardner directly south of Northwest Everett and directly west of Bayside, with downtown Everett at its northern edge. The bay itself was named in 1794 by Captain George Vancouver for his patron and former commander, Alan Gardner. Vancouver originally meant the name to apply to the entire Saratoga Passage, but over time it narrowed to mean only the water in front of present-day Everett.

    How a 50-Acre Plat Became a Neighborhood

    The first European-American settler on what would become Port Gardner was Dennis Brigham, who left Whidbey Island in 1862, cleared land at the foot of California Avenue, built a small shack, and planted a few apple trees. He had the bay essentially to himself for decades.

    That changed in 1889, when Bethel J. Rucker and his brother Wyatt arrived to scout the area for development. In 1890 the Ruckers filed the 50-acre Port Gardner townsite plat under the Everett Land Company name — the founding act of what would become the City of Everett. Port Gardner’s first homes went up on the streets the Ruckers laid out, and many of those original homes are still standing.

    Rucker Hill, Where the City’s Founders Lived

    The most distinctive feature of Port Gardner is Rucker Hill — a rise above the bay that the Rucker family kept for themselves and their peers. The Rucker Hill Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, occupies the knoll and contains some of the grandest residential architecture in the Pacific Northwest.

    The Rucker Mansion at the top of the hill is the centerpiece. Built in 1905 at a reported cost of $40,000 — an enormous sum at the time — the 13,000-square-foot Federal Revival home contains five fireplaces, a library, a card room, a billiards room, a solarium, a ballroom, six bedrooms, and a separate carriage house. Mahogany and quarter-sawn oak woodwork run through the interior. The home is privately owned today, but the exterior remains visible from the public right-of-way and is a regular stop on Historic Everett’s walking tours.

    The Architecture Walking Tour

    Port Gardner is one of the few neighborhoods in Everett where you can walk a single block and see four or five distinct architectural periods. Historic Everett, the local preservation nonprofit, publishes a self-guided walking tour at historiceverett.org/walkingtour/PortGardner.html that maps the most significant homes. What you’ll see on the route:

    • Queen Anne mansions from the 1890s boom — turrets, wraparound porches, and the kind of ornament that doesn’t get built anymore.
    • Craftsman bungalows from the 1910s and 1920s — smaller in scale but with the same care for materials.
    • Mid-century cottages infilled into earlier blocks during Everett’s wartime housing crunch.
    • Maritime-influenced homes closer to the bluff, designed to capture the view of the bay and the working waterfront below.

    Living in Port Gardner Today

    Talk to people who have lived in Port Gardner for twenty or thirty years and a few themes come up over and over:

    The bluff. Almost everyone north of Hewitt has some kind of water view, and on a clear day you can see Whidbey Island, the Olympics, and the working waterfront laid out below.

    The walkability. Downtown Everett is a short walk to the north. Grand Avenue Park sits inside the neighborhood. The Port of Everett’s marina district — Boxcar Park, the new Fisherman’s Harbor restaurants at Waterfront Place, Jetty Landing — is a flat fifteen-minute walk down the hill.

    The community. The Port Gardner Neighborhood Association is one of the more active associations in the city, and the neighborhood’s residential stability — many homes have stayed in the same family for generations — gives the place a settled, taken-care-of feeling.

    How Port Gardner Compares to Its Neighbors

    Port Gardner sits between two of the other historic centerpiece neighborhoods of Everett:

    • To the north — Northwest Everett — anchored by Everett Community College, Grand Avenue Park, and the Grand Avenue bluff.
    • To the east — Bayside — between Port Gardner and the river, with a different residential character.
    • To the south — Boulevard Bluffs and View Ridge–Madison — newer family-oriented neighborhoods with newer schools and parks.

    What separates Port Gardner from each of those is the original-townsite story. Northwest Everett is the city’s historic core. Port Gardner is its first chapter.

    Getting Involved

    The Port Gardner Neighborhood Association meets regularly and welcomes new residents. Meeting schedules are posted at the association’s website (portgardnereverett.com) and on the City of Everett’s neighborhood page at everettwa.gov/334. New residents who want to get oriented quickly can also walk the Historic Everett tour route on a Saturday morning — it is the fastest way to learn which house is which and why each one matters.

    Why Port Gardner Matters Today

    Port Gardner isn’t the flashiest neighborhood in Everett. It doesn’t have the new construction of the waterfront, the dining scene of downtown, or the schools-and-parks family appeal of Boulevard Bluffs or View Ridge. What it has is the original story. Every other Everett neighborhood — Northwest, Bayside, Casino Road, Boulevard Bluffs, View Ridge–Madison, Pinehurst-Beverly Park — exists because the Ruckers stood on this hillside in 1890 and decided where the streets should go.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    What are the boundaries of Port Gardner?

    Possession Sound and Port Gardner Bay to the west, the Snohomish River to the east, a combination of Hewitt and Pacific avenues to the north, and 41st Street to the south.

    When was Port Gardner platted?

    1890, by Bethel J. and Wyatt Rucker, as the original 50-acre townsite of the Everett Land Company.

    Where did the name come from?

    Captain George Vancouver named the bay in 1794 for his patron and former commander, Alan Gardner. The name originally applied more broadly to the Saratoga Passage but narrowed over time to mean the water in front of present-day Everett.

    What is Rucker Hill?

    The bluff above the bay where the Rucker family and Everett’s founding-era peers built their homes. The Rucker Hill Historic District is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Rucker Mansion (1905, 13,000 square feet, Federal Revival) is the centerpiece.

    Can I walk through Port Gardner?

    Yes. Historic Everett publishes a self-guided walking tour at historiceverett.org/walkingtour/PortGardner.html that covers the most significant homes. The route is one of the best ways to see four or five architectural periods on a single block.

    Is the Rucker Mansion open to the public?

    No. The Rucker Mansion is privately owned. The exterior remains visible from the public right-of-way and is a regular stop on Historic Everett walking tours.

    What’s nearby?

    Downtown Everett is a short walk to the north. Grand Avenue Park sits inside the neighborhood. The Port of Everett’s Waterfront Place — Boxcar Park, Fisherman’s Harbor restaurants, Jetty Landing — is a flat fifteen-minute walk down the hill.

    Related Exploring Everett Coverage

  • Lenora Stormwater Facility: 2026 Lowell Resident Guide

    Lenora Stormwater Facility: 2026 Lowell Resident Guide

    If you live in Lowell, walk the Lowell Riverfront Trail, or drive S 1st Avenue every day, here is what the new Lenora Stormwater Treatment Facility actually means for your neighborhood. Construction starts in April 2026 on a 0.27-acre city-owned lot at the corner of Lenora Street and S 1st Avenue, right next to Lowell Riverfront Park. The whole thing — $8.73 million — is paid for by a Washington State Department of Ecology grant, which is why it is not on your Everett utility bill.

    What’s Actually Going In Down the Street

    The corner where the new facility is being built is small — just under a third of an acre. Most Lowell residents have driven past it hundreds of times without noticing it as anything special. After construction, what you will see at ground level is a small landscaped surface with bioretention cells, a low-profile access path, and a city interpretive sign explaining what the facility does.

    The technology underneath is a five-cell Filterra Bioscape system. Two of the five cells will be fully operational at opening; the city designed the site so the remaining three cells can be brought online as Lowell’s drainage subbasins develop further. The bottom line for anyone walking by: this is not a treatment plant in the visual sense. It is a small, landscaped intersection upgrade with serious water-quality machinery underneath.

    Why It Matters Specifically to Lowell

    Lowell sits on a low riverfront bench between the Snohomish River and the BNSF tracks. Three small drainage subbasins — LW-9, LW-10, and LW-11, totaling 146.10 acres — concentrate fast during rain events and run toward the Marshland Canal, which empties into the river. That geography is exactly what creates the water-quality problem the Lenora facility is designed to fix.

    The runoff coming off Lowell streets, parking lots, and roofs carries the standard menu of urban stormwater pollutants:

    • Suspended solids that cloud the river and smother salmon spawning gravel.
    • Petroleum hydrocarbons from oil and fuel.
    • Dissolved copper from vehicle brake pads — acutely toxic to juvenile salmon at very low concentrations.
    • Dissolved zinc from tire wear, galvanized metal, and roofing.
    • Total phosphorus, which drives summer algae blooms downstream.

    The salmon question is not abstract. The Snohomish River system is salmon-bearing, and the stretch downstream of Lowell — toward the river mouth, Possession Sound, and Jetty Island — is exactly the kind of habitat that benefits most from removing dissolved copper and zinc upstream of where juvenile salmon swim through.

    Why It’s Not on Your Bill

    This is the part most Lowell residents will care about most directly. The Lenora facility is funded by Washington State Department of Ecology Water Quality Combined Financial Assistance Agreement WQC-2025-EverPW-00177 in the amount of $8,733,920 — effectively the full project cost.

    Everett residents are already absorbing other utility-related conversations: the proposed $10.74-per-month utility tax hike going through City Council as part of the 2027 budget decision. The Lenora project is structurally separate. The state Ecology grant pays for it. The proposed utility tax is a different revenue mechanism for general fund purposes. Don’t conflate the two.

    What to Expect on the Lowell Riverfront Trail

    If your routine includes walking the Lowell Riverfront Trail, this is the practical part. The construction site is right at the corner of S 1st Avenue and Lenora Street, immediately adjacent to Lowell Riverfront Park. Expect:

    • Periodic construction activity through spring and summer 2026 — equipment, staging, deliveries.
    • Possible short trail detours along the affected segment near the corner; Public Works will post signage if a closure is necessary.
    • The trail itself stays intact. The facility footprint is at the edge of the park, not inside it. Day-of-day walkers, runners, and dog-walkers should be able to maintain their routine with minor reroutes.

    Why an $8.7M Stormwater Project Outranks the Stadium for Lowell Specifically

    For most of Everett, the spring 2026 construction headlines have been about the $10.6M downtown stadium interfund loan vote and the 300 new waterfront apartments at the Millwright District. Both matter to the city as a whole. Neither is what changes the river running past your house if you live in Lowell.

    The Lenora Stormwater Treatment Facility is the project that does. Removing dissolved copper and zinc from 146 acres of runoff before it reaches the Marshland Canal is the kind of upstream water-quality work that determines whether the river running through Lowell stays a credible salmon habitat over the next decade. That is a small project doing big work.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    When does construction start?

    April 2026.

    How long will construction last?

    The city has not published a final completion date publicly. Most facilities of this scope and footprint take several months to a year to complete; Public Works will post on-site signage with the active schedule once construction is underway.

    Will I be able to use the Lowell Riverfront Trail this spring and summer?

    Yes — with minor reroutes possible. Expect periodic construction activity at the corner and possible short detours. The trail itself stays open; the facility footprint is at the edge of the park.

    Will the project raise my utility bill?

    No. The Washington State Department of Ecology grant pays for the project. The proposed Everett utility tax hike is a separate matter at City Council and is unrelated to the Lenora project.

    Will I be able to see the facility from the trail?

    Yes. The Filterra system has surface elements — bioretention cells and access path — visible at ground level, and the city’s Public Works department typically installs an interpretive sign explaining what the facility does.

    Why this corner specifically?

    The site is city-owned, sized correctly for the Filterra Bioscape system, located at the convergence of three drainage subbasins (LW-9, LW-10, LW-11) and adjacent to a publicly accessible park, which makes operations and public education easier.

    Related Exploring Everett Coverage

  • Lenora Stormwater Facility: Everett’s $8.7M Lowell Project

    Lenora Stormwater Facility: Everett’s $8.7M Lowell Project

    Quick answer: The Lenora Regional Stormwater Treatment Facility is an $8.73 million water-quality project breaking ground in April 2026 on a 0.27-acre, city-owned lot at the corner of Lenora Street and S 1st Avenue in Lowell, immediately adjacent to Lowell Riverfront Park. It is funded primarily by Washington State Department of Ecology Water Quality Combined Financial Assistance Agreement WQC-2025-EverPW-00177 in the amount of $8,733,920 — effectively the entire project cost. The facility will treat stormwater runoff from 146 acres of Lowell drainage (subbasins LW-9, LW-10, and LW-11) before it discharges into the Marshland Canal and the Snohomish River, removing total suspended solids, dissolved copper and zinc, total petroleum hydrocarbons, and total phosphorus.

    Why an $8.7M Stormwater Project Is Bigger News Than It Looks

    While most of Everett’s construction conversation in April 2026 has been about a $120 million stadium and 300 new waterfront apartments, an $8.73 million project is starting this month on a half-acre lot in Lowell that will quietly do more for the Snohomish River than any other capital project the city is funding right now. It is one of those projects nobody will livestream and nobody will design-render. It is also exactly the kind of work that determines whether Everett’s waterfront stays swimmable, fishable, and credible as a sustainability story over the next decade.

    Where It Is and What It Does

    The site is small — 11,944 square feet, 0.27 acres — at the northeast corner of S 1st Avenue and Lenora Street, immediately adjacent to Lowell Riverfront Park, on the west side of the BNSF railroad tracks. If you have ever parked at the Lowell Riverfront Trail to walk the dog, you have driven past it without noticing.

    The facility’s job is to take stormwater runoff from three drainage subbasins in Lowell — known to city staff as LW-9, LW-10, and LW-11, totaling 146.10 acres — and run it through a treatment train before it reaches the Marshland Canal system, which discharges into the Snohomish River. The first phase of the facility is a five-cell Filterra Bioscape system with two of the five cells fully functional at opening, giving the city a phased path to scale up treatment capacity as the surrounding subbasins develop further.

    What Gets Removed From the Runoff

    The contaminants the Lenora facility is designed to capture are the standard menu of urban stormwater pollutants:

    • Total suspended solids (TSS) — particulate matter that clouds water and smothers spawning gravel.
    • Total petroleum hydrocarbons — oil and fuel runoff from streets, driveways, and parking lots.
    • Dissolved copper — primarily from vehicle brake pads. Copper is acutely toxic to juvenile salmon at very low concentrations.
    • Dissolved zinc — from tire wear, galvanized metal, and roofing.
    • Total phosphorus — the driver of summer algae blooms downstream.

    The Marshland Canal discharges to the Snohomish River, which means everything the facility removes is something that does not enter the river — and does not enter Possession Sound or any of the salmon habitat between Lowell and the river mouth.

    The Funding Story

    The project is funded primarily by the Washington State Department of Ecology under Water Quality Combined Financial Assistance Agreement WQC-2025-EverPW-00177, in the amount of $8,733,920. That is roughly the entire project cost, which is why the City of Everett can deliver an $8.7M facility without putting it on the local utility bill.

    For Everett residents already absorbing the proposed $10.74-per-month utility tax hike going through council right now, the Lenora project is the rare piece of stormwater infrastructure that does not show up on your bill at all. The state Ecology grant covers it.

    Why Lowell Needed This

    Lowell is one of Everett’s most environmentally complex neighborhoods. It sits on a low riverfront bench between the Snohomish River and the BNSF tracks, with three small subbasins draining toward the Marshland Canal. The geography means stormwater from streets, parking lots, and roofs throughout the neighborhood concentrates fast and hits the river hard during rain events.

    The 146 acres covered by the Lenora facility include a mix of residential, commercial, and rail-adjacent uses. That mix is exactly the kind of urban runoff cocktail that does the most damage to salmon habitat, because dissolved copper from brake pads and dissolved zinc from tire wear behave like concentrated toxins for juvenile fish even at very low concentrations. Removing those before they reach the river is the difference between a healthy salmon return and a steady decline.

    How It Fits Everett’s Bigger Stormwater Picture

    Everett operates under a state-issued NPDES Phase II Municipal Stormwater Permit. Among other things, that permit requires the city to identify high-priority drainage areas and progressively install treatment infrastructure that meets state water quality standards. The Stormwater Management Action Plan (SMAP) the city has been refining for several years identifies the Lowell subbasins as priorities precisely because they discharge directly to a salmon-bearing waterway with limited dilution. The Lenora facility is one of the more visible deliverables of that plan.

    What It Means for the Lowell Riverfront Trail

    The construction site is immediately adjacent to Lowell Riverfront Park, which means anyone using the Lowell Riverfront Trail this spring and summer should expect periodic construction activity, equipment staging, and possible short trail detours along the affected segment near S 1st Avenue and Lenora Street. The city’s Public Works department will post detour signage if any trail closures become necessary.

    The good news for trail users: the facility is going on a small footprint at the edge of the park, not inside it. The trail itself stays intact. Once the facility opens, the only visible change at the site will be the Filterra system’s surface elements — bioretention cells, a small access path, and a city interpretive sign that the Public Works department typically installs at completed water quality projects.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Where exactly is the Lenora Stormwater Treatment Facility?

    At the northeast corner of S 1st Avenue and Lenora Street in Lowell, on a 0.27-acre city-owned lot adjacent to Lowell Riverfront Park, west of the BNSF railroad tracks.

    How is it funded?

    Primarily by a Washington State Department of Ecology Water Quality Combined Financial Assistance Agreement (WQC-2025-EverPW-00177) for $8,733,920 — effectively the full project cost.

    Will it raise my Everett utility bill?

    No. The state Ecology grant covers the project. This is structurally separate from the proposed $10.74-per-month utility tax hike currently before the City Council, which is a different revenue mechanism for general fund purposes.

    What pollutants does it remove?

    Total suspended solids, total petroleum hydrocarbons, dissolved copper, dissolved zinc, and total phosphorus — the contaminants most responsible for water-quality damage to juvenile salmon and downstream algae blooms.

    Where does the treated water go?

    The treated runoff discharges into the Marshland Canal system, which discharges into the Snohomish River.

    How big is the drainage area being treated?

    146.10 acres across three Lowell subbasins (LW-9, LW-10, LW-11). The treatment train uses a five-cell Filterra Bioscape system; two of the five cells will be fully functional at opening, with capacity to scale up.

    Will the Lowell Riverfront Trail close?

    Trail users should expect periodic construction activity and possible short detours along the segment near S 1st Avenue and Lenora Street. Public Works will post detour signage if any trail closures become necessary. The trail itself remains intact; the facility footprint is at the edge of the park, not inside it.

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  • USS Gridley Deployment Guide for NAVSTA Everett Families

    USS Gridley Deployment Guide for NAVSTA Everett Families

    If you have a sailor on USS Gridley right now, this is the cruise your family will tell stories about for years. A practical 2026 guide for Navy families at Naval Station Everett — what Southern Seas 2026 looks like operationally, the Ombudsman touchpoints and Fleet & Family Support Center resources you should already have bookmarked, the deployment-readiness checklist that matters most for the second half of the cruise, and what “Nimitz’s final overseas deployment” actually means for the rest of 2026.

    The Cruise, in Plain Family Language

    USS Gridley (DDG-101) is the only Arleigh Burke-class destroyer publicly assigned to the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group on Southern Seas 2026. Per U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command, the strike group is conducting partner-nation engagement and circumnavigating South America en route to Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia. The Navy has publicly confirmed this is USS Nimitz’s final overseas deployment before her 2027 decommissioning.

    What that means in family-readiness terms: a multi-month deployment with port visits in partner-nation harbors, passing exercises at sea with multiple partner navies, and an East Coast arrival rather than a West Coast return. Gridley returns to Naval Station Everett separately, on a schedule the Navy has not publicly disclosed. For planning purposes, do not assume a specific return date.

    Where the Strike Group Has Been Confirmed So Far

    • March 7, 2026: Nimitz departed Bremerton.
    • April 7–8, 2026: Bilateral engagement with the Ecuadorian Navy.
    • April 17–21, 2026: Port visit to Valparaiso, Chile. President Kast came aboard Nimitz; Gridley moored pier-side. PASSEX with Chilean Navy frigate Capitán Prat after departure.

    The remainder of the itinerary has not been publicly disclosed. Family-side communications about future stops should come through the Command Ombudsman, not from speculation. We will not speculate here either.

    The Family-Readiness Checklist for the Rest of the Cruise

    If your family is mid-deployment, the touchpoints that matter most for the second half of the cruise are:

    1. Stay on the Command Ombudsman’s distribution list. The Ombudsman is the official conduit for unclassified command-to-family communications and the place that information about scheduled returns, port visits, and family-day events is released first. Confirm your contact email and phone number with the Ombudsman are current.
    2. Use Fleet & Family Support at Naval Station Everett. The FFSC at NAVSTA Everett (2000 West Marine View Drive) runs deployment-support programs, financial counseling, employment services, and clinical and non-clinical counseling — all at no cost to active-duty service members and dependents. Walk-in hours, classes, and counseling appointments are available; the FFSC front desk can connect families to the right service.
    3. Check that DEERS, ID cards, Tricare, and emergency-contact records are current. The single biggest avoidable problem during a long deployment is an expired family-member ID card or a stale DEERS record. A quick check on milConnect resolves most of it without a base trip.
    4. Use the Military and Family Life Counseling (MFLC) program. Non-medical, confidential counseling for service members and family members, with no record kept in the medical file. NAVSTA Everett has MFLC counselors assigned; the Ombudsman or FFSC can connect you.
    5. Build the homecoming plan early. Because the strike group’s return is to Norfolk and Gridley returns to Everett separately, plan for the possibility that the carrier-side homecoming images and the Everett-side homecoming for Gridley happen on different timelines. Stay flexible until the Ombudsman has a confirmed date.

    What’s Different About This Cruise for Naval Station Everett Families

    Two things are unusual about this deployment relative to a typical Gridley underway:

    The first is the historical weight. Nimitz, commissioned in 1975, is the lead ship of the Nimitz class — the backbone of the U.S. carrier fleet for half a century. The Navy has publicly confirmed Southern Seas 2026 is the carrier’s final operational deployment. Among Naval Station Everett’s five Arleigh Burke destroyers, Gridley is the one carrying the ensign alongside Nimitz for that final cruise. That is the part of the deployment your sailor will be telling family stories about for the next twenty years.

    The second is the geography. South American port visits and partner-nation engagement are different in tempo and texture from the Western Pacific deployments Naval Station Everett ships often run. Time-zone difference is smaller. Family communications can be more predictable. Port visit windows tend to be a few days at a time in major partner harbors. None of that changes the operational tempo for the sailor, but it does change the rhythm for the family at home.

    Resources Worth Bookmarking

    • NAVSTA Everett Fleet & Family Support Center — front desk and program directory; free deployment, financial, and counseling support for all active-duty service members and dependents.
    • NAVSTA Everett Galaxy Single Sailor Center / MWR — for the dependent and family-day side of homecoming.
    • Military OneSource (1-800-342-9647) — 24/7 information and referral, and short-term non-medical counseling.
    • Tricare West Region — coverage details, referrals, and the eligibility portal.
    • milConnect — DEERS update, ID card renewals, family member enrollments.
    • Command Ombudsman — your most important contact for the duration of the deployment.

    The Questions Other Families Are Asking

    When does Gridley get back to Everett?

    The Navy has not publicly disclosed Gridley’s return date. Family-confirmed information will come through the Command Ombudsman. Do not plan from rumors.

    Should we travel to Norfolk for Nimitz’s homecoming?

    Nimitz’s arrival is the end of the carrier’s overseas deployment, but it is not Gridley’s homecoming. Gridley returns to Naval Station Everett on a separate schedule. Many Naval Station Everett families will choose to wait for the Everett-side homecoming, but personal plans are personal — the Ombudsman can confirm the carrier’s published events.

    Can the sailor call home from a port visit?

    Communications during port visits depend on the operational schedule and on the in-port routine. Sailors typically have communication options ranging from cell-phone roaming to base-ashore Wi-Fi. Specifics are command-discretionary; do not plan calls without your sailor’s confirmation.

    What’s the difference between a PASSEX and a port visit?

    A passing exercise (PASSEX) is a brief at-sea operation with a partner navy — typically a ship maneuver and signals exchange — and does not involve a stop in port. A port visit is a multi-day stop in a partner harbor with shore-side activity for the crew and bilateral engagement events.

    How is this different from past Gridley deployments?

    The cadence and tempo are familiar to families who have been through prior Southern Seas or Pacific Fleet deployments. What is different is Nimitz’s final-cruise status — Gridley is the only destroyer publicly assigned to Nimitz on her last underway period. That is operationally significant in a way most cruises are not.

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  • USS Nimitz Final Deployment: USS Gridley in Southern Seas

    USS Nimitz Final Deployment: USS Gridley in Southern Seas

    Quick answer: USS Gridley (DDG-101), homeported at Naval Station Everett, is operating with USS Nimitz (CVN-68) as the lone destroyer escort on the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group’s Southern Seas 2026 deployment — publicly confirmed by the U.S. Navy as the carrier’s final overseas deployment before its 2027 decommissioning. Nimitz departed Bremerton on March 7, 2026; the strike group made its first published port visit in Ecuador on April 7–8 and a second in Valparaiso, Chile from April 17–21, where Chilean President José Antonio Kast came aboard. From there the strike group continues to circumnavigate South America en route to Naval Station Norfolk, where Nimitz begins decommissioning.

    Why This Cruise Is Different

    USS Nimitz (CVN-68) was commissioned in 1975. It is the lead ship of the Nimitz class — the backbone of the U.S. carrier fleet for the past five decades — and the U.S. Navy has publicly stated that Southern Seas 2026 is the carrier’s final operational deployment. After Nimitz returns to Norfolk, Virginia, the ship begins a multi-year decommissioning process that the Navy has publicly projected to conclude in 2027.

    For the destroyer escorting Nimitz on this final cruise, the historical weight is not symbolic — it is operational. USS Gridley is the only Arleigh Burke-class destroyer publicly assigned to the strike group, and it is the Naval Station Everett unit that gets to fly the ensign alongside Nimitz on the carrier’s last underway period before decommissioning.

    What Southern Seas 2026 Actually Is

    Southern Seas is a recurring U.S. 4th Fleet deployment that has been conducted in various forms since the 1980s. Per U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command, Southern Seas 2026 is the 11th iteration of the deployment to the U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility since 2007. It is not an exercise in the wartime sense; it is a multinational engagement deployment designed around partner-nation port visits, passing exercises (PASSEXs) at sea, and cooperative operations with partner navies in the Caribbean, Latin America, and South America.

    The 2026 iteration officially launched on March 23, 2026, with U.S. Southern Command publicly announcing the deployment of Nimitz and Gridley to the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility. The strike group’s published itinerary includes engagements with multiple partner navies through scheduled port visits and passing exercises along the South American coastline as the ships circumnavigate the continent en route to the East Coast.

    The Published Stops So Far

    According to U.S. Navy and U.S. Southern Command public-affairs releases, the published itinerary so far includes:

    • March 7, 2026: Nimitz departed Naval Base Kitsap-Bremerton for the final time.
    • April 7–8, 2026: A bilateral engagement with the Ecuadorian Navy.
    • April 17–21, 2026: Port visit to Valparaiso, Chile. USS Gridley moored pier-side; USS Nimitz anchored in Chilean territorial waters. Chilean President José Antonio Kast — inaugurated March 11, 2026 — visited Nimitz during the call. The strike group conducted a passing exercise at sea with the Chilean Navy frigate Capitán Prat after departure.

    The Navy has not publicly disclosed the strike group’s remaining itinerary, and we will not speculate. After Southern Seas 2026 concludes, Nimitz proceeds to Norfolk to begin the multi-year inactivation and decommissioning process. The defueling of the two A4W reactors and dismantling of the ship is a years-long undertaking; Nimitz’s last underway period before that work begins is, by the Navy’s own account, the deployment Gridley is on right now.

    USS Gridley in Context: Naval Station Everett’s Destroyer Fleet

    USS Gridley (DDG-101) is one of five Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers homeported at Naval Station Everett. The destroyers based in Everett, listed alphabetically:

    • USS Gridley (DDG-101)
    • USS Kidd (DDG-100)
    • USS Momsen (DDG-92)
    • USS Ralph Johnson (DDG-114)
    • USS Sampson (DDG-102)

    Naval Station Everett is located at 2000 West Marine View Drive. It is the Navy’s most modern major surface-ship base on the West Coast and the only major U.S. Navy installation in the Pacific Northwest with a deepwater carrier-capable pier — though Everett does not currently homeport an aircraft carrier.

    Why Everett Is Watching This Particular Cruise

    For Naval Station Everett families and the Snohomish County community that surrounds the base, Southern Seas 2026 is the deployment of historic significance for two reasons that compound each other.

    The first is Nimitz itself. Snohomish County families have spent the past five months processing two pieces of major Navy news: the November 25, 2025 cancellation of the Constellation-class frigate program, and the December 19, 2025 announcement of the new FF(X) program based on the Coast Guard’s Legend-class National Security Cutter. Everett was the publicly named planned homeport for the Constellation-class frigates; the FF(X) homeport question remains open.

    The second is what Gridley is doing. Among Everett’s five destroyers, Gridley is the one carrying the ensign alongside the Navy’s senior carrier on its last cruise. That is the kind of operational milestone Naval Station Everett families will tell each other about for years.

    What Comes Next After Nimitz Returns to Norfolk

    According to U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command, Nimitz is heading toward Norfolk, Virginia, where it is scheduled to begin the multi-year inactivation and decommissioning process expected to conclude in 2027. Defueling the carrier’s two A4W reactors is a multi-year sequence on its own; the inactivation period overlaps with the early phases of dismantlement.

    For Gridley, the next-step question is open. Destroyers regularly cycle through training, deployment, and maintenance availabilities, and Gridley’s post-Southern-Seas employment will be set by Naval Surface Force Pacific. The destroyer returns to its Naval Station Everett pier in due course; the Navy has not publicly disclosed the return date.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    What ship is USS Gridley and where is it homeported?

    USS Gridley (DDG-101) is an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer homeported at Naval Station Everett (2000 West Marine View Drive, Everett, WA). It is one of five Arleigh Burke destroyers based in Everett.

    What is Southern Seas 2026?

    Southern Seas 2026 is the 11th iteration since 2007 of a U.S. 4th Fleet partner-nation engagement deployment in the Caribbean, Latin America, and South America. It includes port visits, passing exercises with partner navies, and a circumnavigation of South America by the strike group.

    Why is USS Nimitz’s deployment historic?

    The U.S. Navy has publicly stated that Southern Seas 2026 is USS Nimitz’s final overseas deployment before decommissioning. Nimitz, commissioned in 1975, is the lead ship of the Nimitz class; she departs for Norfolk after Southern Seas to begin a multi-year decommissioning process expected to conclude in 2027.

    What happened during the Valparaiso port visit?

    Per Navy and U.S. Southern Command public affairs, USS Gridley moored pier-side at Valparaiso from April 17 to 21, 2026, while USS Nimitz anchored in Chilean territorial waters. Chilean President José Antonio Kast visited Nimitz. After departure, the strike group conducted a passing exercise at sea with the Chilean Navy frigate Capitán Prat.

    Is this Gridley’s first deployment to South America?

    Gridley regularly deploys with U.S. Pacific Fleet across multiple theaters. Naval Station Everett’s destroyers have participated in Southern Seas iterations in prior years; the 2026 deployment is uniquely significant because of Nimitz’s final-cruise status.

    How does this connect to the Constellation/FF(X) story?

    Separately. The Constellation-class frigate program was cancelled in November 2025; the Navy announced the FF(X) successor program in December 2025. Everett was named as the planned Constellation homeport; the FF(X) homeport question is open. None of that affects Gridley’s deployment with Nimitz, which is in a different ship class and a different community of interest.

    When does Nimitz arrive in Norfolk?

    The Navy has not publicly disclosed Nimitz’s arrival date in Norfolk. The strike group is en route after circumnavigating South America. Per U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command, Nimitz then begins the multi-year inactivation and decommissioning process expected to conclude in 2027.

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  • ZeroAvia Aerospace Suppliers: The Paine Field Opportunity

    ZeroAvia Aerospace Suppliers: The Paine Field Opportunity

    If you run a precision machining shop, a composite house, an avionics integration shop, or any of the 1,350-plus aerospace establishments in Snohomish County, the ZeroAvia anniversary at Paine Field is the supplier story most coverage doesn’t tell. Two years in, the Everett Propulsion Center of Excellence is sourcing aviation-grade motor and power electronics components from a supply base that overlaps almost completely with the one that already feeds Boeing — and ZeroAvia’s separate components-sales business effectively creates a second downstream customer for that same supply base.

    The Supplier Question, Asked Plainly

    Most coverage of ZeroAvia treats the company as a downstream consumer of aerospace technology. The supplier-side question — what does this facility buy, from whom, and at what cadence? — has been mostly absent from public reporting. After two years of operations, here is what the Snohomish County supplier base can reasonably read into the public record:

    What ZeroAvia’s Everett Facility Sources

    The Propulsion Center of Excellence manufactures electric motors and power electronics — inverters, converters, motor controllers — for ZeroAvia’s ZA600 and ZA2000 powertrains and for sale to other electric and hybrid aviation programs. Without speculating on specific vendor relationships, the bill of materials for a finished motor or power electronics unit at aviation grade typically includes:

    • Precision-machined rotor and stator components — tight tolerance work that Snohomish County’s machining base already produces for turbofan and engine accessories.
    • Composite and bonded housings, mounts, and structural elements — directly adjacent to the composite work the county’s shops already do for Boeing programs.
    • Wire harness assemblies and high-current cabling — overlapping with avionics integration and electrical sub-assembly.
    • Connector and terminal hardware — aviation-rated, the same standards already used in airframe wiring.
    • Coil winding and electromagnetic sub-assemblies — a specialty subset of precision manufacturing.
    • Quality, conformity, and test instrumentation — the same kinds of tooling and test rigs the existing supply base already builds.
    • Logistics, packaging, and crating — for finished aviation components shipped to integrators and aircraft programs.

    None of that is a different supply base from the one already standing in Snohomish County. Suppliers do not need to retool to serve electric propulsion work the way a paint shop would have to retool to serve composites work. The qualification gates are different — aviation-grade electrical specs instead of structural specs — but the manufacturing capability is the same.

    Why the Components-Sales Business Is the Bigger Supplier Signal

    The most underappreciated piece of the ZeroAvia model from a supplier perspective is the components-sales business. The Everett facility manufactures motors and power electronics not only for ZeroAvia’s own aircraft programs but also for sale to other electric and hybrid aviation programs.

    From a supply chain standpoint, that means demand for the upstream supply base — Snohomish County’s machining shops, composite houses, harness builders, and quality services — is not tied to ZeroAvia’s own aircraft program winning the regional aviation market. It is tied to the broader growth of the electric and hybrid aviation industry across multiple continents. That diversifies demand for the supplier base in a way a single-customer relationship would not.

    The 2026–2028 Ramp Window

    ZeroAvia’s public roadmap targets a 300-mile-range powertrain in a 10- to 20-seat aircraft by the end of 2026, and a 700-mile-range, 40- to 80-seat powertrain by 2028. From a supplier-planning standpoint:

    • The end-of-2026 milestone tracks the ZA600 (600 kW) volume ramp. The motors and electronics for that powertrain are sized for 10- to 20-seat aircraft — smaller per-unit content, potentially higher per-program count.
    • The 2028 milestone tracks the ZA2000 (1.8 MW) volume ramp. The per-unit content is meaningfully larger because the machine itself is larger.
    • The components-sales business runs in parallel with both, sized against demand from the broader electric aviation industry rather than ZeroAvia’s own roadmap.

    Suppliers thinking about capacity and qualification for hydrogen-electric work should plan against the 2026 ramp as the immediate window and the 2028 ramp as the step-change.

    Qualification — The One Real Adjustment

    The single area where Snohomish County suppliers will face real adjustment is qualification. Aviation-grade electrical and electromagnetic specifications — DO-160, DO-178/254 where applicable, AS9100 process baseline, and motor- and inverter-specific aviation standards — are different from the airframe and engine accessory specifications that dominate the existing supply base.

    For shops that already operate under AS9100 and have done DO-160 environmental qualification work for avionics customers, the path is short. For shops that have only ever served airframe work, the qualification path is longer but is the same path electrification is already pulling the entire aerospace supply base toward.

    What Two Years Tells Suppliers About the Bet

    The most important supplier signal from two years of ZeroAvia at Paine Field is that the building is still here. Hydrogen-electric aviation is a long, certification-gated industry, and the most common failure mode for new propulsion technology companies is running out of runway before reaching commercial volume. ZeroAvia’s two-year mark in Everett — combined with public state and federal support and the diversification of revenue across both aircraft programs and components sales — is the kind of structural durability that justifies supplier-side investment in qualification work.

    For Snohomish County’s aerospace supplier base — which has spent the past several years reading the 767 sundown and KC-46 transition and tracking the 777X’s path through FAA certification — ZeroAvia is the second technology base growing on the same airfield. It is not a replacement for the Boeing relationship. It is a parallel demand source that the same supply base can serve.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    How does a Snohomish County supplier get qualified to sell to ZeroAvia?

    The path runs through ZeroAvia’s procurement organization at the Everett facility and through the standard aviation supplier-qualification process — AS9100 baseline, DO-160 where applicable, plus product-specific qualification for whatever component or process the supplier is offering. Suppliers should engage directly with ZeroAvia procurement and the Economic Alliance Snohomish County for introductions.

    Is the Everett facility’s supply chain primarily local or international?

    ZeroAvia has not publicly disclosed its supply chain breakdown. What’s structurally true is that physical proximity, lead time, and aerospace cluster expertise favor local sourcing for many manufacturing categories, and Snohomish County has the densest aerospace supply base in the country.

    What product categories should our shop think about first?

    The closest matches to existing Snohomish County aerospace capacity are precision machining of rotor and stator components, composite and bonded housings, wire harness assembly, coil winding and electromagnetic sub-assemblies, and aviation-grade quality and test services.

    Does ZeroAvia’s components-sales business expand the customer set beyond ZeroAvia?

    Yes. The components business sells aviation-grade motors and inverters to other electric and hybrid aircraft programs. Suppliers that qualify for the Everett facility’s bill of materials are effectively serving demand from a broader electric aviation market segment.

    How does the 2026 ramp window compare to 2028 for supplier-planning purposes?

    The 2026 milestone — a 300-mile-range powertrain in a 10- to 20-seat aircraft — is the immediate ramp window for the ZA600. The 2028 milestone — a 700-mile-range, 40- to 80-seat powertrain — is the step-change for the ZA2000 and is the date suppliers should plan capacity expansion against.

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  • ZeroAvia Paine Field: Guide for Everett Aerospace Workers

    ZeroAvia Paine Field: Guide for Everett Aerospace Workers

    If you work aerospace in Everett, here is the thing about the ZeroAvia anniversary that matters most: two miles south of the Boeing complex, a 136,000-square-foot manufacturing facility has spent two years quietly building workforce demand for skills you already have — and skills the IAM 751 Machinists Institute and Everett Community College’s aerospace programs already teach. As of April 24, 2026, ZeroAvia’s Propulsion Center of Excellence at Paine Field has been running for two full years.

    The Worker Question Most Aerospace Coverage Skips

    When ZeroAvia opened in April 2024, almost every press story focused on the technology — hydrogen fuel cells, electric motors, water vapor emissions. Almost none asked the practical question every aerospace worker in Everett wanted answered: what kinds of jobs is this place going to need, and are they jobs the people already on Paine Field can do?

    Two years in, the answer is becoming clearer, and it is surprisingly familiar. The Everett Propulsion Center of Excellence builds electric motors and power electronics — inverters, converters, motor controllers. The skills required to manufacture those at aviation grade overlap heavily with the skills that already exist in Snohomish County’s 1,350-plus aerospace establishments: precision machining, coil winding, sub-assembly under controlled conditions, quality and conformity inspection, test cell operation, wire harness routing, composite work for housings and structural mounts, and electrical and avionics integration.

    None of that is a different planet from what you already do on the 737 MAX North Line, the 777X final assembly floor, or any of the supplier shops that feed them. It is a different propulsion architecture using the same aviation-grade manufacturing discipline.

    What ZeroAvia Manufactures, in Worker-Floor Language

    The Everett facility manufactures two product families:

    1. Components for ZeroAvia’s own powertrains — the 600-kilowatt ZA600 (targeting 10- to 20-seat aircraft) and the 1.8-megawatt-class ZA2000 (targeting 40- to 80-seat aircraft). The Everett floor builds the electric motors and the power electronics that go inside both.
    2. Aviation-grade components for the broader electric aviation market — motors and inverters sold to other electric and hybrid aircraft programs that don’t have the in-house capability to build aviation-rated propulsion electronics. This is a separate revenue line that doesn’t depend on ZeroAvia winning the hydrogen aviation race.

    That second product line diversifies the headcount story. The shop is not staffed only against ZeroAvia’s own aircraft programs — it is also staffed against orders from electric trainer programs, electric vertical takeoff platforms, and hybrid regional aircraft startups that need an aviation-rated motor or inverter and would rather buy than build.

    Skills Carry-Forward From Boeing

    If you’re a 751 machinist, an avionics tech, a quality inspector, an assembler, or a test cell operator on the 737 or 777X, the skills that translate most directly to a hydrogen-electric propulsion line are:

    • Precision machining and tolerance work — electric motors require tight rotor and stator tolerances, which is what aviation precision machining already does.
    • Wire routing and harness work — power electronics for high-current aviation systems use harness work and connector practices that overlap heavily with avionics integration.
    • Quality inspection and conformity — every part of an aviation-rated motor or inverter has to be inspected and certified the same way airframe and engine components already are.
    • Composite and bonded structures — motor housings, mounts, and structural elements use composite and bonded structures that Snohomish County’s composite shops already build at scale.
    • Test cell operation — propulsion ground testing on Paine Field uses the same instrumentation and procedural rigor that engine and component test work already uses.

    The IAM 751 and Everett Community College Pipelines

    The training pipelines that feed Boeing in Everett — the IAM 751 Machinists Institute and Everett Community College’s aerospace and advanced manufacturing programs — are the same pipelines ZeroAvia and any other Paine Field propulsion company can recruit from. Aviation-grade manufacturing skills do not have a propulsion bias. A machinist who can hold tolerance on a 737 wing rib can hold tolerance on an electric motor stator. An assembler who can route a 777X wire harness can route a power electronics harness. A quality inspector who can read a Boeing process specification can read a ZeroAvia process specification.

    For workers thinking about long-term career durability in Everett aerospace, that overlap is the headline. The 737 MAX North Line is the immediate hire-and-stay story. ZeroAvia is the answer to “what comes after” — not as a replacement, but as a second technology base sharing the same workforce.

    The 2026 and 2028 Milestones — What They Mean for Headcount

    ZeroAvia’s public roadmap calls for a 300-mile-range powertrain in a 10- to 20-seat aircraft by the end of 2026, and a 700-mile-range, 40- to 80-seat powertrain by 2028. The propulsion-system milestone is what gets manufactured at Paine Field; aircraft integration and FAA certification happen elsewhere.

    From a workforce standpoint, the 2026 milestone has been driving the manufacturing ramp the Everett facility has been running for two years. The 2028 milestone is the one that will require a step-change in shop-floor capacity, because the 1.8-megawatt ZA2000 is a meaningfully larger machine than the 600-kilowatt ZA600 and the components business is targeting a wider customer base by then.

    The Commute and the Geography

    The Everett Propulsion Center of Excellence sits on the south side of Paine Field — close to the same Mukilteo, Lynnwood, Mill Creek, and South Everett residential corridors that already feed the 737 MAX North Line and the 777X final assembly floor. The April 28 reopening of the Edgewater Bridge restored the Mukilteo corridor for that commute, and the Everett Transit merger into Community Transit keeps Paine Field within the regional bus network. Worker housing strategy on the North Line — covered in our Boeing housing guide — applies directly to ZeroAvia hires too.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Is ZeroAvia hiring at Paine Field in 2026?

    ZeroAvia posts open positions on its careers page (zeroavia.com/careers). Job categories that have appeared in Everett listings over the past two years include manufacturing engineering, electrical and motor design engineering, power electronics technicians, quality engineers, supply chain, and test cell technicians. Specific openings change month to month — workers should check the careers page directly.

    Are ZeroAvia jobs union?

    ZeroAvia’s Paine Field workforce is not represented by IAM 751 at the time of writing. Workers should rely on the company directly for current employment terms and benefits.

    Do I need a hydrogen or fuel cell background to work at ZeroAvia?

    Not for most shop-floor roles. The Everett facility manufactures motors and power electronics, not fuel cell stacks. The skills required overlap heavily with general aviation-grade manufacturing — precision machining, harness work, quality inspection, assembly, and test cell operation.

    Where does ZeroAvia fit on Paine Field?

    ZeroAvia’s 136,000-square-foot Propulsion Center of Excellence is on the south side of Paine Field, close to the same residential corridors that feed Boeing’s Everett complex.

    What’s the longer career arc here?

    For Everett aerospace workers thinking 10–20 years out: the 737 MAX North Line and the 777X are the immediate-stay story for traditional turbofan-powered commercial aviation. ZeroAvia and any other clean propulsion company that follows it onto Paine Field add a second technology base that the same workforce can move between. That second base is the hedge against single-program career risk.

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