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Developer asks Everett for five‑year grocery deadline extension as riverfront housing builds
Summary
Shelter Holdings told the council it has built 300 of the 1,250 approved riverfront units and is seeking a five‑year extension of the grocery‑store deadline in the Riverfront Amended and Restated Property Disposition Agreement; the council scheduled action for June 25.
The developer responsible for the central Riverfront (landfill) site told the City Council on June 18 that it needs more time to attract a full‑service grocer and asked the city to amend the 2019 Riverfront Amended and Restated Property Disposition Agreement to extend the grocery‑store delivery deadline by five years.
Planning Director York Stevens Watts summarized the disposition agreement and the work completed on the first phase, and Shelter Holdings representative Eric Evans told the council the project has 1,250 units approved under the development agreement and about 300 units completed so far. "There are 1,250 units approved under the development agreement... so far, there's 300 completed residences," Evans said.
Why it matters: a locally sited grocery or community grocer was a specific public benefit in the original riverfront agreements; councilors and residents have linked the grocery commitment to walkability, neighborhood retail viability and the success of transit investments planned for the area.
Developer presentation and timeline Shelter Holdings said the first phase elements —two mixed‑use buildings, a public plaza, a first‑phase parking lot and portions of a first‑phase park—are complete or under construction. Evans said Shelter holds approximately 30,000 square feet of inline retail that is being marketed and that the developer has permits for an additional 160 units and permit applications for roughly 150 more, which together will complete the west‑side residential buildout to about 600 units. The developer proposed a five‑year extension for the grocery‑store deadline to allow residential density to grow and thereby increase market interest.
Council questions and staff note Councilors asked how many additional housing units remain to be built and whether interim retail options (small grocers, food truck programming, community‑scale tenants) could serve residents while the developer seeks a full grocery tenant. Evans said marketing for smaller community grocers and food trucks is underway and that the developer and city staff are coordinating outreach; he said the developer would report additional updates within 60 days.
Next steps and timing City staff recommended approval of the amendment to extend the grocery delivery deadline; the council set the item for final action on June 25. The proposed amendment would acknowledge completed first‑phase elements and extend only the grocery provision; other rights and obligations in the property‑disposition agreement remain in place.
Ending: the council did not vote June 18; if the amendment is approved June 25, it would push the deadline for the grocery tenant five years forward (the amended ordinance text references "February" but the year was not specified in the briefing).
