The Everett City Council on Wednesday received an extended briefing on the proposed Everett Outdoor Event Center, a downtown mixed‑use stadium and event venue that project leaders said would cost about $82 million to deliver and could be funded through a mix of private contributions, county support and bond financing.

The update came from Scott Pattison of city staff and Ben Franz of SOJ, who described program development with a progressive design‑build team, firming lease negotiations with the Everett AquaSox and the United Soccer League (USL), and next steps including advancing design to 60% and continuing property acquisitions. Pattison said the project team is asking the council to approve three first‑reading ordinances that would create a special project fund, amend the budget for planning and acquisition costs, and authorize acquisition authority including eminent domain if necessary.

City staff and the project team laid out why the downtown site was selected, how program choices and field orientation were shaped to minimize property acquisitions and earthmoving costs, and the revenue assumptions that underlie the financing plan. “This is not just about sports. It's about community, opportunity, and growth,” Scott Pattison said, describing the venue as a “vibrant hub” for concerts, festivals and other events, not only soccer and baseball.

Project partners and consultants said they have agreements in principle on lease term length and revenue sharing that align lease terms with the proposed debt life, and that private partners have committed to capital contributions. Ben Franz said the team has defined field and baseline building requirements and is negotiating operating and maintenance responsibilities so teams will manage daily operations while the city retains responsibility for major capital improvements: “The teams have expressed a desire to manage as much of the day‑to‑day operations and routine maintenance as possible.”

The project team gave an $82 million target budget that includes roughly $42 million in hard construction costs, $20 million in soft costs (design, permits, utilities, contingency) and a $20 million placeholder for property acquisition. Pattison and Franz said value engineering and the selected field orientation reduced the number of properties the city may need to acquire and limited earthmoving needs, lowering costs relative to earlier, larger estimates.

Officials outlined potential funding: approximately $5 million in anticipated Snohomish County contribution, private partner capital of roughly $20 million from the AquaSox and USL combined, and the remainder to be financed by bond issuance. City finance staff said portions of the requested advance appropriation would come from specific capital improvement funds and park impact fees. Heidi (finance staff) told the council the requested $3 million appropriation from CIP 2 would reduce that fund's 2025 projected balance from about $15.6 million to roughly $12.3 million.

Council members asked about cost changes since earlier estimates, property and business relocation costs, timing for lease and MOU documents, interaction with Sound Transit light‑rail planning, and options to reduce city risk. Dan Ernesi, economic development director, confirmed the Link extension preferred alignment (“preferred alternative A”) remains compatible with the proposed stadium location. Pattison and the team described a current RFP to identify a nonprofit third‑party facilitator that could assemble private development financing, assume construction and cost‑overrun risk, and issue bonds so the city would lease the facility back after completion; that option, the team said, could further reduce the city's upfront capital burden.

Council held first readings of three ordinances to (1) create the Everett Outdoor Event Center special project and appropriate $4.8 million for planning and initial acquisition; (2) amend the 2025 revised city budget to add that appropriation and identify funding sources; and (3) authorize property acquisition including eminent domain as a multi‑step process requiring separate approvals for each property. Those ordinances return for third and final reading on June 11, 2025.

Council members and staff emphasized next steps and public process: advance design to 60% to refine cost and program, continue lease negotiations with teams (expected to advance to term sheets this fall), continue outreach to affected property owners and businesses regarding relocation options, and evaluate the nonprofit facilitator RFP responses. “We want to move as little dirt as we have to for this project,” Pattison told council, adding that minimizing grading reduces both cost and displacement risk.

The briefing closed with council discussion about scheduling a future meeting to set council priorities and design goals (trees, local business participation, accessibility and programming), and the council agreed to return the ordinances for final action at the June 11 meeting.

Next steps: design advancement to 60%, finalize term sheets/MOUs with private teams (projected this fall for leases), continue property negotiations and potential acquisitions with additional council approvals, and evaluate nonprofit facilitator proposals to reduce city construction risk and upfront costs.