Major waterfront project for Port of Everett sees signs of new life

The Port of Everett isn’t giving up on a project 16 years in the making.

The port recently re-submitted a Request for Qualifications for a hotel developer to build on its 65-acre waterfront lot and ground lease its “shovel-ready” site.

The port hopes the 100- to 120-room hotel will serve as a key element to the $350 million development.

If the project comes to fruition, it would become a part of an effort that began in 2000. In 2014, The Daily Herald reported plans for the 65-acre site around 13th and 14th streets was focused on housing. Originally called the Port Gardner Wharf project, the port’s Chief of Business Development Terrie Battuello told the Herald in 2014 that the idea would create a “gentrified version of the port.”

“How many Pottery Barns do you need to go to on the weekend?” she asked the Herald.

Instead, the idea became focused around the area’s maritime history. It also switched the focus from housing to job creation, supporting boating, and opening up the waterfront to the public more, the Herald reported.

The hotel would be placed in Fisherman’s Harbor, a district made up of about 12 developable acres. Construction could begin as early as 2017, once the port commission agrees to a lease.

Ultimately, the Port of Everett hopes to add more than 600 new residences, a park, commercial and retail space and a total of two hotels.

Follow @https://twitter.com/mynorthwest