EVERETT — Medical schools, commercial air travel and light rail to Everett are some of the issues Everett Mayor Ray Stephanson promised to push for in the coming year.
Stephanson used his annual State of Everett address Thursday to revisit the progress made on the city’s Vision 2025 plan, and to present a view of how the city is changing to align with its longer-term goals.
The event was sponsored by the Economic Alliance of Snohomish County.
In talking about the growth of higher education in north Everett, Stephanson said the city would support Washington State University’s efforts to establish a medical school in Spokane.
“WSU will continue to grow with more degrees and programs, including in the medical field,” Stephanson said.
WSU graduated its first class of mechanical engineering students from the school’s Everett campus last spring and plans to add four new degree programs in the coming year.
Stephanson said that the nexus of higher education facilities in Everett, including WSU, Trinity Lutheran College and Everett Community College, will over the next 10 years serve thousands of students, including 1,500 at a new and expanded University Center.*
Stephanson also promised to push a 2016 ballot measure to expand light rail service to Everett by 2033, and he reiterated his support to build a commercial air terminal at Paine Field.
“Lack of this essential service puts us at a substantial disadvantage,” Stephanson said. “The time has come, we need to act.”
In the coming year, the city expects to see some longer-term projects start to bear fruit, including the first homes to be built in the new Riverfront development, the construction of a new Courtyard by Marriott hotel, and the replacement of the aging Broadway Bridge.
A year-round farmer’s market is expected to open this spring on Grand Avenue, and the first phase of the renovation of Sen. Henry M. Jackson Park will be complete this summer, Stephanson said.
The city this year also will undertake a new study of downtown parking capacity and usage, crack down on nuisance violations of city code, and continue to search for solutions to chronic homelessness and mental illness on the streets.
Stephanson vowed to keep pressure on elected officials to fund an estimated $1 billion in transportation improvements over the next 10 years, as well as continuing to advocate for more improvements.
Some good news couldn’t be shared publicly yet, he said.
“A lot of activity is happening behind the scenes,” Stephanson said.
Stephanson painted a picture of Everett emerging from the recession years and transforming into a destination city over the next decade.
“Over the next 10 years, Everett will continue to grow as a significant job center, with addition of as many as 30,000 new jobs,” he said, pointing out a growing diversity of businesses in aerospace, health care, maritime and other industries.
“We can’t be complacent,” he added. “Our past achievements should be the fuel that pushes us forward in the coming years.”
Chris Winters: 425-374-4165; cwinters@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @Chris_At_Herald.
Correction, Feb. 3, 2015: An earlier version of this story left out a key detail, implying that 1,500 additional students would be attending local colleges in Everett by 2015. That number only includes those who would be served by the expanded University Center.
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