EVERETT — The 50-year-old Everett Mall will soon make way for a more walkable outdoor shopping center, Mayor Cassie Franklin announced at her State of the City address Thursday.
Once a bustling commercial and hangout spot, the mall is now dotted with store closure signs and empty storefronts.
“The Everett Mall opened in 1974, and by the ’80s it was the place to be,” Franklin said in her speech held at the mall. “Much later, malls across the country began to shutter and shoppers tastes were changing. So, for the last few years we’ve been working closely with the team at Brixton, the owners of the Everett Mall. We wanted to see the space re-imagined to better meet our community’s changing needs.”
Construction is underway for the new mall development called the “The Hub @ Everett,” set to open in 2026, Franklin said. The mayor unveiled renderings of the more modern mall complete with seating, new restaurants, green space and plenty of parking.
Research into consumer shopping habits led to reimagining the Everett Mall, said Angelique Ashton, the retail marketing administrator for the mall.
Instead of spending the day at the mall, trends show people now prefer a quick trip in and out of the store to get what they need, she said. The mall itself isn’t closing for construction and current retailers will remain where they are, Ashton said.
This month, Trader Joe’s recently moved across Everett Mall Way to a new anchor store at the mall, in the space of the former Sears — the department store that was the anchor tenant when the mall opened 50 years ago, according to The Daily Herald archives.
Franklin also teased an upcoming announcement about a “top new entertainment anchor” coming to the mall, but declined to provide specifics.
“This tenant will be transformative — attracting visitors from throughout the county and beyond for positive, family fun,” she said.
About 300 attendees paid $35 a ticket, which came with a catered meal, to hear Franklin speak about the city’s challenges, milestones and future plans.
In her roughly 45-minute speech, Franklin touched on plans for the mall, the city’s drug crisis, policing and behavioral health.
‘Solutions we have are not enough’
Mayor Franklin laid out an “alternate response program” on Thursday, a new way for the city to respond to behavioral health crises.
Under the program, the city will send behavioral health specialists to people in crisis, in place of police or paramedics.
“We know that in some situations, involving law enforcement or EMS is not necessary or may not be the best options, but currently, those are the only options we have,” Franklin said.
The goal is to de-escalate situations and provide people with resources “with the goal of long-term health and stability,” Franklin said.
Everett Mayor Cassie Franklin steps back and takes in a standing ovation after delivering the State of the City Address on Thursday, March 21, 2024, at the Everett Mall in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
The mayor also announced a pilot drug treatment program, bringing treatment directly to those in need, through “counseling, peer support and treatment to those on our streets.”
“The fact is, the problems we’re encountering today with fentanyl and synthetic drugs are incredibly severe, unlike anything we’ve seen before,” Franklin said. “The solutions we have are not enough.”
There is no set timeline for when those programs are set to begin, city spokesperson Simone Tarver said in an email on Friday, as they were still in their early phases.
‘Keep the AquaSox here’
In 2020, Major League Baseball upped stadium standards for minor league teams. Funko Field needs massive upgrades to meet the requirement, or the city could risk losing its High-A team.
In response, the city is considering three options: remodel Funko Field; raze and rebuild a new stadium at Funko Field; or build a new stadium downtown, next door to Angel of the Winds Arena.
If officials choose the downtown location, around 20 businesses could be demolished. However, staying at the current location leaves very little room to build a new stadium, let alone expand in the future, if needed.
“The (City) Council and I remain fully committed to doing everything we can to keep the AquaSox here in Everett for generations to come and ensure we remain the region’s entertainment and sports hub,” Franklin said.
A new stadium, with an estimated cost from $40 to $80 million, could be funded in part by public-private partnerships between the city and the AquaSox owners, who pledged between $5 to $10 million for the stadium. Last year, the state awarded Everett with $7.4 million for a new stadium. The county also agreed to chip in an undisclosed amount.
‘Everett is facing some serious challenges’
Amid a $12.9 million budget deficit, the city is exploring ways to save money. One option is merge the city library with the much larger Sno-Isle Libraries network, or merge the city fire department with another one in the region.
During her speech, Franklin highlighted the history and work of both departments, but didn’t mention the possible departure from city ownership.
“Everett is facing some serious challenges,” Franklin said. “We have a financial deficit, a housing crisis and drug crisis and more. But that’s what makes this the perfect time for us to consider big, innovative ideas and take bold steps.”
Meanwhile, the police department is considering an investment in controversial gunshot detection technology.
On March 7, the City Council approved the police department’s request to apply for a $300,000 state grant to fund the program. Social rights activists and researchers have questioned the ethics and efficacy of the technology.
‘Boeing is going through an incredibly tough time’
Boeing was a lead sponsor of the mayor’s event.
The airplane manufacturing giant, with a massive factory in Everett, has continued to make headlines for a series of high-profile mid-flight incidents that have led to investigations, lawsuits and negative publicity, along with the recent reported suicide of a whistleblower who worked in Everett for decades.
Susan Champlain, a senior director of government operations at Boeing Commercial Airplanes, acknowledged in sponsor remarks, ahead of Franklin’s speech, that “there’s been a lot of news about the Boeing Company lately.”
In January, a door plug on a Boeing 737 popped loose midair on an Alaska Airlines flight above Portland.
“All of us were shocked and horrified about what happened on Alaska Airlines flight 1282,” she said. “Every single one of us knows and is committed to ensuring nothing like that happens ever again.”
Champlain said since January, the company has taken “big steps” to ensure this doesn’t happen again. In Everett and Renton, leadership met with employees to discuss how they can improve employee safety and the quality of the aircrafts.
Franklin said she was incredibly proud of the city’s partnership with Boeing — even if the company is “going through an incredibly tough time.”
“I believe in our local aerospace workforce,” she said. “I believe in our local aerospace suppliers and I’m incredibly proud of everything Boeing, its workers and its partners have built here.”
Herald reporter Janice Podsada contributed to this report.
Ashley Nash: 425-339-3037; ashley.nash@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @ash_nash00.
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