In November, the Port of Everett, alongside project partners and community members, broke ground on two new waterfront retail buildings as part of the first phase of the port’s 65-acre Waterfront Place mixed-use development.
The groundbreaking marked the first retail parcels to be built at the waterfront in over a decade, with plans to build at least one or two new buildings each year to reach full build out by 2026.
Port officials and future tenants gave remarks at the Nov. 8 event, followed by a ceremonial groundbreaking to commemorate the milestone.
“We have been strategically investing in this destination waterfront, and in the process, have created a new high-demand marketplace,” Port Commission President Tom Stiger said. “All together, we’ve got about $150 million in public and private investment here, which has allowed us to reach this important next step in the project.”
The two new buildings now under construction are set to house the new Asian-inspired Fisherman Jack’s restaurant and South Fork Bakery, as well as Everett-based offices for Bellingham Yachts, Freedom Boat Club and Waterline Boats.
The project would also add gathering spaces and public restrooms to the location.
“This area was the industrial hub of Everett when the port was formed more than a century ago—it has now become a hub of the revitalization for all of Everett,” Port of Everett CEO Lisa Lefeber said.
At completion of Fisherman’s Harbor, the area is expected to support about 900 new direct, indirect and induced jobs, in addition to temporary construction jobs. At full buildout of Waterfront Place, a total of 2,100 jobs are expected to be supported.
Waterfront Place has been a shared vision for the Port of Everett and City of Everett for more than two decades.
“This waterfront has been a best-kept secret for far too long, and the Port’s leadership and vision has really put Everett on the map,” City of Everett Mayor Cassie Franklin said.
Fisherman’s Harbor is the first public/private development district within the Port’s 1.5 million square-foot Waterfront Place development. The current project builds out about 8,600 square feet of the expected 26,000 square feet of retail and restaurants, plus expansive outdoor patio space.
All five businesses are expected to open by 2023.