Pickleball To Replace Cinema Complex At Development Next To Snohomish River In Everett, Washington

Tonight the Everett City Council had their second reading of an ordinance that would amend the development agreement with Shelter Holdings to swap out a proposed Cinema at the Riverfront Development with what is being called an Anchor Food and Recreation use which was described last week during a briefing as multiple indoor and outdoor pickleball courts with a food court.

Shelter Holdings is developing the former landfill east of Interstate 5 into housing and mixed use. They’ve completed townhomes to the north of the site and single family homes to the south and are now working on multi-family housing and commercial uses.

Prior to the Pandemic it was thought a Cinema would be a great use of the property but times have changed and Shelter told the Everett City Council that they are in talks with a developer of a successful Pickleball and Food Service entertainment complex with locations in the Midwest. This would be their first West Coast location. It would offer both indoor and outdoor courts.

A final reading of the ordinance and vote by the city council is scheduled for Wednesday November 29th. Below is a summary of what is proposed in the agreements between the City of Everett and Shelter Holdings.

The first proposed change is to the cinema element of the development. In 2021, considering the impact of the pandemic, Council approved a DA amendment that postponed the development’s cinema element from the First Phase and recognized that a cinema may no longer be viable at the Riverfront. Shelter is now working on negotiating a long-term agreement with a restaurant/recreational anchor tenant for what is currently indicated as the cinema site.

The second proposed change regards the Eclipse Mill Park, which is planned as a park with upland amenities (playground and picnic shelter) and in-water amenities (dock). Under the current agreements (going back to 2008 and 2019), Shelter first builds the upland part in stages, with the City building the in-water portion later when the City has funds. However, the City now will be able to use LIFT grant dollars to finance in-water park construction in 2025. Accordingly, the proposed change will adjust construction schedule to accommodate this, as it causes construction access issues if upland construction occurs before in-water work. This means the City will construct in-water in 2025, with Shelter following with its stages of upland work.

Finally, as mentioned above, several agreements govern the Riverfront. To make these two changes, corresponding revisions must be made to the Amended and Restated Property Disposition Agreement (ARPDA), which governs certain Riverfront real estate matters. Unlike a DA amendment (which is by ordinance), the ARPDA amendment is approved like other contracts, and will be scheduled for separate council action on 11.29.23, at the same meeting as the third reading of the proposed DA amendment ordinance.