September 9, 2024

A new home for the AquaSox?

Image courtesy of the city of Everett [enlarge]

This early concept rendering imagines a new ballpark/outdoor multipurpose facility in downtown Everett.

Come 2026, Everett's High-A Minor League Baseball team, the AquaSox, could be playing in a vastly upgraded stadium and the city could have a new venue for concerts and community events.

The city of Everett and Snohomish County are partnering with the owners of the AquaSox on a public/private effort to develop and operate either a completely new or updated stadium that will serve as the home field for the team and a venue for non-baseball events and programs.

Three options are being explored for what is described as a new “outdoor multipurpose facility.” They are the renovation/remodel or tear down and rebuild of the AquaSox's current home, Funko Field, or the construction of a totally new stadium at a separate site in downtown Everett.

A new facility for the AquaSox is necessary due to updated requirements from Major League Baseball that require a High-A Minor League stadium provide 2,800-3,200 fixed seats for fans. The project would ensure that “the AquaSox remain part of the community for generations to come,” the city says.

MLB photo [enlarge]

The AquaSox’s current ballpark, Funko Field, was last updated in 1998. The team has played there since 1984.

The team's current ballpark, Funko Field, is located at 3900 Broadway, south of downtown Everett and directly west and adjacent to the Broadway and Interstate 5 corridors. The ballpark has capacity for 3,682 fans but doesn't meet the new fixed seats requirements. It is also an older facility and dates to 1947. The AquaSox have played there since 1984 (at that time they were the Everett Giants). The facility was last remodeled in 1998.

The Funko Field site is owned by the Everett School District and in addition to the ballpark includes administrative offices for the school district, Everett Memorial Stadium football stadium, and shared parking facilities. As well as the AquaSox, it is the home field for Everett School District high school sports teams and Everett Community College's baseball team.

If the development team decides to move forward with a renovation/rebuild of Funko Field, it is assumed that Everett Memorial Stadium and the school district offices will remain. With these assumptions in mind, approximately 7-acres would be available for the stadium project. To provide additional space, procurement of a 0.77-acre property at the southwest corner of Broadway and 38th Street would need to be considered.

For the new stadium option, the proposed site is located on the eastern edge of Everett's downtown core, directly adjacent and east of the Angel of the Winds Arena (an indoor venue home to major junior ice hockey team the Everett Silvertips) and approximately a half mile west of I-5.

[enlarge]

A public-private partnership could build a new stadium for the AquaSox at this site in Everett.

[enlarge]

A renovation/rebuilding of Funko Field is also being considered.

The site is currently used by a mix of commercial businesses including light industrial, distribution, retail, restaurant and office, and comprises 28 privately-owned parcels. It totals approximately 12.5 acres.

In addition to the privatelyowned properties, existing public rights-of-ways for McDougall Avenue, Wall Street and Paine Avenue would need to be vacated to accommodate for a new stadium.

For each option, the city estimates the project costs to be between $60 million to $80 million, with the new site option being the most expensive. A document shared with the public in April says the city has currently committed approximately $1.2 million for the project.

Whichever option is selected, the resulting baseball stadium would meet the new seating requirements and would provide other amenities and serve other programs, such as:

• Conversion to an “amphitheater” setting that can seat up to 5,000 for concerts and community events.

• Use as a public park with amenities suitable for anticipated growth in Everett.

The project is still in its feasibility/exploratory stage. The city of Everett State Environmental Policy Act Responsible Official has determined the proposal is likely to have a significant adverse impact on the environment. Accordingly, a draft environmental impact statement (EIS) evaluating the alternatives was published Sept. 5.

The public is invited to view and comment on the draft EIS until Oct. 4. It can be viewed at https://tinyurl.com/EverettAquaSoxDraftEIS/.

Once the comment period concludes, the city will review and respond to comments. A final EIS will then be prepared that responds to the comments and updates the environmental document as needed.

The city anticipates issuing the final EIS by the end of 2024. That might include a preferred alternative.

If construction of a wholly new facility in downtown Everett is preferred, the current Funko Field would remain to serve the needs of the Everett School District and Everett Community College.

A design team would presumably be selected once a decision on the project site is finalized. Environmental Science Associates is the SEPA consultant for the project. Shiels, Obletz, Johnsen is the project manager.

Scott Pattison, special project manager for the city of Everett, told the Snohomish Tribune in December that the hope is to have baseball played in a new or remodeled stadium in 2026.

The AquaSox are an affiliate of MLB team the Seattle Mariners which is also supporting the project.