Downtown Everett Stadium Project Gains Momentum
Efforts to advance a new downtown stadium in Everett are increasingly backed by growing support and concrete progress. Earlier reporting noted the formation of a fiscal advisory committee, whose recommendations have already influenced funding commitments from Snohomish County. That collaboration now appears poised to yield a tangible outcome: a city-owned stadium that would replace the aging Funko Field as the region’s premier sports and entertainment venue.
At present, Funko Field operates under an arrangement where the Everett School District owns both the land and structures, limiting the city’s influence over scheduling, event selection, and revenue generation. While the city collects a modest lease payment, its role remains largely passive. In contrast, a downtown stadium would place those levers directly in municipal hands, allowing for strategic programming, diverse event bookings, and broader financial returns from concerts, festivals, and community initiatives, in addition to regular-season baseball games.
This shift in control addresses a key vulnerability: Funko Field no longer satisfies Major League Baseball’s facilities standards, prompting ongoing penalties from the AquaSox. With other regional cities upgrading their ballparks to remain competitive, Everett faces the possibility of losing its long-standing minor league franchise, or at minimum, being left with a reduced sports footprint. Rather than reacting to external pressures, the downtown proposal aims to proactively expand the city’s offerings. Plans include not just retaining the AquaSox but also adding two professional soccer teams, transforming what could have been a net loss into a net gain across sports, tourism, and civic engagement.
The proposed location, a former industrial corridor near Everett Station and Angel of the Winds Arena, offers rare opportunity. Unlike redevelopments that require displacing existing residential neighborhoods, this site has remained underutilized for years and presents minimal relocation burdens. Parking concerns, a common point of debate, can be contextualized by current usage patterns: during Silvertips games and arena events, nearby facilities, including the Everpark Garage, Everett Station lots, and county-operated garages, have consistently accommodated attendees. The new stadium, with roughly half the seating capacity of the adjacent arena, is expected to fit comfortably within this existing infrastructure.
Public financing remains a focal point for critics, and scrutiny is warranted. Studies of similar projects across the country show varied results: while many stadiums do not significantly boost local incomes, those embedded in dynamic, mixed-use districts tend to deliver stronger returns. Research indicates that success correlates with walkability, transit access, and year-round activity, not just game days. Everett’s planned site aligns with this model. Its integration into a growing downtown core, linked to transit hubs, entertainment venues, and commercial corridors, positions it to support ongoing foot traffic and complement existing businesses, much like venues in Durham, North Carolina, and Columbus, Georgia.
Shared access stands at the heart of the proposal. Municipal ownership would let community groups book the grounds for fundraising efforts, allow youth sports organizations to compete on the same turf used by professionals, and give local business associations a venue for gatherings and client functions under city authority. That distinction separates a facility dark most of the week from one serving the public throughout the year.
The crowd composition deserves attention as well. A 2022 study on economic impact found that residents of Snohomish County account for 68 percent of AquaSox patrons, with those living in Everett comprising 22 percent, indicating close to 46 percent of spectators come from other parts of the region. The venue draws fans from across the county while located in Everett, justifying Snohomish County's additional commitment of $5 million. Private money is following that same trend. Two investors from the private sector have contributed recently, moving ahead of any official launch. That reflects confidence among individuals tied to Everett's commercial community regarding the city's trajectory.
Academic doubts about the project should not be brushed aside, and Everett cannot treat this undertaking as free of risk. The path forward lies in constructing a type of facility the research indicates succeeds: publicly owned, serving multiple purposes, connected to transit, and integrated into the downtown core. Those backing the retention of the AquaSox in Everett alongside two incoming professional soccer franchises should consider attending a City Council gathering, filing a public statement, or discussing the plan's potential impact on Everett's prospects with others. The energy behind this effort is real, and sustaining it requires the community's participation.