EVERETT, Wash. — The City of Everett is seeking $10.6 million for the Everett AquaSox’s new baseball stadium, which will be put to a vote on Wednesday.
City officials are pushing for extra funding to buy nearby properties on which the stadium will sit and to help complete the design of the Everett Outdoor Event Center, which was initially approved by the council in 2022, according to The Seattle Times.
Everett’s new ballpark will house the Everett AquaSox, a minor league affiliate of the Seattle Mariners, and United Soccer League (USL) teams, along with hosting concerts, festivals, and community events.
Everett warns losing AquaSox means ‘losing jobs, visitors, and beloved family tradition’
Project plans for the event center include 5,000 seats with ADA accessibility throughout the facility, a premium club with a covered deck that can seat 200 fans and 400 standing. The stadium would also be easily convertible between pro baseball and soccer field layouts, offer a team support building with staff offices, locker rooms, and batting cages, and provide on-site, secure parking for staff and players.
“The outdoor event center project will bring significant economic and entertainment benefits — beyond baseball — to the community, the city and the region: creating jobs, attracting investment, growing tourism and enhancing quality of life for our residents,” the City of Everett stated.
Everett noted the various events offered at the new Everett Outdoor Event Center will drive economic growth and “downtown vibrancy.” In turn, the city believes the lack of a new facility will lead to Everett losing the AquaSox altogether, “which means losing jobs, visitors, and one of the community’s most affordable and beloved family traditions.”
Requested funding will be directed toward costs for design services, and partial property acquisitions, among others, as included in the city council agenda item cover sheet.
The total estimated cost of the project exceeds $120 million, including the latest request for $10.6 million. The city plans to have the project completed between Fall and Winter of 2027, in line with the start of the AquaSox 2027 season.
The Everett City Council has approved roughly $7 million, with $4.8 million approved in August 2025 for expenses related to partial design, consulting, and property acquisition, and the remaining $2.4 million approved for study and consulting work, city spokesperson Jason Kelly told The Seattle Times.
A timeline updated shared earlier this month noted that once Everett receives council approval to take over the site, construction will be underway by September.
The city must purchase existing properties on the site to begin building the event center. Everett has already made 14 offers, with two purchase agreements already made and four still pending.
Additionally, the Washington State Department of Commerce has committed a $7.4 million grant for the stadium, which can be accessed after Everett makes those real estate additions.
New $120M stadium would replace Funko Field, which no longer meets MLB standards
In 2021, Major League Baseball implemented new stadium requirements, which made the AquaSox’s current home ballpark, Funko Field, ineligible for play as it “does not meet the standards required by Major League Baseball for a High-A minor league team,” according to the city. Each year the AquaSox continue at Funko Field, the team receives a penalty for breaching the new guidelines.
Team owners have expressed desires to sign at least a 30-year lease as the new Everett Outdoor Event Center’s primary tenant.
City officials had initially projected construction costs between $60 million and $80 million, while land costs ranged from $20 million to $40 million, according to city estimates.
Updated estimates from March found that the project may require $66 million for construction and sales tax, $35 million for property acquisition, and $19 million for designs and permits.
Project consultant Ben Franz told The Seattle Times the $35 million for purchasing properties on the site is actually “really good news” for Everett, primarily because it shows “property values are increasing, and there’s a vibrant local economy.”
A vast majority of the new stadium’s funding, 38%, will be sourced through bonds supported by leases and facility revenue, with another 14% coming from the AquaSox and USL, 8% from the City of Everett, and a combined 10% from the state and county.
Still, that leaves a 21% funding gap to close. In order to fill the gap, Franz noted where they will seek out additional funding.
“We’re seeking increased public funding at the regional, state, and federal levels, as well as some unique public-private partnerships that are taking form,” Franz told The Seattle Times.
The city council is expected to consider approving the project’s full funding package later this summer. Designs are roughly 60% finalized, according to the city.
Why Everett won’t rebuild Funko Field:
Everett noted that keeping Funko Field “isn’t realistic” because it is a school facility currently used by student-athletes. Funko Field is also home to Everett Public Schools, Everett Community College, and the Everett Merchants of the Pacific International League.
Having a separate facility would eliminate any existing scheduling challenges, avoid disruptions in the coming seasons, and free up Funko Fields usage for youth sports.
The city still believes that Funko Field remains a valuable community asset, which would position Everett as a city with two large venues that attract sports tournaments, large events, youth sports, camps, and other events.
Pivoting to the Everett Outdoor Event Center attracts other users like the USL, leverages public transit and light rail, and generates greater economic impact, all while meeting the revised MLB stadium requirements.
If Everett had chosen to renovate Funko Field, it would have cost roughly $80 million. Dan Eernissee, Everett’s economic development director, provided many reasons why renovating Funko Field wasn’t a viable option for the city.
Since Funko Field is owned by the Everett School District, “it had to first and foremost be an educational facility,” Eernissee said. “But also, we were land-constrained there, and we could have never entertained other sports like soccer.”
Scott Pattison, executive project manager, said Everett residents deserve more from their city than just basic services — and sees the new stadium as a chance to deliver that.
“We needed to be more of a city than just police, fire, and streets,” Pattison told The Seattle Times. “The taxpayers in Everett and the people who live here deserve quality things to enjoy life.”
This story was originally published on MyNorthwest.com
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