Everett/Snohomish County Development News

[snococlam]

Originally Posted by BoulderGrad

UW picked Everett station for the location of a satellite campus. I think the plan got shelved tho

Yep, shelved. Everett Mayor Stephanson worked a deal with WSU instead. WSU is taking over oversight of University Center consortium at EvCC, and will eventually offer some of their engineering degrees from that location. It's nice and better than no deal at all, but Sno Co (Everett in particular, I feel) needs a standalone university with its own campus, dorms and facilities.

[-Slumlord-]

Originally Posted by Everett Fan

The Sex Offender houses are gone? Where did you find that out? That was the main reason we didn't buy a sweet victorian house with a killer water view a few years ago. Who would have ever thought someting good came from the down economy

Here is what I know—The Westfords had at one point ten properties on the block north of Everett Avenue between Grand Ave and West Marine View Drive. These 10 properties were a mix of houses, duplexes, and fourplexes. The exact unit count is hard to know because they had a tendency to subdivide units inside buildings—sans permits—so that the only way of knowing for sure would be to see the inside in person. To keep things simple, I will just tally the ten parcels that were owned by various Westford family members (as well as CM Thor Corporation and Day-by-Day, Inc., which are companies owned all or in part by the Westfords). By my count, there are now three categories of ownership:

(1) The Westfords currently still have four of the ten.

(2) Four properties have gone into foreclosure; two of these are still bank-owned, and two have new owners.

(3) Someone who I believe regularly trades properties with the Westfords bought the last two parcels. It is hard to say if the Westfords retain any control over these properties or not.

I’ll use hypothetical example to explain why the ownership, especially in category (3) is murky. Let’s say that the Westfords buy a house in 2000 for $100,000 that brings in $1000/mo in rent. They refinance the house in 2007 for $170,000 with Bank #1, keeping $70,000 in cash. In 2010, the Westfords stop making payments to the bank but keep collecting rent for a year, pocketing another $12,000. The bank threatens foreclosure but does not really want to take back the house (because banks typically lose money when reselling foreclosures). Bank #1 allows the Westfords to do short sale to DH for $120,000 in 2010. Bank #1 eats $50,000 (the difference between the refinance value and the short sale). DH rents the house out to cover his payments and then in 2011 decides to stop making payments to his bank, Bank #2. DH also keeps collecting rent from his tenants. By 2012, Bank #2 is getting desperate and allows DH to do a short sale for the price of $82,000 to Anonymous LLC. DH has just pocketed the $12,000 rent he collected for a year while not making any payments to the bank.

Final score:
Westfords: gain 1 house free and clear, now under Anonymous LLC
DH: profit, $12,000
Bank #1: loss, $50,000
Bank #2: loss, $38,000

I am not saying that the Westfords, or anyone else, has pulled the exact scenario above. The details are more complicated. I wish I knew whether all of the Westford property was truly going into foreclosure and the open market, or if it is just a big shell game to play one bank off another.

[snococlam]

Story regarding the delay on the Downtown Everett Courtyard by Marriott published today in The Herald:
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/201...ack-of-funding

Disturbingly, the Courtyard by Marriott in Lynnwood is being foreclosed on. If a Courtyard at the I-405/I-5 junction can't make it, can one in Everett? The arena can make a difference for the Everett location, but it's not really any closer to Boeing attractions than Lynnwood is, and Lynnwood has a ton more shops & restaurants, plus better proximity for Seattle tourists.

I hope it works in Everett.

[Bond James Bond]

^
Lol @ comments in that article.

[Everett Fan]

So what's happening to the sex offenders? These people sound pretty shady...

[LCIII]

They should have been put down. They're the absolute worst kind of people.

[snococlam]

With no advanced public notice or discussion, Everett City Council quickly & quietly put an emergency 6-month development moratorium on the Kimberly-Clark mill waterfront property Wednesday night, to assess what the city wants there before any plans could be submitted.

[Everett Fan]

Originally Posted by LCIII

They should have been put down. They're the absolute worst kind of people.

Yeah, you should go check out the book the Everett Police has on them. It tells about what they did and shows a picture. Makes one want to vomit and amazes you that they are free to walk the streets. Dont we have some island prison here that is being shut down? I suggest we put them on it.

[Doomgoggles]

Originally Posted by LCIII

They should have been put down. They're the absolute worst kind of people.

I think it's ridiculous how much money it costs to kill someone. And yet it costs almost the same to keep them alive and in prison. Is there no way they can stop screwing over society?

I'm thinking masked vigilantes, personally. Take em out and make the city and state say it doesn't merit investigation.

[LCIII]

Im right there with both of you. These monsters arent even people anymore. They dont deserve to be treated with any kind of dignity. The world would be a better place without them. Hell burns a little hotter for this kind of scumbag.

[mSeattle]

Originally Posted by LCIII

Im right there with both of you. These monsters arent even people anymore. They dont deserve to be treated with any kind of dignity. The world would be a better place without them. Hell burns a little hotter for this kind of scumbag.

BZZZZT!! GONG!! Too far.

You all are probably the same "people" who get jollies from having people live on the street and eat out of trash cans.

[Bond James Bond]

Back on topic please.

[-Slumlord-]

Yes, back on topic please. I posted what I knew about the Westford properties for reasons relating primarily to real estate. Issues of crime and punishment are appropriate here only insofar as they affect willingness to invest in certain areas.

The altruistic part of me does not like the lack of maintenance of the buildings that the Westfords own because houses in disrepair degrade both the neighborhood and the residents. No matter what you think of a person’s background, living in squalor brings out the worst in human beings. Some people cannot be rehabilitated; but those on the fence are more likely to make choices that are harmful to society if they have no hope for improving their own situation. It is easy see how a rundown block can deter investment in the surrounding area. The hidden damage to people, while equally bad, is not the point of these message boards.

The money-motivated part of me sees the Westfords as competition. I also rent to people on the margin in life. The difference, I hope, is that I provide a decent place for people to live. Passing judgment is not my job. Managing property is. When someone such as the Westfords buy a place near property of mine and run theirs into the ground, it damages my value. This is my major complaint with their approach.

The Westfords have trashed buildings near places that I own, damaging my property values in the process, and then screwed the banks and everyone else by withdrawing equity before ceasing to make payments. Foreclosure is sometimes necessary in cases like divorce or job loss, but for Mike and Michelle Westford, foreclosure is part of their business plan. They make me sick.

[-Slumlord-]

On to a happier topic—Everett is an important step closer to adopting a plan for revitalizing Evergreen Way. The Planning Commission has voted on its recommendations to the City Council, which will then hold additional hearings before adopting new regulations. The key advantages that I see are:

1) Modernized design standards. New development along Evergreen/Hwy 99 will have greater architectural detail and there are incentives to have urban site designs rather than more of the same outdated generic strip commercial development.

2) Tax credits for new residential development. As far as I know, all of the major residential projects in the downtown are since the late 1990s have relied on deferred taxes in order for new development to pencil out. Extending the credit will likely mean more housing in the corridor.

3) Higher retail sales. When an obsolete strip mall is replaced by new apartments or condos, the remaining businesses in the area will get more business. Today’s Evergreen is a perfect example of having too much commercial development and not enough market. Owners of buildings in struggling commercial areas often do not have the resources to maintain or improve their buildings. With more people and fewer storefronts, those properties that remain in commercial use will receive upgrades more frequently.

[snococlam]

I'm no expert, but I worry that encouraging residential density along Evergreen Way will lead to less urban density in Downtown Everett. I'd rather see demand for housing in Everett met with more & taller downtown structures, helping "focus" the core of the city and its services.

Does Evergreen Way development detract from potential downtown development? What about the walkability for folks who would end up living on Evergreen? Is there enough "neighborhood" to make it cohesive and walkable, or would it be just like living above a strip mall? And how should Everett meet demand for parks these new Evergreen residents would need? I'm concerned about creating new urban areas without allowing for the urban amenities that go along with that.

What do you folks think?

[Bond James Bond]

I welcome that new plan - Evergreen Way desperately needs an upgrade - but I can't imagine a whole lot of residential along it. Some, but not a lot. It's a bit on the noisy side and I think that'll keep demand to a minimum.

[NW Mike]

Originally Posted by Doomgoggles

I think it's ridiculous how much money it costs to kill someone. And yet it costs almost the same to keep them alive and in prison. Is there no way they can stop screwing over society?

I'm thinking masked vigilantes, personally. Take em out and make the city and state say it doesn't merit investigation.

About $450,000 to have one of these offenders go through the Sex offender treatment program. If they fail and can not live in society, then they could end up at the Special Commitment Center on McNeil Island. The prison on the island has been closed over a year. The commitment center houses these guys for the rest of their lives and we pay for it!! About $40,000 a year. It would have been cheaper to expand the McNeil Prison, but our state government has hands in all sorts of pockets and must keep certain senators happy by building new prisons in their district.....ok...I'll get off my soap box....back on topic.

[snococlam]

It's only 3 stories tall, but promises to be one of the more interesting-looking buildings in the county. More at the link, including more renderings.
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/201...s-new-building

Boeing starts work on Everett delivery center
At 180,000 square feet, the facility will be three times larger than the existing delivery center.

By Michelle Dunlop, Herald Writer

EVERETT -- The Boeing Co. took another step Monday toward making a new aircraft delivery center in Everett a reality by breaking ground on the complex.

"We're going to build a delivery center just as beautiful as our airplanes," Jeff Klemann, vice president of Boeing's delivery center, said at a ground-breaking ceremony Monday.

Boeing is building the new center in order to keep up with the increasing number of jet deliveries the company is making due to strong aircraft demand. The new facility will be 180,000 square feet, up from the existing center's size of 60,000 square feet.

[-Slumlord-]

Cool building! Thank you for posting the link, I'd missed the story.

[USAPatriot]

http://www.snohomishcountybusinessjo...299997/-1/SCBJ

Skotdal expands Library Place with Elks purchase

It's something.

Also a Whole Foods opened in Lynnwood at the old Circuit City.