Everett City Council approves extra $10.6M for future AquaSox stadium

The Everett City Council approved on Wednesday an extra $10.6 million requested by city officials to wrap up this phase of the new downtown stadium.

The council voted 6 to 1 to put the additional funds toward next steps - namely, design services and partial property acquisition - for the Everett Outdoor Event Center.

I'm really excited to see this moving forward," Mayor Cassie Franklin said at the meeting.

The ballpark, which was first approved by the council in 2022, is expected to reach completion in late 2027, per the current timeline. It will host the Everett AquaSox, a minor league baseball team, and United Soccer League teams.

Councilmember at large Judy Tuohy was the sole member to reject the ordinance. She said she needed more elements of the project to fall together, such as a buyer for the soccer franchise and the remaining gap in funding.

"My vote tonight is not a vote against the project," Tuohy said at the meeting. "It's really a vote out of caution regarding the city's financial risk. We need to ensure that the funding foundation is in place before we commit more of our city dollars."

Council members and residents alike had lingering questions about the project's finances and other impacts. Several locals said that they don't want the new stadium to overshadow other community needs.

"Who's watching out for the citizens?" Everett resident Jim Langus asked.

Stadium construction is set to kick off by September after Everett gains the council's approval to take control of the site.

With the funds greenlit on Wednesday, the City Council has now approved almost $18 million for the Everett Outdoor Event Center.

It's still a far stretch from the project's estimated price tag: $120 million.

The AquaSox - an affiliate of the Seattle Mariners - has long called Funko Field, at 3900 Broadway, home, but stadium requirements introduced by Major League Baseball in 2021 forced the team to consider uprooting.

Three years later, the City Council decided against renovating Funko Field for around $80 million, opting to move forward with the new location near Angel of the Winds Arena instead.

"If we don't move forward on this, I think the AquaSox will leave town, and MLB will tell them to do that," Councilmember at large Scott Bader said at the meeting.

The council is expected to consider approval of the project's full funding package this summer.

Project consultant Ben Franz provided an update on expenses.

"The teams have agreed to assume all day-to-day operations and maintenance, so the city will have far lower overhead for operating this facility than you see currently, as an example, across the street at Angel of the Winds," he said at the meeting.

Multiple parties are interested in buying the soccer franchise, Franz added.

As the new stadium develops, Evan Reed, an Everett resident and founder of nonprofit Bunker Arts Collective, wants a guarantee that other parts of the city aren't overlooked.

"I do want the AquaSox here. I want this project to succeed," he said at the meeting Wednesday. "But this project is being driven by league requirements - not because residents are asking for a new stadium."

Reed said a community investment fund built into the project could ensure a return on investment for other parts of the city, tackling illegal dumping, vandalism and public safety concerns.

Leadership behind the AquaSox cheered on the ballpark's progress.

"Coming off a championship season, there's no better time to look ahead and we could not be more excited about the momentum behind the outdoor event center," said Chad Volpe, owner of the Everett AquaSox, in a statement Tuesday ahead of the vote. "A new downtown home for the AquaSox will be a home run for our team as well as the community we are proud to be part of.

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This story was originally published April 29, 2026 at 4:54 PM.