Published February 2004

Gas station makes way
for mixed-use building

Illustration courtesy of Barb Lamoureux “I wanted it to look like a big old house that has aged well,” Barb Lamoureux said of the mixed-use building she is developing at Wetmore Avenue and 19th Street. With 12,000 square feet of space, the building will house four two-bedroom apartments as well as office space.

By Kimberly Hilden
SCBJ Assistant Editor

At Wetmore Avenue and 19th Street, the Arco gas station at the southwest corner is gone, torn down at the end of 2003. In its place will be a mixed-use building more fitting of north Everett’s historical homes, said property owner Barb Lamoureux.

The longtime Windermere real estate agent purchased the 15,000-square-foot site in October 2002 after driving by and seeing a “for sale” sign on the lot. She immediately called the seller’s agent.

“I always loved that corner; that corner defines the start of the historic neighborhood,” said Lamoureux, a 23-year resident of north Everett. “I wanted to build a building that would fit into the neighborhood and have that characteristic of it.”

That includes a two-story, residential-style building with cedar siding, double-hung windows, shutters and a large, welcoming front porch, she said.

“I wanted it to look like a big old house that has aged well,” Lamoureux said. “The city has been very gracious in working with us to make sure we got some setback so we can have grass and a porch. It gives it the character of an old house rather than a commercial building.”

With 12,000 square feet, the building will house four two-bedroom apartments and some office space upstairs as well as office space downstairs. There also are tentative plans for a mini-gym, a “nice perk” for tenants, Lamoureux said. A 20-car parking lot will be tucked behind the L-shaped building.

Lamoureux plans to move her real estate business, which now employs her two sons, Aaron and Chris, out of her home and into the new building, leaving about 2,400 square feet of commercial space for lease.

In early January, work began on the building’s foundation, and the project is expected to be completed by the end of 2004 with an appraised value of $1.5 million, Lamoureux said.

Newland Construction is the general contractor for the project, and Architectural Design Associates is the architect. Frontier Bank is the lender.

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