Published January 2001

Residential/retail project under way in Everett

By Kimberly Hilden
Herald Business Journal Assistant Editor

Right now, the northwest corner of Hewitt and Grand avenues is a work in progress, surrounded by chain-link fencing and filled with dirt and concrete. But by autumn, the Nautica project should be completed, offering Everett residents 121 apartment units and 5,500 square feet of commercial space.

“I figure we’ll be done by October 2001,” said developer Steven Cupic of Seattle-based Cascasia Pacific Properties. “We’ll probably ... start preleasing two or three months prior to that.”

The project, which got under way in mid-October after receiving its final permits from the city of Everett, will include one level of underground parking, one level of above-ground parking with commercial space, and five stories of apartments situated in two buildings, Cupic said.

Apartments, which will be wired for high-speed Internet access, will include studio units, one-bedroom/one-bathroom units, two-bedroom/one-bathroom units and two-bedroom/two-bathroom units, he said. Apartment size will average about 775 square feet, with units ranging from 465 square feet to 1,113 square feet. Each unit will have its own washer and dryer, he said.

The base structure of the complex will be built in one contiguous piece, topped with two separate wood-frame buildings and a courtyard, Cupic said.

“Originally, we were going to have one building, but the reason we went to two buildings was to get more of the units to have views,” he said, referring to the westward expanse of Everett waterfront and Puget Sound.

The longtime property broker said he hopes to attract young professionals and “empty nesters” to the apartment units.

“As downtown grows, I think we’ll get more of the professionals,” said Cupic, who grew up in Everett and graduated from Everett High School.

As for the commercial space, Cupic said he and project partner Michael Mastro of G&M Investments are looking for two tenants: one to fill 3,500 square feet of space and another to fill 1,000 square feet. The rest of the commercial space will house project owner Nautica Partners LLC and a management company to run the operation.

“We already have a Tully’s and Starbucks here” in Everett, Cupic said. “I’d like to see somebody else compete in the 1,000-square-foot (space), some kind of coffee shop like that, because you have 121 (units of) people above you, I’d think they would support that. And then I would like to see some kind of restaurant in the 3,500-square-foot (space), but that’s not for sure. We’re exploring all options for that space at this time.”

Getting to this point, where he can monitor construction and envision tenants, has been more than two years in the making, Cupic said, and included working with the city of Everett to amend a zoning code to allow high-density residential use along with light industrial on part of Nautica land.

Then there were negotiations with The Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway Co., which has a railroad tunnel that runs beneath the development, Cupic said. Those talks resulted in a matt foundation being used to distribute the load of the buildings over the entire site.

But now that the bureaucracy has been dealt with, Cupic said he is eager to erect a quality building complex, one that he estimates will cost about $9 million.

Global Construction and Driscoll Architects, both based in Seattle, are involved with the project.

For renting or leasing information, call Cascasia Pacific at 206-284-5525.

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