ARLINGTON — “It’s the biggest news in Arlington in a long time,” Mayor Barbara Tolbert said of a $100 million development expected to bring as many as 2,000 family wage jobs to the area.

Marysville Mayor Jon Nehring agreed that the development of the vacant 54-acre site, just northeast of 67th Avenue and 197th Street in Arlington, will yield benefits for both cities.

“As we attract more development and more jobs to the north Marysville/south Arlington area, it will continue to expand the opportunities and highlight the region as a creator of job growth,” Nehring said.

Arlington staff spent last spring evaluating which areas within the city would be most ready for development. The area between 67th and 74th avenues already had the infrastructure, including water, sewer and other utilities, plus it provided relative proximity to Highways 9 and 531, as well as I-5.

Bellevue developer Chris Gayte was already familiar with Arlington, since two of his old business partners, Mick Shreck and Jim Rose of Trinity Partnership in Seattle, had bought the old Bayliner site by the Arlington Airport. In the years since, they not only fully leased up that space, but also bought the 67th Avenue property, which they sold to Gayte in September.

“I was encouraged by how fast they’d leased up the Bayliner site, but really, what sold me was its size,” said Gayte, whose GS Venture Partners will develop the former NW Hardwoods and Weyerhaeuser Log Mill site into Gayteway Business Park. “They just don’t make sites like this anymore. If you’re a business that’s looking to expand in this area, it can be hard to find buildings with enough size to suit your needs.”

Gayte’s master plan will utilize roughly 1 million square feet of the site to create 11 concrete tilt-up buildings, ranging from 41,000 to 200,000 square feet each. The business park will be fully funded, as multiple potential tenants are ready to sign letters of intent for one of the custom-built manufacturing and industrial facilities.

Gayte likewise considers it “an incredible added value” that Burlington Northern has agreed to install two spurs on the railroad line that runs through the property.

“Future tenants could use the tracks for their business,” Gayte said. “Within three to five years, we expect to have this entire business park built out. In the meantime, we expect to start cleaning up the property, tearing down old buildings and chipping away at the existing asphalt and cement to recycle it, by the middle of next week.”

Of the City Council members who joined Gayte, Tolbert and city administrator Paul Ellis at the site Oct. 15, Debora Nelson deemed projects such as the Gayteway Business Park one of the reasons why she goes to the Puget Sound Regional Council.

“We’re thinking of the long-term future of the city,” said Nelson, who credited anticipatory zoning with facilitating the process. “We hope to attract retail, improve quality of life and relieve congestion on I-5, by letting people work closer to their neighborhoods.”

Fellow council member Randy Tendering echoed Tolbert’s assessment that the business park would provide “a better gateway to downtown Arlington.” He also believes it would boost the planned Arlington Valley Road, which would link 74th Avenue to 191st Place, providing a more direct route to Highway 9 for businesses along 67th Avenue.

“If two thousand people are going to be working here, they’re going to need to shop and eat lunch somewhere,” Tendering said.

Council member Jan Schuette credited Ellis, community and economic development director Chris Young and city staff with streamlining the permitting process for this project.

“This project is a major beginning to boosting the local economy, adding jobs and growing our tax base, as well as branding Arlington as a major destination for industrial growth that’s rarely available in Snohomish County,” Tolbert said.

Nehring believes this project will improve the jointly proposed Arlington and Marysville manufacturing and industrial center’s odds of being designated by the PSRC.

Tolbert and Schuette pointed out that the business park could even move up the scheduling of the widening of Highway 53.

“Because we are a growing job sector, Arlington earns a priority with federal transportation agencies for providing highway funds,” Tolbert said. “Each success builds on another.”

At the same time, Tolbert assured residents that development near the Gayteway Business Park will be controlled in ways that will enhance and protect the “Old Town Arlington” atmosphere.

Gayte nonetheless complimented Tolbert and Ellis on their “pro-development” attitude.

“I was impressed by the city’s readiness to help developers,” Gayte said.