Home › Timeline

Timeline

Each item in this timeline is backed by one or more documents provided by the City of Everett in response to a public disclosure request for all documents relating to the city’s request that Sound Transit close the stop. You can view the complete collection of public records here.

Who’s Who

Bob Dobler – Owner of Gamut360 Holdings, LLC and manager of Everett Gateway Center LLC, the group that owns the Gateway Center business plaza. Bob Dobler does not live in Everett. He owns a 4,900 square foot waterfront home on Mission Beach, in unincorporated Snohomish County just off the Tulalip Reservation. Between 2005 and 2011, Bob Dobler, his wife, and Gamut360 contributed a total of $4,700 to the campaigns of Mayor Ray Stephanson and council members Jeff Moore, Shannon Affholter, Paul Roberts, and Arlan Hatloe.
Ryan Sass – City Engineer, City of Everett
Tom Hingson – Director of Transportation Services, City of Everett
Pat McClain – Executive Director, City of Everett
Patrice Hardy – Sound Transit

Back Story

According to Sound Transit, service at the 38th and Broadway bus stop began in February 2002. Four years later, Bob Dobler’s company built Everett Gateway Center. Apparently in building this center, they failed to provide sufficient parking for employees and customers, as Bob Dobler began to complain to the City of Everett about a lack of street parking in early 2012.

2012 Stop Closure Timeline

  • April 12 – Email complaint from Bob Dobler (Gamut 360 Holdings, owner of Gateway Center)
  • April 13 – Tom Hingson suggests that Gateway Center should tow commuter cars in their lot
  • April 18 – Email complaint from Bob Dobler
  • April 20 – Community Transit studies the stop
  • April 23 – Pat McClain explains that AquaSox have been able to prevent commuter parking in their lot with “no commuter parking” signs
  • April 24 – Written complaint from Kathline Sullivan (Western Washington Medical Group, co-owners of Gateway Center)
  • April 24 – Email complaint from Bob Dobler
  • April 27 – Complaint from “tenant”
  • May 2 – Tom Hingson notes that Gateway Center lacks “no commuter parking” signs
  • May 7 – Pat McClain notes that “this issue has the Mayor’s attention”
  • May 8 – Tom Hingson backs “resigning the street parking” and “enforcing towing” as “a better solution than closing the stops on 38th”
  • May 8 – Ryan Sass lists his suggested solutions, #1 preference is time restricted parking
  • May 10 – Pat McClain concurs with Sass’ recommendation
  • May 10 – Tom Hingson concurs with Sass’ recommendation
  • May 10 – Ryan Sass speaks with Bob Dobler by phone, who insists time restricted parking not be implemented. Dobler is “adamant” that the stop be either closed or moved
  • May 10 – Email complaint from Bob Dobler, insists that the stop be closed and restricted parking not be implemented
  • May 11 – Email complaint from Bob Dobler
  • May 13 – Pat McClain says that at Gateway Center “according to one manager, employees are being told to park on the street or be towed”
  • May 14 – Email complaint from Bob Dobler
  • May 14 – Patrice Hardy indicates Sound Transit’s plan to post rider alerts asking commuters not to use private lots neighboring the stop.
  • May 16 – Pat McClain speaks with Bob Dobler, “conversed about progress toward a resolution.”
  • May 16 – Tom Hingson indicates that the City and Sound Transit now want to “close the stop to outbound ST Buses before noon M-F”
  • May 18 – Tom Hingson indicates that Sound Transit does not want to close the stop, suggests that “we may still need to adjust parking limits to 4 hours.”
  • May 21 – Ryan Sass fields a phone call complaint from Bob Dobler
  • May 21 – Email complaint from Bob Dobler
  • May 22 – Email complaint from Bob Dobler
  • May 23 – Phone call complaint from Bob Dobler
  • June 1 – Rider Alert is posted encouraging commuters to park elsewhere
  • June 6 – Complaint from a tenant at Mountain Pacific Bank
  • June 5 – Someone at Gateway Center (Bob Dobler?) prints Sound Transit’s Rider Alerts and leaves them on the windshields of cars parked on surrounding streets
  • June 8 – Email complaint from Bob Dobler
  • June 13 – Results of rider alerts: vacant parking spaces on streets surrounding the stop increased fivefold from 3 to 17
  • June 14 – Patrice Hardy suggests parking enforcement as the next step
  • June 15 – Bob Dobler calls Patrice Hardy, indicates that he will meet privately “with the Mayor, and select city councilmembers re: parking at 38th and Broadway. He does not want parking enforcement.”
  • June 15 – Email complaint from Bob Dobler, indicates strong disapproval for the city’s plan to install restricted parking
  • ??? – Somehow in the period between June 15 and August 1 the City’s plan switched from restricted parking to closing the stop to Sound Transit buses. Zero documents from this period were provided by the city.
  • August 1 – Email complaint from Bob Dobler, indicates support for the city’s plan to close the stop.
  • September 5 – Email complaint from Bob Dobler
  • September 11 – Rider Alert posted by Sound Transit indicating the imminent stop closure
  • September 18 – Phone call complaint about stop closure from Tim Ellis
  • September 19 – Email complaint about stop closure from Paul-Erick Johnson
  • September 20 – Email complaint about stop closure from Victor Harris
  • September 20 – Phone complaint about stop closure from Rafael Cornejo
  • September 20 – Mayor responds to Rafael Cornejo’s complaint
  • September 24 – Patrice Hardy summarizes stop closure background for Paul Roberts, claims that “these aren’t perfect solutions, and perhaps in the future it may change back.”
  • September 24 – Email complaint about stop closure from Rafael Cornejo (response to Mayor)
  • September 25 – Bob Dobler continues to email city officials
  • September 25 – Patrice Hardy and Jim Moore staff the stop during AM commute to discuss stop closure with commuters, raises concerns with security at Everett Station
  • September 28 – Everett PD notified of security concerns at Everett Station
  • October 1 – Stop closed to Sound Transit buses

2013 Update

As of September 29, 2013, a new stop has been opened to replace the stop that was removed at 38th and Broadway. The new stop at 34th and Broadway services all Sound Transit 510, 512, and 532 buses.