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The longstanding Woodinville garden center Molbak’s says it’s been suddenly cut out of a massive redevelopment project in the Seattle suburb’s downtown by a company with ties to Bill Gates.
Molbak’s Garden + Home, a family-owned store that opened in Woodinville 67 years ago and has become a regional shopping destination, went public Tuesday about the surprise change for the Gardens District project, accusing Green Partners, LLC, of forcing Molbak’s out of the plan to redevelop 19 acres with a new garden center, plus housing, restaurants and other amenities.
A research and design team from the University of Washington has been involved, with the aim of making the new neighborhood ecologically, economically and socially sustainable.
In an interview, Molbak’s CEO Julie Kouhia said she and the Molbak family were shocked and devastated earlier this month when they received notice that Green Partners was terminating the store’s lease and role in the new development without explaining why.
As recently as this past June, Molbak’s and Green Partners worked together to secure City Council approval for the project, Kouhia said. Molbak’s wants to know what went wrong and how to set things right, she said.
“There’s not a justification we can find,” Kouhia said. “There hasn’t been a productive back and forth yet … But we want to move forward. We’re not trying to throw anybody under the bus.”
On Tuesday afternoon, Mayor Mike Millman said the council would discuss at a meeting Tuesday night whether to repeal the city’s June development agreement with Green Partners.
“I’d like to see how we can facilitate a path where Molbak’s remains in this project,” he said, calling the garden center one of Woodinville’s top two attractions, along with the city’s wineries.
In a news release, Molbak’s made a point to describe Green Partners as associated with Cascade Investment, LLC, and Cascade Investment, LCC, as being associated with Bill Gates.
Jens Molbak, who owns Molbak’s, has a “small, silent, minority interest” in Green Partners, LLC, Kouhia said. State records show that Green Partners is governed by Mount Tolt Holdings, LLC, which in turn is governed by Michael Larson. Larson is the chief investment officer at Cascade Asset Management Company, which manages investments for Gates, the Microsoft co-founder.
Messages for Cascade representatives weren’t immediately returned Tuesday.
Planning for the Gardens District began about 15 years ago when Green Partners bought the land where Molbak’s is located, Kouhia said. The 1,200-apartment project has been a key part of Woodinville’s effort to create a vibrant, walkable downtown. It’s one of several projects in the pipeline that together could add thousands of housing units in the once-sleep suburb.
In June, the council agreed to give Green Partners a height variance and development rights in return for public benefits, including infrastructure improvements around the site, about $4 million fees to support parks and trails and about 130 affordable apartments. The agreement also assumed that Molbak’s would be part of the project, Millman said.
“Keeping Molbak’s here was a big part of it,” the mayor said, describing the city’s leaders as upset with the apparent change to the plan.
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