What's New in Snohomish This Fall: New Downtown Spots, Highway 9 Work, and the Events Ahead

Snohomish keeps moving, and whether you already live here or are weighing a move, it helps to know what is actually changing. Here is the useful stuff from the last year and what is coming up this fall and winter, pulled from the city's own project pages, local news, and the businesses themselves.

New places downtown

• F.R.E.D.S, First St Rivertown Eatery & Drinks (1114 First Street): the owners of Cathouse Pizza took over the long-running Fred's Rivertown Alehouse, a downtown staple since 1953, and reopened it in fall 2025 with local classics, new additions, and a full bar. fredseatery.com
• Snohomish Coffee Co. (801 First Street, Unit 201): a new third-wave coffee shop on the east end of the historic district, in the former Looking Glass Coffee space. snohomishcoffeeco.com
• Grain Artisan Bakery & Café (717 First Street): a certified gluten-free bakery and coffee bar in the heart of downtown, grown from farmers-market pop-ups into a brick-and-mortar café. grainartisanbakery.com
• Studio 606 (606 First Street): Val Flynn's home-based pottery studio expanded into a gallery and gift shop showcasing about 25 local artists. valflynnpottery.com

None of these are chain sprawl; they are local operators betting on a walkable historic downtown, and that is a good sign for First Street.

Park projects moving ahead

The city opened the new playground at Morgantown Park in 2026 after a replacement project. Ferguson Park's playground equipment replacement, improvements at Averill Field, and riverbank stabilization along the entry road at Pilchuck Park are all moving ahead in the 2026 budget. And at Flowing Lake Park, the county is replacing the aging floating dock and adding accessible kayak, fishing, and swimming access, funded in part by a $500,000 grant.

A new city administration

Aaron Hoffman took over as mayor on January 1, 2026, after defeating incumbent Linda Redmon in the November 2025 election, and the council confirmed Ken Klein as city administrator on January 6. It is the kind of change that shows up in the details: the new administration eliminated the Director of Public Works position as part of the shake-up.

Two decisions from the last year are worth knowing about. The council voted 6-1 in March 2025 to ban fireworks within city limits starting in 2026, so July 4, 2025 was the last legal fireworks day. And the city approved the First Street Master Plan in April 2026, a guiding design for a curb-less First Street with street trees, brick paving, and historic light poles, which the city will now chase grants for.

On the development side, the 294-unit mixed-use Emblem project on Bickford Avenue near Cemetery Creek got its Site Development Plan approved on September 30, 2026, after an appeal over wetlands impact paused it in August.

Highway 9 work to know about

The biggest road story in town is WSDOT's widening of SR 9 from Marsh Road to the 2nd Street vicinity, about two miles, to two lanes in each direction. That includes a new river bridge west of the existing 1959 span, a new overflow bridge, and a rebuilt southbound 2nd Street on-ramp. Pile-driving for the new bridge started December 1, 2025, and Lowell-Snohomish River Road was closed around the clock from August 17 through September 30, 2026 while the bridge piers were finished. The three-year project continues into 2027, so expect more weekend closures and repaving work along the way.

Fall and winter to put on the calendar

• First Street Trick or Treat: Saturday, October 31, in historic downtown, the family-friendly candy run up and down First Street.
• Holiday Open House: Friday, November 6 (4 to 8 PM) and Saturday, November 7 (noon to 8 PM), with two dozen-plus downtown shops open late, decorated windows, treats, and live music.
• Community Christmas Tree Lighting: Saturday, November 28, at the Carnegie Building, when Santa arrives and the community tree is lit.
• Santa in the Shops: Saturdays and Sundays from late November through December, noon to 3 PM, with Santa visiting kids in downtown stores.
• Winterfest: December 11 to 13, the downtown holiday weekend with the ice-sculpting contest, Breakfast with Santa, Santapalooza, the holiday wine walk, and the Chase the Grinch out of Snohomish fun run.

The farmers market wrapped its 2026 season on October 15 and returns next summer.

Bottom line

New businesses betting on First Street, a city that approved a real plan for how downtown should look, a council that made a clear call on fireworks, and a major road project on track to change the commute. That is the current Snohomish story, and it is a good one to watch if you are thinking about buying here. For the neighborhoods, schools, and real estate picture, start with the full Snohomish city guide.