Don’t Reward the Developer That Destroyed Molbak’s
Key Takeaways
Green Partners forced Molbak’s out by terminating its partnership with the 67-year-old business in 2023.
Green Partners eliminated Molbak’s and the Gardens District vision to reset the project and extract a more profitable Development Agreement from the City.
The site has sat empty for more than a year, leaving a visible scar in the heart of Woodinville.
Historic structures were demolished before preservation could be considered, eliminating any realistic opportunity for landmark protection.
The Midtown Woodinville proposal offers minimal public benefit while asking the City for major height, density, and vesting concessions.
Woodinville should not reward this behavior with a Development Agreement.
You have an important opportunity to speak up about the future of the former Molbak’s site
The Woodinville City Council will meet on Tuesday, March 17, 2026 at 7:00 PM at City Hall, where the proposed Green Partners Development Agreement will be discussed as part of the evening’s business agenda. This meeting is a critical moment for the community to send a clear message: the City should not reward the developer responsible for destroying Molbak’s with extraordinary development concessions.
How To Participate
Attend in person at Woodinville City Hall (17301 133rd Ave NE) and sign up before the meeting begins to provide public comment. Speakers typically have three minutes and must state their name and whether they live within city limits.
Residents can also sign up for virtual public comment or submit written comments using the City’s official form: https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=bi-CV3GOq02OBRjKZEhQ0lAKPpTnG4BKtJ5jeFbjfcNUNEw4SFNNRVJXTVlONkxGRU1LQVZaSFMyWC4u
Virtual sign-ups and written comments must be submitted at least one hour before the meeting begins to be included in the public comment period.
Bring neighbors, family, and friends. Even if you do not plan to speak, showing up demonstrates that the community is paying attention. Share this article widely with neighbors and local groups. The louder and broader the community response, the harder it will be for the Council to ignore the message that Woodinville should not reward Green Partners for destroying Molbak’s.
How Woodinville Lost Molbak’s
For decades, Molbak’s was one of the defining institutions of Woodinville. Families came for Christmas trees and holiday displays, gardeners traveled from across the region for plants and advice, and visitors heading to wine country often stopped there first. The garden center became both a cultural landmark and a powerful economic engine for the city, drawing roughly a million visitors each year at its peak. Molbak’s was not simply a retail business; it was one of the few places that gave Woodinville a sense of identity beyond being a bedroom community or wine tasting stop.
Today, the 19-acre property where Molbak’s once stood sits empty in the center of town. The loss did not happen by accident, and it was not inevitable. Molbak’s did not simply fail. It was pushed out.
Green Partners purchased the property from the Molbak family in 2008 and spent years promoting a redevelopment vision known as the Gardens District. The concept was widely embraced because it promised something distinctive: a “city in a garden,” with a revitalized Molbak’s serving as the centerpiece of a vibrant district blending housing, retail, and public gathering space rooted in Woodinville’s agricultural heritage.
Molbak’s leadership spent nearly a decade helping shape that vision, collaborating with the University of Washington Green Futures Lab, working with the UW Bothell School of Business, and consulting with experts in sustainability and community design. The goal was to create a development that felt authentically Woodinville rather than another anonymous apartment complex.
Then, in November 2023, Green Partners abruptly terminated the partnership and canceled Molbak’s lease. The 67-year-old family business was forced to close just two months later. The developer eliminated the anchor tenant that made the Gardens District unique and cleared the site of the one element that made the project truly special.
Former Molbak’s CEO Julie Kouhia later testified that the company would likely still be operating today had Green Partners not canceled the partnership. In other words, the closure was not simply unfortunate—it was the direct result of a deliberate decision by the property owner.
A Site Cleared for a Different Deal
The consequences were immediate and visible. After Molbak’s closed in early 2024, the property was fenced off and left empty for more than a year. What had once been a vibrant destination became a conspicuous void at the center of town.
Residents attempted to preserve part of the site’s history by nominating Molbak’s greenhouse structures for King County Landmark status. But shortly after that effort began, demolition permits were filed and quickly approved. Much of the site was demolished just days before the scheduled landmark hearing. By the time the public had the chance to weigh in, the structures were already gone.
The pattern is difficult to ignore. First the anchor tenant was removed. Then the site was cleared. Then the historic structures were demolished before preservation could even be considered.
What remains is a blank slate and a new proposal that bears little resemblance to the vision the community supported for years.
Green Partners has now returned with the Midtown Woodinville proposal, a dense residential project potentially exceeding a thousand apartments alongside a hotel and limited retail space. To move forward, the developer is asking the City Council to approve a Development Agreement granting significant height allowances, density increases, and long-term development flexibility.
In exchange, the public would receive only modest benefits: roughly 10 percent affordable housing, limited open space commitments, and no guarantee of a major retail anchor capable of drawing visitors or activating the downtown core. Much of what appears in the glossy renderings is not binding, while the concessions granted to the developer would be locked in for decades.
The uncomfortable reality is that Molbak’s disappearance conveniently made this new proposal easier to justify. Without the garden center, the original Gardens District vision no longer constrained the developer. The site could now be reimagined as a far denser residential project with fewer community commitments and greater flexibility for the developer.
In other words, destroying Molbak’s cleared the way for a more profitable deal.
The Decision Before the Council
The City Council is not obligated to accept this deal. Instead, it can refuse to enter into any Development Agreement with Green Partners and insist that a project of this scale be led by a developer willing to work collaboratively with the community and respect Woodinville’s history.
If that means the property eventually changes hands, so be it. This site will define the heart of Woodinville for generations. It is far more important to get the partnership right than to move quickly with the wrong one.
Molbak’s is gone. The historic greenhouses are gone. The Gardens District vision is gone.
Woodinville should not compound those losses by rewarding the developer responsible for them with extraordinary concessions and a decades-long Development Agreement.
Woodinville should not do business with Green Partners.
