Mike Tarabochia, with Bergerson Construction, battles winds as he tries to maneuver a sheet piling into place during construction at the Port of Everett Marina on Tuesday. (Andy Bronson / The Herald)

EVERETT — Construction workers are making progress on the first stage of the Port of Everett’s plan to turn a stretch of the city’s waterfront into a busy residential neighborhood and commercial area.

An Oregon-based contractor, Bergerson Construction, started work on the Waterfront Place project’s first phase — Fisherman’s Harbor — in October, when the company began driving pilings for a rebuilt seawall.

Bergerson’s contract is worth up to $4.4 million. Burlington-based Interwest Construction won a $7.6 million contract from the port to build new roads and public spaces, and install utilities.

Buildings are expected to start going up this year. A Mercer Island-based developer, American Classic Homes, agreed to pay $7 million to purchase 5.44 acres in Fisherman’s Harbor District, where it will build 255 apartments.

American Classic Homes plans to run the apartment buildings rather than sell them, a company official told The Daily Herald in an interview last month.

The buildings will be either three or four stories and no taller than 45 feet. Apartments will run in size from 550 to 1,300 square feet, and are expected to open in the second half of 2019.

The port’s development plans for Fisherman’s Harbor also include a public splash park, a 140-room hotel and five commercial buildings. The area is the part of Waterfront Place closest to West View Marine Drive.

The port expects itself to spend about $80 million on the Waterfront Place project, while private developers are projected to kick in more than $500 million.

The city of Everett plans to build a walkway connecting Fisherman’s Harbor with the nearby residential neighborhood perched atop the bluff to the east.

Dan Catchpole: 425-339-3454; dcatchpole@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @dcatchpole.