Tulalips looking past casino

TULALIP RESERVATION — Less than two months after opening the doors at their $78 million casino, the Tulalip Tribes are looking ahead to their next economic-development projects: a 140-store outlet mall, more shops at Quil Ceda Village and possibly a casino hotel, RV park or water park within three years.

Peter Mills, the Quil Ceda business park's manager, outlined the initiatives at a meeting of the Greater Marysville Tulalip Chamber of Commerce on Friday, noting that the tribes' goals for economic development extend beyond gaming.

"I think the casino is going to be less important as time goes on," Mills said. "We're trying to build out a synergistic business environment."

State Rep. John McCoy, who also is Quil Ceda Village's general manager, spoke to the crowd about the potential for Marysville and the Tulalip Tribes to attract business from people who travel along Interstate 5, especially as Vancouver, B.C., prepares to host the 2010 Winter Olympics.

"There's opportunity for us," he said, noting that Idaho gained $100 million in revenue during the Salt Lake City Games last year.

The tribes' expansion plans have been in development for years, but last week Mills gave new details of the outlet mall and other retail planning.

Among the plans:

• Construction of an outlet mall to open in 2005.

The tribes expect within 60 days to complete a land lease to mall developer Chelsea Property Group, which has developed shopping centers nationwide, including in North Bend, near Portland and in Japan. Under terms of the lease, Chelsea would build a shopping center with 140 stores — 25 of them luxury retailers such as Brooks Bros. or Versace — and 20 kiosk shops.

The mall's four buildings will include both indoor and outdoor shopping, and could attract 6 million shoppers a year. Mills estimated it will cost $50 million to build and employ between 1,200 and 2,000 when complete.

• New retail shops at Quil Ceda Village to open by late 2004. The tribes plan to develop six "medium box" retail stores — similar in size to a Borders or Barnes & Noble bookstore — covering 200,000 square feet at Quil Ceda Village. In addition, they plan to lease three sites to restaurant developers.

• A new casino hotel by 2006.

Mills said the tribes have commissioned two studies to evaluate the feasibility of launching a hotel at the casino, most likely on the south side, and that the studies should both be completed within two weeks.

One study will evaluate the business prospects for launching a hotel near the casino, while the other will assess whether a new hotel there would create more opportunities for gaming revenue and installation of new gaming equipment.

Before these two studies, Mills noted, another consultant's informal assessment was that the casino would be well-served by a hotel with 250 to 500 guest rooms, although such a hotel could cost up to $60 million.

• The possibility of a "Super Wal-Mart" at Quil Ceda Village.

Mills said Wal-Mart has one year left to decide whether it will exercise a lease option to add a 70,000-square-foot grocery.

With all the growth plans, meeting attendees asked about traffic and the impact of the new business on Marysville.

Caldie Rogers, president and chief executive of the Marysville Tulalip Chamber of Commerce, said the additions would benefit other businesses in Marysville by increasing the number of tourists pulling off the highway.

Mills said the city and tribes already are planning traffic mitigation along 116th Street Northeast near the site of the new mall, and that they are prepared to invest at least $3 million during the first phases of the mall's development — a figure he thinks federal funding could augment.

"We're funding this effort, but we're optimistic that the (federal government) is going to find funding for this," he said.

Jane Hodges: 425-745-7813 or jhodges@seattletimes.com