The Lacey City Council signed a cooperation agreement with the Nisqually Indian Tribe in support of the tribe’s plans to develop 250 acres of tribal land.
“The Nisqually Tribe is in a good place right now and ready to move forward with the City of Lacey,” said presenter Willie Frank III, Nisqually Tribal Council, who led the tribe representatives who attended the council meeting on Thursday, September 21.
The Tribe intends to develop the 250 acres property located north of Interstate 5, adjacent to the Exit 111 interchange (Marvin Road NE), south of Britton Parkway and adjacent to Cabela’s.
“[It’s] really to develop something that is going to benefit the city, tribe and county for the next generations and provide jobs and opportunities to everybody,” Frank commented.
The two distinct projects are Quiemuth (kway-mooth) Village Village and Quiemuth Resort.
Quiemuth Village is planned to be a 174-acre, mixed-use development that could include retail, housing, recreational, open-space and cultural components.
The Quiemuth Resort is envisioned to be a 74-acre casino-resort property.
According to the city’s statement, these projects were the “culmination of an extensive Nisqually Indian Tribe planning process that included working with land use and environmental planners, traffic and civil engineers, geotechnical consultants, and architects.”
Under the cooperation agreement, the properties will be designated as “Compact Covered Areas” under the Tax Sharing Compact (Compact) made between the Nisqually Indian Tribe and the State of Washington in 2021.
The compact means that the state and tribe would share state retail taxes and certain state business & occupation taxes collected from all non-tribal member to non-tribal member retail establishment transactions.
The agreement also identifies that Lacey could receive local taxes for non-tribal purchases at the development, pending the ownership of retail businesses. Non-tribal member and non-tribal member retail establishment transactions would be subject to local taxes (including city taxes, such as retail sales and use taxes and business and occupation taxes).
There would also be interlocal agreements on services like law enforcement, prosecution, etc.
Possible connections to Lacey utilities and infrastructure would be provided.
Emergency services would be provided to the development, including future discussions on mutual aid.
“This is a long time coming,” said Lacey Mayor Andy Ryder. “This is a really special time in history.”
In 2014, the Lacey City Council and the Nisqually Tribal Council signed The Nisqually Indian Tribe and City of Lacey Accord which acknowledges the partnership and mutual interests shared between the city and the tribe.
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danwdurham
I hope that they include widening Britton Parkway and portions of Marvin Road in their plans. And also other streets in the area for additional truck traffic. Companies are building warehouses without enlarging roads for the additional truck traffic. This new development will create additional automobile and delivery truck traffic in the area.
Saturday, September 23, 2023 Report this
wildnature
I'm really looking forward to this. Nisqually Tribe is enriching all of us with this project. Thank you.
Jean Shaffer
Saturday, September 23, 2023 Report this
GinnyAnn
I applaud the Nisqually Tribe and look forward to the successful development of this project. We need a good, high quality, retail development here in the Hawks Prairie area. I hope there will be a good variety of shopping for us locals as well as for those who travel for the casino and resort. I also raise the concern about increased traffic, as development of warehouses and apartments have already put traffic at very high volumes at peak times. Nevertheless, the Nisquallys are contributing a wonderful gift to all of us. Thank you.
Saturday, September 23, 2023 Report this
Snevets
Good plan. Congratulations.
Saturday, September 23, 2023 Report this
RetiredPoliceChief
More casinos equals more crime. Way to go Nisqually and Lacey!
Monday, September 25, 2023 Report this
lindamayet
Interesting all the "groundwork" for taxpayers' I5 infrastructure work from the "Lacey" exit that will fee this casino to increased lanes....again....we pay the bill, and then thank the tribes for "enriching" us. Now, I do enjoy casinos, and frequent them, but am not so sure who helps who is looked at....these kinds of things remind me of the whole Dupont thing, when everything was done for paving the way with major road infrastructure for Intel, and then they backed out. I also wonder if some of this will have a you scratch my back and I will yours for the desired airport that could involve Nisqually property... Another thing to observe....and watch for.
Monday, September 25, 2023 Report this
psterry
How can another center for the encouragement of addiction and homelessness be good for the City? Or anybody?
Lacey taxpayers have a big investment in the Hawks Prairie area. They paid for the infrastructure because at that time, that investment was supposed to pave the way for retail development that would significantly add to the revenue for the City. It was an investment that has now gone 'sideways'. The City's taxpayers will not recoup their investment, but instead will have yet another headache to deal with. Why is the City happy with this giveaway of such a strategic gateway to the City?
And why would the Tribe, whose members already suffer from the effects of addition and homelessness in numbers that far exceed their demographic, be interested in compounding the problem? Better for the Tribe would be a center that would showcase the cultural richness of the Salish people, that would encourage its members to aspire to raise that culture to the status it deserves. Better that it would offer an alternative to addiction, substance abuse, homelessness and all other attendant ills. A casino is not the embodiment of tribal culture. It is a cheap default, some kind of acknowledgment that this is the best it can offer its members. I don't agree. This high profile location could be so much more...
Tuesday, September 26, 2023 Report this