The doors opened at Dwayne Lane’s Chevrolet in north Arlington last week, closing the chapter on one of the most contested land-use battles in Snohomish County history.
For 21 years, Tom Lane sought to open the dealership at Island Crossing, but the project was opposed by environmentalists and the Stillaguamish Flood Control District, worrying about the loss of farmland and the possibility that development in the area could lead to flooding of I-5.
The two sides fought in court for years. On Halloween last year, Lane reached a settlement with the flood control district that allowed the dealership to go forward.
“It’s almost unfathomable,” Lane said. “I keep pinching myself. We’re so excited. It’s already made a dramatic difference in business, just the exposure to freeway traffic.”
On Monday, workers were still planting shrubs along the driveway to the store at 20410 Smokey Point Blvd., and blue strips of tape still highlighted areas that needed a little more work.
But the business was open and cars were being sold. The first one sold was a 2015 Camaro Convertible to a long-time customer.
“She said, ‘I want to take delivery at your new store,’” Lane said. “We had a nice little picture with her.”
The $6.5 million, 35,000-square-foot dealership sits in the middle of Island Crossing, a triangular, 110-acre swath of land in north Arlington bordered to the west by I-5 and to the north by Highway 530. It was designated as agricultural land in 1978. City and county officials attempted in 1995 to re-designate the land as commercial land and develop it as part of Arlington. The idea was the land would bring in more tax revenue as a commercial development.
One of the main concerns about the land-use change was that commercial development in Island Crossing — including the dealership, but also other projects — could mean that the water from the flood-prone Stillaguamish River would spill onto I-5, shutting the freeway down.
As part of the effort to settle the dispute, Lane agreed to build a car lot designed so that in a flood it would contribute minimal net rise in the water level on properties nearby or downstream.
There are 21 other property owners in Island Crossing. The flood control district will continue to monitor development proposals in the rest of the land, said Henry Lippek, the lawyer for the flood control district, earlier this year.
For now, all of that is behind Lane, whose father Dwayne Lane started the business in 1954. Tom Lane owns three dealerships, one in Everett, one in Sedro-Woolley and this one in Arlington.
He operated a dealership along Highway 9 in Arlington, but closed it down when he moved into the new building last week. The new dealership employs 38½ full-time workers and Lane expects that will grow to 50 to 60 workers over time.
One of the benefits of the new dealership is that it’s centrally located to the other stores. So they’ve built the store to include many of the business functions needed for a small company, including a large conference room for employees.
And the new store has plenty of space for workers and customers, said Sheila Countryman-Bean, the dealership’s marketing and public relations director.
It’s got an indoor staging area for service. “Rain or shine, people don’t have to step out into the elements. They can just drive right in.”
And the shop has 16 stalls with almost all of them being able to handle the largest trucks that Chevrolet makes, Lane said. That’s a vast improvement over the six stalls he had at the previous Arlington store. That means that customers can get their cars and trucks in and repaired much faster.
Lane, who spent more than $1 million on legal fees, consultants and engineers during his fight on the property, said he has paid for almost all of the land costs over time. And that has made the cost of the project less than if he had attempted to pay for everything this year.
“I’m trying to find silver linings,” Lane said. “Because it is what it is.”
The biggest silver lining for the business is that the store is located along the freeway with thousands of travelers driving past every day. He said customers have stopped by who didn’t even know he had a dealership in Arlington. And that exposure made the years of legal battles worth it.
“When it is their time, they’ll give us an opportunity,” Lane said. “And that’s all you can ask for.”
Herald Business Journal editor Jim Davis: 425-339-3097; jdavis@heraldnet.com.
Opening celebration
Dwayne Lane’s Chevrolet opened at 20410 Smokey Point Blvd., Arlington, last week. The store plans to hold a celebration this Friday through Sunday. The store is offering prizes and, on Saturday, will offer hot dogs and other refreshments. KMPS radio will be on hand from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.
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