TULALIP – Snohomish County should get its first outlet mall next year – more than 100 stores along I-5 near the Tulalip Tribes’ new casino.
The mall, to be developed and operated by the Chelsea Property Group of New Jersey, will be larger and have a wider variety of stores than the outlet center at North Bend, which is also owned by Chelsea, company officials said.
Tribal and Chelsea officials, who have been negotiating for some three years, made their plans official this morning in a signing ceremony at tribal offices.
“This is the synergy we have wanted to create to make our casino a success and make our tribe a success for generations to come,” said Herman Williams Jr., tribal chairman.
Tribal officials hope that people going to the new casino will be attracted to the outlet mall and vice versa, ensuring the success of both.
The retail development is expected to provide some 300 construction jobs after work begins this spring. The mall, which is expected to be ready by the spring of 2005, would create an estimated 800 full- and part-time jobs with an annual payroll of over $15 million, tribal officials said.
Tribal board member Stan Jones Jr. called the agreement an “historical moment” for the tribe. The mall is a major piece of what tribal officials hope will eventually include a major hotel, a theme park and other retail development.
Brad Stipe, a senior director of Chelsea Property Group, said he expects some 6 million people a year to visit the outlet mall.
He said he liked the Tulalip site because its proximity to I-5 gives it “tremendous visibility in an area with high traffic counts.”
“Our customer base is drive-by traffic,” he added. “When you add to that the significant investment the the tribe itself has made in Quil Ceda Village and that the casino itself has been a significant success…”
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