City and Snohomish County leaders said today at noon that two areas north of Marysville could be the future site of a NASCAR track.
The officials met earlier today with NASCAR representatives at the actual sites. One is 600 acres east of I-5 and west of 51st Avenue. The other is west of I-5 on 618 acres south of 156th Street Northeast.
The officials said racing would be limited to about two weekends in late summer, easing concerns of the Evergreen Speedway in Monroe.
“This will put us on the map,” Marysville city administrator Mary Swenson said.
“We’re being aggressive because we want this,” Mayor Dennis Kendall added.
County Executive Aaron Reardon said the area is going to be developed, so why not develop it in a “family friendly” way that will keep the area in open space.
The three officials said they believe the “conceptual proposal” received a positive response from the International Speedway Corp. They said the fact that five million people living in the area from Seattle to Vancouver, British Columbia, could be a big factor in the ISC eventually picking this area.
Along with the 80,000-seat track, local officials envision many other recreational opportunities could develop in the area, including ballfields in the grassy area used for 20,000 parking places.
Other sites in contention for a NASCAR track are in Kitsap and Thurston counties and in the Portland area. The ISC hopes to have racing by 2008, and a track takes two years to build.
Financing wasn’t part of the plan released today, but Reardon said the 2005 state legislature will play a key role in that.
In a resolution today, the Tulalip Tribes also voiced support for a NASCAR track. The tribes nearby already have a casino and are planning a big mall, hotel and amusement park. As a result, Swenson said the Marysville area could “become a tourist destination.”
Kendall said the track would lead to many jobs during construction, a few thousand during events and about 50 permanent positions.
“If a NASCAR track isn’t built here, then the site will probably be home to a big box retail development or hundreds of homes,” Kendall said. “When it comes to impacts, a speedway may well have fewer of them than the alternatives.”
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