This we know: The 600-750 acres where the City of Marysville and Snohomish County want to put a NASCAR racetrack will be developed soon. Necessary zoning and infrastructure changes were in the works long before big-time auto racing made its latest push to build a track in the Northwest.
The real question, posed rhetorically Tuesday by Marysville Mayor Dennis Kendall, is how this land in the Smokey Point area east of I-5 will be developed.
It could be developed piecemeal, with housing tracts, big-box retail stores and light industrial campuses. That would mean pavement aplenty, along with a daily increase in traffic congestion.
Or, following the conceptual proposal for a NASCAR track unveiled Tuesday by the city and county, it could host a facility that would serve as a tourism magnet two weekends each summer, and a family recreational resource year-round.
We’ll gladly take the latter.
Marysville officials have seized what they see as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and put forth a tantalizing picture of what a NASCAR track could bring. The list includes significant road improvements, including a new I-5 interchange at 152nd Street NE, which would become a five-lane arterial stretching all the way to Highway 9 — a much-needed east-west connector, with or without a racetrack. It also includes potential retail and service development around the facility.
Community groups would have access to the facility for fund-raising ventures, and law enforcement could use the track for pursuit training.
Perhaps best of all, the lion’s share of the complex would remain unpaved, perfect for athletic fields, walking trails and other recreational uses. The only significant paving would be for the track itself; parking lots would be grass. Industrial and big-box retail uses wouldn’t be nearly as family-friendly.
As an investment in the state and local economy, and in quality of life, this proposal looks like a winner. Washington is competing with Oregon for a track, so it’s important that the Legislature do its part by funding local road improvements, and allowing new tax money generated by a track to pay for infrastructure needs.
Concerns of neighbors will have to be addressed, too. Officials are promising a transparent, open process that includes public meetings so those concerns get a full airing.
On balance, Marysville is right to aggressively pursue this opportunity for smart, clean development that maximizes open space. It’s an idea that deserves to get traction.
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