In Washington, later this year, the Tulalip Tribes will reportedly break ground on a $100 million replacement for the existing Quil Ceda Creek Casino in Snohomish County.
Originally called, Tulalip Casino, the Quil Ceda Creek Casino opened 25 years ago and will be torn down once the new casino is completed. If things go according to plan, construction will begin on the new 110,000-square-foot facility before the end of 2017, with completion expected either towards the end of 2018 or in early 2019, according to The Everett Herald.
The new gambling venue, dubbed ‘QCC2’, for now, will reportedly be located directly across the street from the existing casino.
Marie Zackuse, Chairwoman of the Tulalip Tribes Board of Directors, said it’s time for a new casino. She told the newspaper, “We’re going to keep it as the locals’ casino and cater to what they like. It will be more entertainment and more food venues, but keeping that feel for the locals.”
While the new casino will, for the most part, keep its “locals” flavor, it will include some upgrades, such as a larger gaming floor; reasonably priced, top-end food options in a food court setting; new entertainment options; a state-of-the-art smoke filtration system; and a 1,200-stall garage.
Zackuse reportedly sees the new casino as a complement to the Tulalip Resort Casino, which the Tribes also owns and operates. The larger of the two casinos, the Tulalip Resort Casino was built in 2004 and is located just three miles north of the Quil Ceda Creek Casino. And while the majority of the Quil Ceda Creek Casino’s customer base is of the local variety; many of the Tulalip Resort Casino’s customers are regional and come from the West, like Vancouver, B.C. and Seattle.
The new Quil Ceda Creek Casino’s footprint will reportedly cover 15 acres and will be constructed on land currently occupied by the Tulalip Court and police department as well as the now closed, Arby’s, at 6103 31st Ave. and 6328 33rd Ave. NE., respectively. In the midst of an extensive remodel, the former Hewlitt-Packard building located on 31st Street will be the new home of the police department and the tribal courts, according to the newspaper.
As for what will occupy the land where the Quil Ceda Creek Casino awaits its demise; vice chairwoman for the tribes, Teri Gobin, left The Everett Herald and the rest of us guessing, saying only that it’s “to be announced,” and, “We have dreams in our head, we all have dreams, we all have these visions, we have to be together to make sure we’re together in our vision.”
The newspaper reports that Marysville Mayor Jon Nehring said that the city has known about the tribes’ intention to replace the Quil Ceda Creek Casino for years and that it had learned that the project was in the pipeline within the past year.