New Casino Coming to Anacortes???

W hile no definite plans have been made public for the newly acquired 14 acres on Highway 20 in Anacortes, a casino probably makes sense for the new owners, the Samish Indian Nation. Combine that with a convenience store and gas station, and you’ve got a nice little bit of commercial activity in an otherwise ugly area, with relatively little commercial activity and therefore little sales tax revenue for Anacortes.

The Samish Indian Nation just purchased the land from a local owner and will in all likelihood begin the land-to-trust process, thereby taking these 14 acres off of our tax roles, and out of the confines of zoning. The next logical step would be to then use the land to generate revenue for the tribe, as one wouldn’t spend 8.5 million then not look for a return on that investment. This process is a long and drawn out one, so don’t expect anything soon, but do expect something eventually.

 I say good for the Samish, this gives them a nice piece of land and the ability to generate some great revenue in the future. I also say too bad for Anacortes. I’ve said for a long time now the land on State Route 20 should be zoned commercial to allow all of us to develop in a fashion that takes advantage of the traffic counts out there, takes advantage of the folks headed to Whidbey Island, and removes the pure ugliness that is brought on by storage unit after storage unit. Nothing wrong with storage units mind you, just don’t like them lining the gateway to our city. The previous landowner looked to attract a use like Fred Meyer, or another similar use that would give us options for local shopping and increase our tax base. Kiss that goodbye, and shame on city leadership for allowing that to happen.

 Best to the Samish Indian Nation on their new purchase, I’m sure they will build something attractive and bring some nice activity to the area. City leaders, think about the zoning out there so that neighboring property owners might complement the eventual development on this piece and take advantage of the traffic and sales tax opportunities that it might generate.