Tulalip Lopez Development: Just A Dream?

(Tulalip Tribes Land on Barlow Bay, Lopez Island)

It has been reported that the Tulalip Tribes Chairman would like to develop property the Tribes own on Lopez, as a satellite to the Tulalip Casino in Marysville. According to a news report by Krista J. Kapralos, in the Herald Writer newspaper, tribal Chairman Stan Jones Sr. is quoted as having a "dream" to turn Barlow Bay waterfront land into a compound of cabins to be used by "High-rolling casino patrons" that will be flown to the property to fish and relax.

According to the story, the concept Mr., Jones has in mind is to run a daily commute by helicopter or seaplanes to Lopez, where the Casino clients can do a little R&R, then be flown back to the Casino hotel in Marysville. Needless to say, this is not going down well with some of the locals who own property on Lopez, and while one may assume that the Tulalip proposal for the land will be rejected by the County due to conflicts with local land use laws, the Tribes may be able to jump over that local barrier due to the classification of the land as "reservation land", and as a result, any development would only be subject to the Tribes control and regulations, since it would be exempt from local land use controls.

Former Planning Director Laura Arnold recalls that at one point an agreement was made by the County and the Tribes that in the event that land was placed in reservation trust, at least one of the parcels owned by the Tribes would have land use regulations placed on it by the Tribes, and that the regulations would "parallel those of the County". County regulations restrict commercial development of the land, and the use of planes or helicopters to ferry in commercial passengers is not allowed for that area of Lopez. If there is in no recorded agreement, and the Island Guardian has not found any, then the "dream" may be able to become a reality if the Tribes decide to move forward with such a development.

The background story to all this is interesting, convoluted, and not without some irony.

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