Published May 2004

Two Marysville sites in race for NASCAR track

By Brian Kelly
Herald Writer

For more than 30 years, Bill Kazala has been able to look out the window of his home south of the Arlington airport and see flat and fertile farmland. Five years from now, that view may change to a sea of spectators watching high-powered racecars spin around a NASCAR track.

Marysville and Snohomish County officials announced April 13 that two Marysville-area sites are the front-runners in the race to land a National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing track. Officials made the announcement after a morning meeting with representatives from International Speedway Corp., the company that owns 12 of the nation’s largest auto-racing facilities.

The motor sports giant is looking to expand into the Pacific Northwest and has been eyeing locations in Washington and Oregon. Snohomish County’s preferred location is at Marysville’s northern edge, on 599 acres south of Highway 531 that is nearly divided by 51st Avenue NE. Kazala’s home sits at the edge of the racetrack in maps that are part of the county’s glossy proposal to International Speedway.

“It’d be a perfect spot for NASCAR,” said Kazala, 69, a retired tugboat captain. “Personally, if they get the roads fixed, and this (I-5) overpass fixed, I think it would be the perfect place.”

“Just give me a decent price, and I’m gone,” Kazala said with a laugh.

International Speedway wants to start racing in the Pacific Northwest by 2008. It’s an untapped market, company officials say, because Infineon Raceway, formerly known as Sears Point, in Sonoma, Calif., is the closest track that hosts NASCAR’s premium Nextel Cup races.

During their April news conference, county and Marysville leaders offered a few new details for what they’ve dubbed the Great Northwest Speedway, an 80,000-seat facility they would like to see built north of Marysville. The racetrack could mean an economic boost with new jobs, and large areas left as open space that would be used for parking on race days. On nonrace days, some said the property could be used for soccer and baseball games or other community events.

“The proposal that we’ve submitted to NASCAR would only enhance that area,” Marysville Mayor Dennis Kendall said. Speedway supporters said the Smokey Point location eventually will be developed if a racetrack isn’t built there.

“The zoning for this property says we’re either going to have hundreds of houses, big-box retail or industrial,” County Executive Aaron Reardon said. “Either way, that is pavement as far as the eye can see.”

A speedway, however, means “family-friendly entertainment,” Reardon said. “It may be one of the last opportunities we have for quality, usable open space.”

The other site mentioned is southwest of Gissberg Twin Lakes Park, west of I-5 in the Lakewood area, on 618 acres south of 156th Street NE. But the land is designated for agriculture, which is one of the reasons why the other location is preferred. Another plus: The location east of I-5 could be expanded to up to 747 acres. Both of the proposed sites set aside 150 acres for the racetrack and parking for 20,000 cars.

The announcement of the two preferred sites means a proposed location near Monroe is out of the running. But Marysville still faces competition from Kitsap and Thurston counties and Portland, Ore.’s Multnomah County.

Whichever site is picked, the proposal package will need state assistance to get the interest of International Speedway, said Reardon, a former state lawmaker.

Roads would need to be improved to handle the thousands of race fans who would descend on Marysville for four days each year. The proposal by Marysville and the county touches on some of the improvements needed, including an interchange at I-5 and 152nd Street NE, and making the street a five-lane arterial all the way to Highway 9. Public financing would help pay for infrastructure, but not the racetrack, local leaders said.

The construction phase of the track is expected to create an economic impact of approximately $230 million. Once the speedway is open, estimates indicate it could generate $220 million annually in business revenue.

Kendall said International Speedway has not said when it will make a decision, but added that the reaction to the Marysville proposal was positive.

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