Marysville/North Snohomish County Development

[taiwanesedrummer36]

I haven't seen any threads or postings about major growth in the Marysville/North Snohomish County, so here it is.

Marysville has seen major growth residentially and commercially. It all began with the Tulalip Tribe's Quil Ceda Village, which has expanded dramatically to include a Wal-Mart Supercenter, Home Depot, several strip malls, the new Tulalip Casino, Hotel Resort (hotel/resort opening in 2008), and the popular Seattle Premium Outlet mall (the largest in Washington state). Since then, other developments have popped up around the area. The most notable is Lakewood Crossing, about 4 miles north of Quil Ceda Village. Lakewood Crossing opened in November 2006, and current retailers include Costco, Target, Best Buy, Linens 'n Things, Office Depot, Petco, Michael's, Red Robin, Boston's Gourment Pizzas, and many, many, many more. Because of Lakewood Crossing, many new developments will be popping up in the next couple of months/years. East of Lakewood Crossing, Wal-Mart is planning another Supercenter outlet, at 172nd St. N.E. in Arlington. That supercenter will only be 6 miles northeast from the Tulalip Supercenter. Another development is the Gateway Shopping Center, only a few feet east of Quil Ceda Village. Current retailers include Winco Foods, Kohl's, and Ross. Future retailers include Petsmart and Sears. And then east of Marysville, Wal-Mart is planning to build ANOTHER Supercenter at the intersection of State Route 9 and State Route 528. That supercenter will only be about 10 miles from the Tulalip Supercenter.

In addition to the commercial development, new residential developments are popping up all over former farmlands, due in part to Seattle's red-hot real estate market. Another factor is in 2005, Marysville annexed several square miles of land, including North Lakewood (Lakewood Crossing) and Whiskey Ridge.

To make matters better/worse, several lots all over North Snohomish County are being considered for a new University of Washington branch campus to serve Snohomish, Island, and Skagit counties.

All this new development is taking its toll on area roads, especially Interstate 5 through Marysville. Because of increasing traffic, the WSDOT's faulty cable barriers have caused several major traffic accidents between exits 199 and 206. I think there have been 10 deaths from traffic fatalities in the past 5 years or so. The WSDOT has yet to make any major changes along the freeway. As for local roads, I can't even explain the situation. It is possibly worse than the Minneapolis Bridge Collaspe (for comparison purposes only, I don't wish to offend anyone).

Stay tuned for more news....

[CrazyAboutCities]

Adding a new Wal-Mart Supercenter is big mistake... Seattle metro area could do much better without ONE Wal-Mart store. I'm glad we got no Wal-Mart stores within Seattle city limit.

[Bond James Bond]

Do we want to merge this one with the Everett/Snohomish County thread?

Makes sense to me.

[CrazyAboutCities]

Good idea.

[taiwanesedrummer36]

I forgot:

The proposed Wal-Mart in eastern Marysville is going to be part of a shopping center called 64th Street Plaza. I don't know how they're going to fit thousands of shoppers onto nearby two-lane Highway 9; it's just a disaster waiting to happen.

Does anyone know anything about new developments in Stanwood? Last time I heard was there were a bunch of condos going up near the downtown area (QFC) and Haggen's.

[pwalker]

I have a somewhat different take on Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart provides jobs, and also provide lower prices for those less well off. I have done extensive study on this subject, and in suburban areas, it is a positive. I will admit WM may hurt small towns and their established businesses, but suburban Wal-Mart's in Seattle are not going to bring down the economy.

Here are the facts:

Wal-Marts in suburban areas increase retail sales at ALL nearby stores.

Wal-Marts in suburban areas bring in new retail nearby.

Wal-Marts save many lower to middle-class thousands of dollars every year.

No, I don't work for Wal-Mart. And they are not trying to take over the entire retail sector and then suddenly raise their prices, (this is the argument that seems to be prominent).

Does Wal-Mart demand a lower cost point due to their power? Of course! And it pays off for most consumers. The sky is not falling.

Even Chicago has allowed them into city limits. Seattle should too.

[taiwanesedrummer36]

Originally Posted by pwalker

Oh, please, stop with this anti-Wal-Mart stuff. Wal-Mart provides jobs, and also provide lower prices for those less well off. I have done extensive study on this subject, and in suburban areas, it is a positive. I will admit WM may hurt small towns and their established businesses, but suburban Wal-Mart's in Seattle are not going to bring down the economy.

Here are the facts:

Wal-Marts in suburban areas increase retail sales at ALL nearby stores.

Wal-Marts in suburban areas bring in new retail nearby.

Wal-Marts save many lower to middle-class thousands of dollars every year.

No, I don't work for Wal-Mart. And they are not trying to take over the entire retail sector and then suddenly raise their prices, (this is the argument that seems to be prominent).

Does Wal-Mart demand a lower cost point due to their power? Of course! And it pays off for most consumers. The sky is not falling.

Even Chicago has allowed them into city limits. Seattle should too.

Hey, i'm not saying Wal-Mart is bad, i'm just saying there will be more traffic. Personally, I love Wal-Mart, with all the low prices and wide selection. I shop at Wal-Mart all the time all over the place, whether at home or on vacation. I just don't like the big crowds and traffic at some locations.

[steric]

WalMart's depressing most of the time, the people who shop there look depressing and the people who work there look and seem miserable. I go to the KMart in N Seattle and it definitely caters to lower income, seemingly lower than Walmart, but it's not depressing, and I can usually count on finding what I need because they have a good selection. Because of WalMart's corporate strategy, they whittle away suppliers like Rubbermade b/c they couldn't get the sweatshops in China to make their products cheap enough, so too much of their inventory is Sams Brand or they don't carry it at all. Besides we already have 2 Targets, ? Fred Meyers, and a Sams. The last thing Seattle needs is WalMart.

[pwalker]

Can't speak for the K-mart in Seattle, but get out of the Pugetopia, and no, Wal-Mart is not depressing. In the mountan west, you see families, of all races, seemingly enjoying their shopping experience. Again, I have nothing to gain here. I don't work for the company, but I find myself shopping there on a regular basis (on an upper middle class salary), because the "Super Wal-Mart" in my community offers just as many, if not more, products than Albertsons or Fred Meyer. And if I buy the same products at Wal-Mart, I will save atleast 15% on the dollar. It adds up.

If you want depressing, check out Winco Foods, (don't think they are in Sea-Tac area yet, (YET!)....prices may be even lower than Wal-Mart, but long lines and they don't take anything but cash or debit, and you bag your own. One employee actually told me they got "rid" of baskets because it discouraged buying! Wow.

[steric]

I have been to a few super WalMarts that are aren't so bad but they're the exception more than the rule. If you actually compare products, like deodorant for example, Walmart has about 3 brands in 20 flavors, not everywhere is like that. I compare prices everywhere I go and penny for penny the savings does not add up, WalMart costs more on some things, less on others, same as the rest of em. If you like WalMart, please enjoy but I stand by my opinion. I've never heard of Winco but I'll take your word for it. Another store I avoid, Albertson's has already started folding up in other states so it's probably only a matter of time before they close up here, hopefully Winco doesn't move in instead!

[sequoias]

Originally Posted by pwalker

Can't speak for the K-mart in Seattle, but get out of the Pugetopia, and no, Wal-Mart is not depressing. In the mountan west, you see families, of all races, seemingly enjoying their shopping experience. Again, I have nothing to gain here. I don't work for the company, but I find myself shopping there on a regular basis (on an upper middle class salary), because the "Super Wal-Mart" in my community offers just as many, if not more, products than Albertsons or Fred Meyer. And if I buy the same products at Wal-Mart, I will save atleast 15% on the dollar. It adds up.

If you want depressing, check out Winco Foods, (don't think they are in Sea-Tac area yet, (YET!)....prices may be even lower than Wal-Mart, but long lines and they don't take anything but cash or debit, and you bag your own. One employee actually told me they got "rid" of baskets because it discouraged buying! Wow.

There's 3 Wincos in Seattle metro area. Federal Way, Kent and Marysville and they're all 24 hours stores, of course. I used to shop at Winco in Kent but now I live too far away so now they finally have Winco in Marysville, so I will shop there sometime soon.

[citruspastels]

check out walmart: the high cost of low prices

then think about whether those people really need the kind of jobs where they can't move past minimum wage, janitors get locked in the store overnight (so they are forced to get the job done), and the only security cameras on the premise are there to stop union activity.

[NW Mike]

Since Walmart was a bit slow at moving into the Sound region it has sped up with Snohomish county. There are stores popping up everywhere. Even talk of building on out on HWY 2. They can be great for the discounts. But it has been incredible to watch Smokypoint and Marysville grow just in the past 3 years.(Thats how long I have lived here) I have never seen a place grow this fast. Its quite amazing! Now that growth is moving out towards Lake Stevens and Monroe.

[CrazyAboutCities]

Originally Posted by pwalker

Even Chicago has allowed them into city limits. Seattle should too.

I have to disagree with that. If City of Seattle allows Wal-Mart to open a supercenter/discount store there... It could drive Public Pike Market out of business. No one wants to that to happen. Also it could hurt many neighborhoods in downtown Seattle area. Seattle has more local businesses than national retailers. I don't want City of Seattle to risk that.

I personally don't shop at Wal-Mart. I stopped shopping there since I found out the truthes about Wal-Mart over five years ago. I still go there with my relatives sometime since they loves Wal-Mart but I never spend a cent there.

[BoulderGrad]

Originally Posted by CrazyAboutCities

I have to disagree with that. If City of Seattle allows Wal-Mart to open a supercenter/discount store there... It could drive Public Pike Market out of business.

mmm.... not really.... The market serves as a tourist attraction, a restaurant/retail center, and then finally as a functioning market for downtown shoppers. A wal-mart would never go downtown, so you would never really be competing with the services the Market provides. Plus, the market is one of the few places that can actually compete with Wal-Mart for prices on things like vegetables and meats, and the quality is leaps and bounds beyond the factory food they sell at wal-mart.

[Bond James Bond]

^
Agreed. There is absolutely no way the PPM and a Wal-Mart would ever compete for the same shoppers. Not in a million years. That would be like saying Gucci competes for the same shoppers as The Gap. Sorry, but . . . no.

[velciane]

Originally Posted by Bond James Bond

^
That would be like saying Gucci competes for the same shoppers as The Gap. Sorry, but . . . no.

[sequoias]

Originally Posted by NW Mike

Since Walmart was a bit slow at moving into the Sound region it has sped up with Snohomish county. There are stores popping up everywhere. Even talk of building on out on HWY 2. They can be great for the discounts. But it has been incredible to watch Smokypoint and Marysville grow just in the past 3 years.(Thats how long I have lived here) I have never seen a place grow this fast. Its quite amazing! Now that growth is moving out towards Lake Stevens and Monroe.

Do I hear urban sprawl on the horizon?

[taiwanesedrummer36]

Yes you do. For example, at the intersection of Hwy 2 and Hwy 9, the cities of Snohomish and Lake Stevens are fighting for annexation of that land so they can develop it into new housing, retail, and potentially office/small industrial developments. That area has also been suggested for the new UW branch campus. And hey, I mean who wouldn't want to build crap there? It's prime real estate at the junction of two busy highways, not to mention good (congested) access. Speaking of that area, I forgot to mention the Snohomish Station development, under construction. Snohomish Station is a development along Bickford Ave., which will contain a Fred Meyer, a Home Depot, smaller retail stores, and plenty of condominiums. It was under controversy last year after residents were upset that too many trees were cut down from that once heavily forested area to make way for a major development. I don't remember how that ended, but now everything is under construction. Also in Snohomish is the new renovated Top Foods, which is now the one of the largest in the state, plus with plenty of new amenities.
Now, would you consider this tremendous new development SPRAWL?


*I forgot: there will be no new Wal-Marts in Lake Stevens/Snohomish/Monroe area.

[pwalker]

Originally Posted by BoulderGrad

mmm.... not really.... The market serves as a tourist attraction, a restaurant/retail center, and then finally as a functioning market for downtown shoppers. A wal-mart would never go downtown, so you would never really be competing with the services the Market provides. Plus, the market is one of the few places that can actually compete with Wal-Mart for prices on things like vegetables and meats, and the quality is leaps and bounds beyond the factory food they sell at wal-mart.

Most Super Wal-Marts have fruit/vegetable areas as big as Safeway, Albertsons, etc. The older, smaller stores don't. I believe Wal-Mart is now the biggest grocery chain in the U.S.