Tribal member files lawsuit to halt work on Tulalip project

Tribal member files lawsuit to halt work on Tulalip project

Thursday, July 19, 2001

By PAUL SHUKOVSKY
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER

A Tulalip tribal member filed a federal suit against the tribe yesterday, seeking to halt construction of a massive new business park along Interstate 5.

Guy Madison, who filed the suit, owns a 10-acre plot of land, which he maintains will be affected by the development.

The site, known as Quil Ceda Village, is just north of the Marysville exit. It already includes a Wal-Mart store, and will soon house a Home Depot.

The project, being developed by the Tulalip government, serves as a unique manifestation of tribal sovereignty.

Under tribal law, the Tulalip government has incorporated the development as a municipality.

The tribe now wants the state to cede its sales tax authority at the site in favor of a tribally levied sales tax to pay for government services.

The suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Seattle, alleges that the tribe and federal oversight agencies failed to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement as required by law.

The suit seeks to require the immediate preparation of such a statement and to enjoin the tribe from further work at the site until an environmental review is completed.

Madison could not be reached for comment yesterday. But his attorney, Claudia Newman, said that "he wants to see the tribe follow the law."

John McCoy, tribal director of government affairs and acting city manager of Quil Ceda, also could not be reached for comment yesterday.

But in an earlier interview, he said the development's "goal is total self-governance, total self-determination of the Tulalip people."

Quil Ceda will be governed by an all-Tulalip City Council and run by native professionals, McCoy said.

Newman said "along with self-governance comes responsibility."

To her client, that means proper consideration of the effects of the project on the environment and nearby property owners.

Madison is in the process of developing his parcel, which is about a quarter-mile from Quil Ceda, Newman said.

The homes on Madison's plot of land will be affected by traffic from the project, she said.

She also noted that Madison had bid for a contract with the tribe to develop a minimall in Quil Ceda but did not get the job despite a tribal employment-rights ordinance that gives preference to Indians.

The tribe "chose another entity that is primarily non-Indian," said Newman, who called such a move a blatant violation.

P-I reporter Paul Shukovsky can be reached at 206-448-8072 or paulshukovsky@seattlepi.com

Add P-I Local headlines to