A casino-resort would stunt development in southwest Washington

The Columbia River Economic Development Council (CREDC) advocates making use of growth areas that provide space, infrastructure, access and amenities—like the Port of Vancouver and Columbia Business Park.

Located along I-5 from Salmon Creek to La Center, the Discovery Corridor is a prospective growth area. The presence of a casino there would prevent its being used to its fullest capacity.

The proposed casino-resort would sit on 152 acres of sovereign trust land, an untaxable land base that could be expanded. The tribe has agreed to make payments in lieu of property taxes to compensate for revenue lost due to removal of the 152-acre site from local property tax rolls. But many other development-related issues are not covered by the Cowlitz Tribe-Clark County Memorandum of Understanding, including contiguous lands that could be taken into trust at a later time.

The casino would not bring a knowledge-based industry to the I-5 corridor. It would not produce goods and services to draw revenue from outside the region. And it would cause traffic congestion that could make the rest of The Discovery Corridor an unattractive location for other potential businesses.

Additionally, consider the loss of local tax revenue: The DEIS estimates the proposed casino would bring in $415 million in gaming revenue a year. That is $415 million in disposable income (and, in some cases, income that should be used for basic needs) that would not be spent in locally owned and managed stores, restaurants and facilities. Gaming revenue is not taxed, so counties and other local jurisdictions would lose taxes that would have been collected had that money been spent in other pursuits. Moreover, existing businesses would close and new ones would be hesitant to open within the casino’s sphere of influence.

It would be far wiser for the county to encourage a productive, tax-paying development to set up in the Discovery Corridor.