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Aberdeen Mayor Bill Simpson says he will oppose a plan by the Quinault Indian Nation to build a combination convenience store and tobacco stop on the banks of the Wishkah River in Aberdeen.
Although the land at 619 E. Market is within the city limits, the property is officially Indian Trust Land owned by the Quinaults and does not need to go through the city’s permitting process, according to Simpson. However, the Quinaults have applied for a liquor license from the Washington State Liquor Control Board.
Simpson said he recently received notification from the state on the liquor license asking for the city’s input and he plans on writing a letter this week opposing the new store.
“I have nothing against Native Americans,” Simpson said. “To add another alcohol and tobacco convenience store doesn’t hit me right. There are enough of these types of stores in that area. I’m not trying to stop somebody from having a business, but look at all of the problems caused in that area. It’s way over what happens in other areas.”
Simpson said he had Police Chief Bob Torgerson pull up all of the police stops in that area, which Simpson says is the start of an area “commonly known as felony flats.”
“Look here, 500 block of East Wishah, the 600 block of East Wishkah, we’ve got traffic stops, DUIs, nuisance complaints, citizen disputes, suspicious things going on, prowlers, a person down, theft, shoplifting, a suicide attempt and more,” Simpson said. “And this is just for one year.”
The State Liquor Control Board sent a letter to Aberdeen “asking for our input on what we feel,” Simpson said, reading the letter. “Do you approve of the applicant? No. Do you approve of the location? No.”
The application for a liquor license states that the store will be called Q-Mart 2 and lists the Quinault Indian Nation as the applicant and names Quinault Corporate CEO Guy Capoeman with the Nation as the contact. Reached on Thursday, Capoeman declined to comment but said he’d hope to talk about the situation later.
A February article in the Quinault Indian Nation’s newspaper Nugguam notes that the tribe hopes to develop the trust land in three phases. Phase one will be a smoke shop, offering drive-up tobacco sales and limited walk-up sales. This phase will be similar to the Quinaults’ existing smoke shop called Q-Mart located at Hogan’s Corner near Ocean Shores. The next phase would be a gas station and the final phase would be a convenience store in the model of Squaxin Island’s Kamilche store.
The Grays Harbor Assessor’s website lists four parcels on the corner of E Street and Market as being Indian Trust Land, totaling 0.89 acres. The site is currently fenced off and has fishing boats within it. Neighbors include Harbor Ventilation and A-1 Roofing and it’s not that far from existing convenience stores like Young’s Quick Stop and 7-Eleven.
Simpson said he is concerned that because the Quinaults do not have to pay the same taxes as the existing businesses in the area, the store could be a magnet for those looking to buy high content alcohol at an even cheaper price. Downtown Aberdeen has had frequent problems with those looking to get drunk at the cheapest price possible, Simpson said. City street crews cleaning up the alleys frequently find high-content alcohol cans and the issue was discussed at length last year by the city’s Public Safety Committee.
“We don’t need any more problems for Downtown Aberdeen,” Simpson said.
“They don’t pay sales tax,” Simpson added. “They don’t pay B&O tax and they will hurt the businesses that are already here.”
Simpson said he also has concerns that the Quinaults want to build a structure right on the banks of the Wishkah River, “known for its muckiness” and the city would have no say in their building process because of federal laws surrounding Indian Trust land.
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