Residents living adjacent to the Highway 9 Casino and Restaurant have praised Snohomish County officials and developers for their efforts to minimize the impact the year-old gambling facility has on nearby neighborhoods.

Members of the Highway 9 Community Coalition, created to fight the presence of a casino near Lake Stevens-area neighborhoods, said last week that their demands for increased safety and a pleasant living atmosphere had been met by county officials and members of the Barclays North team that developed the site.

When residents found out last year that a restaurant just off Highway 9 would house a cardroom, they felt betrayed by county officials for not sharing that information with them sooner. But changes at the business and proposed revisions to zoning permits have residents at least relaxing their defensive poses.

"It's not a matter of being pleased with the casino itself," said Sonya Hart, a member of the Highway 9 Community Coalition. "But we've worked with Barclays North, Snohomish County and the casino on 10 items of safety."

Casino operators and Barclays North helped separate the casino from the adjacent neighborhood by increasing fence heights between the developments, adding streetlights and signs, and reworking the parking area so noisy motorcycles are farther from homes.

Casino operators also have agreed to work with the neighbors on future complaints and to make sure intoxicated patrons use a cab service to get home.

County officials said they expect to change the way permits for such businesses are handled. Because the cardroom takes up less space than the restaurant, the gambling area is considered incidental by county standards, meaning it doesn't have to be listed on a permit application as a potential use.

It wasn't until construction began last year that most residents learned of the cardroom.

"The county's now going to list incidental uses on zoning boards and permit applications," Hart said.

Barclays North began immediately to meet with neighbors and address their concerns as best as it could, said David Toyer, a Barclays North representative. He said the company was pleased to be recognized last week by the neighborhood group.

"We worked quite extensively with the county and the neighborhood and the operators of the casino," he said. "Some of the work required creating a partnership with the county so the work could be performed in a timely manner."

A change in permit applications would require County Council approval, and Councilman Jeff Sax has been working to see that completed. Sax's office also was recognized last week for its work.

"This was a whole lot of hours put in by everybody," Hart said. "So we took the time to recognize them."

Christopher Schwarzen: 425-783-0577 or cschwarzen@seattletimes.com