by Richard Uhlhorn – Wednesday May 25, 2022
MANSON COMMUNITY FORUM
Hosted by The Manson Community Council
TUESDAY MAY 31, 2022 @ 6:00 pm
North Shore Sowers Hall
123 Wapato Point Parkway
MANSON, WA 98831
Next Tuesday evening, the Manson Community Council is hosting a Community Forum at the North Shores Church Sowers Hall, 123 Wapato Point Parkway in Manson at 6 p.m.
On the agenda are the increasing high density developments that the County has alleged to be of non-significance despite the development property being on legacy orchard land with potential lead/arsenic issues.
The primary target of this meeting is the Sundance Estates development just east of the intersection of Old Mill Bay and the Casino. It is a Planned Development that calls for 66 long term residential units on less than 10 acres. Its primary ingress/egress point is at Hwy. 150 and could impact traffic on the highway as much as 63 vehicles per hour during peak periods. The Developer is the same developer as the shut-down Apple Casita apartment project north of the intersection towards Manson.
Traffic issues have blossomed over the past several months with the proposed Bluewater Terrace development east of Rocky Point that will add to the stream of traffic between Manson and Chelan. The traffic issues are also added to with the influx of visitors to wineries in the Manson area.
The solution to this issue is hard to come by. Hwy. 150 is the primary road in and out of Manson. The Washington State Department of Transportation (DOT) has already indicated that the only solution they see is lowering the speed limit or adjust travel times.
The other issue is that the Manson Community Council has no power over what happens in Manson. They can only recommend their decisions to the County. The County, in particular the Planning Department and the County Commissioner, Tiffany Gearing, have not attended a Council meeting for a number of months despite being asked.
The Manson community at large is becoming very concerned with the direction the community is moving and are beginning to audibly raise their concerns to the Community Council who is helpless unless the Community as a whole steps up and complains loudly to those who represent them.
Admittedly, the County, who has lost a number of planning directors over the last few years, is up to its ears on issues including some major lawsuits concerning Short Term Rentals ($20 million has been bantered about).
The meeting will be attended by Deanne Walters, the interim director of the Chelan County Community Development along with a planner from the Planning Department. Gearing was invited but will be out of town apparently and unable to attend. Representatives from the DOT have been invited, but to this date, have not responded.
Ken Del Duca, project manager of the proposed Sundance Estates project will be on hand to answer questions regarding their project which instigated this meeting. The owner, Jorge Ochoa, will not be able to attend.
This meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, May 31, at 6 p.m. at North Shore Churches Sowers Hall.
All Things Lake Chelan 