by Richard Uhlhorn
Chelan Butte and its potential development outcomes has captured the interest of many residents in the Lake Chelan Valley.
On Thursday, May 9, Peter Dykstra, Trust for Public Lands (TPL), was back at Chelan Senior Center to follow up on his Chelan Butte Feasibility Study public meeting held on April 4 to gather unput from the community.
A portion of that feasibility study was to seek what funding might be available to purchase the 900 acres in question from the owner, Golden Gate Ventures; Who might take on the acquisition (the land is within the City of Chelan limits and zoned for tourism development; and Who might assume the Maintenance and Operations of that land once it is in the public domain.
Unfortunately, Dykstra told the estimated 30 people attending Thursday evenings meeting that conditions were not right to move forward with the study. He announced that the TPL was stopping their efforts and preserving what funding the State Legislature approved for the study.
“I don’t think this is the end of the Story!
Peter Dykstra, TPL
Dykstra added that the closure of the TPLs efforts does not mean that open lands and recreation efforts on the Butte should stop.
“I know that is disappointing to folks,” said Dykstra. “We don’t think the conditions are (currently) right for us.”
“There is not an owner willing to sell and there is no agency/organization willing to take ownership,” said Dykstra. “We don’t force owners to sell.”
“This was not an easy decision for us. If the conditions were reversed, we would be happy to come back,” added Dykstra.
However, Dykstra also added, “I don’t think this is the end of the story.”
Going forward, the community waits on the developer to let them know what the specific development plans are. The developer has not made any application to date on the property. Issues continue to be water, relevant City codes to adhere to and other concerns.
At this point, the property remains in private hands and the community can only wait until the developer lets the public know what the actual development plan is.
All Things Lake Chelan 