Public Hearing for Comp Plan

CHELAN - If the views / opinions of residents in the Chelan Valley were not clear before, they certainly are now when it comes to protecting the view-corridor and public access to Lake Chelan. 

The message residents gave at a Comprehensive Plan Public Hearing with the Planning Commission on Wednesday, March 15, was simple, keep power lines out of the view corridor and try to work on creating a public park on one of the Three Fingers. 

“People come here for the views and recreation, and these people spend money in the local economy,” Chelan resident Robin Vogel said. “Growth needs to pay for growth and up to my understanding, Crystal View, Legacy Ridge and The Lookout were not required to do mitigation for this new substation, and they have no lines in sight what so ever. Frankly I was a little ticked off they have no lines and my view is going to be completely decimated.” 

Vogel is also concerned about the safety and overall cost of wildfire repairs to overhead lines. 

“That needs to be taken into consideration,” Vogel stated, “There were an estimated $2.6 million in repairs after the 2015 fires and that is just in Chelan and Manson. An estimated $2 million will be reimbursed by Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), but that is still taxpayer dollars. Health concerns have not been brought out and the lines crackle and hiss when they are wet. The process has just not been transparent (around the potential expense of going underground) and there is this constant claim that it is prohibitively expensive. We have this gem that is Lake Chelan and it’s views, let’s do the right thing.” 

When asked the question to elaborate on the costs of going underground, Chelan County PUD Commissioner Ann Congdon responded by stating that it was hard to say. 

“It depends on the condition of the soil, but it is at least 10 times as much as the cost is to go overground,” Congdon said in confidence. “The maintenance is buried, so you have to factor those costs in as well.” 

However, it seems that Vogel’s comments, along with some words from the Chelan City Council had an effect on the PUD’s decision as they pushed their original date of decision back from the end the month. 

“We heard all of the comments and what we are doing is going back and looking at other spots,” Congdon confirmed on Friday. “The three locations are all more remote and quite a long way from the load center, so it earns more transmission and distribution lines. We’re finding though that the increased height on poles and additional lines are more obtrusive for people in terms of view than having the actual substation close to them, so we are looking at sites closer to the load center.” 

With the North Shore already at around 80 percent capacity and a two year projected time to complete the substation, there is no time to waste. 

“We are pushing hard and trying to get it going since it will take around two years to complete. We will shoot for June to have our decision made, but that is just a guess. We have a meeting on the 20th so it is possible that we make some kind of decision on Monday about which site to pursue. If not it will be in April.”

• Park at Three Fingers 

Over the past week, the Friends of Lake Chelan have been gathering signatures from residents in the valley in hopes of having the Lakeside Bar portion of zone seven to be rezoned as public lands and facilities in order to construct a lake waterfront public park. 

“From First Creek to Manson, there are only two public parks,” Steve Kline began in his address. “Lakeside was established in 1925 and Don Morse Park in 1950. If you take the summer population - which blooms to around 13,000 - with the addition of 18-22,000 tourists in the static summer months, the parks at Lakeside and Don Morse are at their maximum usage and overflowing into the surrounding neighborhoods.”

Kline said that because the Growth Management Act (GMA) requires a 10-year projection for public facilities, and the City has already established an extreme need for a third waterfront park (PROS Plan) they should pursue purchasing a lot on the Three Fingers and turning it into a public park. 

“The Three Fingers is the last and only large site where a lake access park could be built, and one of the tenants of the GMA is to ensure that public facilities and services be adequate to meet the 10-year projections,” Kline said. 

Without an additional park, Kline stated the level of service to residents and guests would only decrease. 

“We are strongly requesting that it be rezoned and, because of a lack of alternative sites, should be attained by any means including public domain (which according to Washington state law, eminent domain can be used under ‘public necessity’,” Kline concluded. “We are going to buy undeveloped dirt from a company that sells undeveloped dirt. By leaving it zoned as it is now, it would invite marinas and other developments, whether they are taken out or not, and cause further erosion of public access to the lake. I’m not hearing a lot of want to, but it is the best thing to happen to our city and the people that will come through. Otherwise you’ll lock it up only for people that can afford to live in condos and marinas.” 

Mayor Cooney characterized the situation as a struggle between private property and the desire to do things like a park on the Three Fingers. 

“There is a petition going around about wanting the Fingers to turn into a park, but so far someone still owns that property, and until that is changed, we aren’t going to tell ownership what to do on their property,” Mayor Cooney said. “We tried working with the Goodfellows on something that is good for the community, but he does not but into that. I’m hoping to get something done though, the fingers and the Butte are two important assets to the valley, so we are making sure we can do everything possible.” 

The Planning Commission will hold another Public Hearing on April 19 before having a joint workshop with the Chelan City Council on May 9 to finish the last tweaks. The deadline for the approved Comprehensive Plan is June 30. 

Zach Johnson can be reached at lcmeditor@gmail.com or (509) 682-2213