Chelan County to buy land to preserve outdoor recreation access

Preserving public access to the great Chelan County Outdoors, the county commissioners have entered into a land purchase agreement for 18 acres east of Plain.

The county is purchasing the land, currently owned by G&B Properties for a reported $1.2 million, for a new community park. The county will use lodging tax proceeds paid by visitors to hotels and motels in the county and a sales tax credit (referred to as 0.09 funds) the county receives from the state.

"We have areas of the county that are being loved to death and other areas of the county that are semi-undiscovered," said Chelan County Commission Chair Shon Smith. "It's going to be a year-round amenity. We envision another group coming in for the stewardship of it, a volunteer group, and then of course the build-out is going to start with things that the community is asking for whether it be a jungle gym, whether it be a walking path or an ADA path, for everyone to be able to access the outdoors."

The idea, Smith says, was an idea that Plain citizens brought to the county through a recent tourism impact study, to have a park to call their own to preserve access to the established ski trails in the area.

With the signing of the purchase and sale agreement, both parties now have 90 days to negotiate two agreements: a Joint Irrigation Agreement and an easement, before closing on the property.

Why did the county purchase the land?

• The Plain community is one of a few rural communities in Chelan County that does not have a community park. The new park will be a gathering place for the small community.

• Purchasing the property for a future park also falls into our recently completed tourism impact study, that points to the need to offer more opportunities for tourism-related activities in those areas that are not already heavily saturated by visitors. We are hoping the new park, when created, will offer another opportunity for visitors to Leavenworth to seek out recreation in Plain and visit that community.

• In addition, with the park’s location near the ski trails, this will offer another opportunity for winter recreationists.

• By the county owning the land, we are also able to preserve that access to the established ski trails.

Read more about the recently released Chelan County Tourism Impact Study here.