Mission Ridge Development Faces Scrutiny

Warnings about the proposed use of land near the Mission Ridge Ski and Board Resort

The developer went through Chelan County for permitting. In that process, the county found that likely significant adverse impacts would come from this development, triggering an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). (Had the impacts been minimal, the County would have issued a DNS (Determination of Non-Significance): no probable significant adverse impacts, or an MDNS (Mitigated DNS): impacts reduced by mitigation measures.)

The purpose of the Environmental Impact Statement is to identify and consider environmental consequences before acting, and then to offer solutions to avoid, minimize, reduce, or compensate for impacts — and deny the action if implications cannot be adequately mitigated.

Friends of Mission Ridge (FOMR), a local non-profit, has reviewed thousands of pages of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS), which is now open for public comment through Oct 21st.

“It’s full of errors, which is surprising because of how long the developer had to work on this.” A few examples Gnam offered were, “they say there are no pika in the project area, when you can see pika haystacks spread across the basalt field the developer wants to put the village over.” Gnam continued, “They say it’s not golden eagle or goshawk habitat, and that it’s not an area for elk calving, mule deer fawning, wintering, or migration corridors. A recent trail camera survey found all those species using the area, contrary to what the DEIS states. It really makes you question the validity of their assessments.” -Steven Gnam.

The Draft Environmental Impact Statement contains other sections that could be problematic for the developer, as there are no clear paths forward to mitigation. Some of the sections that are flagged in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement are the increased traffic on Squilchuck Road, the lack of sufficient secondary access–to be used as egress in a wildfire or other emergency, and the lack of necessary authorization for a land swap that is required for the project with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Friends of Mission Ridge commented on these and other issues found in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement in their “Review and Response Guide.”

“How can you offer mitigation if you don’t accurately describe what’s going to be impacted?” Gnam asked. “The community wants straight answers about this development. We’ve been sold that this was a ski area expansion, when the reality is, it's a massive real estate project.” Gnam continued, “ That’s fine, just be honest with the community. It feels like the ski area expansion is the little produce sticker put over a blemish on an apple. It's what gets you to buy it, but you don’t realize that the sticker was covering up the fact that the apple was rotten.”

Interested in having your voice heard on the matter? Here are some Important dates:

Monday September  22nd, 2025 - Wenatchee

Chelan County Natural Resources will host a public workshop on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement from 5 to 8:30 p.m. on Sept. 22 at Confluence Technology Center, 285 Technology Center Way, Suite 102, in Wenatchee. County staff, the consultant team, and Mission Ridge representatives will be available at the workshop. The workshop’s presentation portion begins at 6 p.m. No public comment will be taken at the workshop.

Sunday October 5th, 2025 - Wenatchee

Friends of Mission Ridge will be showing their new film, Ridge to River, and hosting a Q&A regarding the development and public comment period.
6:00 PM DOORS OPEN, 7:00 PM SHOW STARTS
THE NUMERICA PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
NUMERICAPAC.ORG • 509-663-ARTS

Friday October 17th, 2025 – Leavenworth
Friends of Mission Ridge will share the film, Ridge to River, and host a Q&A regarding the development and public comment period.
7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
RED BARN - WENATCHEE RIVER INSTITUTE

Tuesday October 21st, 2025 
5 PM Draft EIS Comment Period Closes