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Ecology Challenges Condominium Shoreline Permit

YAKIMA - Moving a proposed condominium complex out of the Wenatchee River flood plain near Leavenworth will protect people, property, and the environment, according to the state Department of Ecology (Ecology).

Ecology filed a notice of intervention today with the Shoreline Hearings Board to appeal a shoreline permit issued by the city of Leavenworth for a 58-unit condominium proposed by Vacation Internationale, Inc.

A new study by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers shows the area has flooded as recently as 1995. The Corps is revising its 100-year flood-plain map to include a portion of the area proposed for construction.

"Our responsibility is to address the potential public-safety concerns and environmental consequences of the proposed project, and this new information heightened our concern," said Tom Tebb, manager of Ecology's shorelands program in Central Washington. "We feel compelled to make sure the facility is built outside the flood plain and that erosion concerns are mitigated."

A pre-hearing conference is scheduled with the Shoreline Hearings Board in June.