Single-family Homes Coming to Dryden

A 33.5 acre former pear orchard in Dryden will now be cleaned and subdivided as single-family residential homes. The application was submitted  and subsequently approved by the Chelan County Hearing Examiner on May 4, 2022, with the stipulation that 29.48 acres will still be used as an orchard.

North Dryden Estates will house about 18 single-family residences, with approximately .67 acres for each of the six lots, in addition to one open space tract. The land was bought back in October of 2018 for $704,000 by Spears Properties LLC, a Cashmere-based company.

The owners would be responsible for cleaning up the residual agricultural waste made up of lead, arsenic, and pesticides will need to be cleaned off the property before building any residential units, in accordance with the EPA’s Toxic Control Act.

This privately-owned property was zoned as 22.5 acres of agricultural land and 11 acres for residential dwelling. Access will be located off North Dryden Road and will be neighboring Pinnacle State Park.

Amanda Barg from Washington State Fish and Wildlife wants to remind both planners and the developers that the new residents will need to be mindful of the mule deer near Pinnacle State Park.

Commercial farmer Craig Christensen commented as a local Dryden resident, stating his disapproval of cluster developments and feels that it remains within the purview of agricultural use.

“We want to preserve farming, and yet this individual Spears comes in and purchases this property from the Stewart family that has owned this land for over 70 years farming,” Christensen said. “The land that is being proposed for the cluster development, it had viable existing d’anjou pear orchard trees on it, and they were removed. This individual purchased the property roughly three years ago, he had a plan. It was called development, short term capitalistic gain. That's not what commercial agricultural lands are intended for.”