Leavenworth faces questions over process, safety in river lot proposal

LEAVENWORTH – The City of Leavenworth is working to acquire an additional parking lot for river recreation in order to address parking congestion along Icicle Road. 

The city entered into a purchase agreement with MLTE Properties, LLC for 37 and 81 Norling Lane, contingent upon obtaining a conditional use permit (CUP) from the county for parking purposes. The city is currently going through the application process.

The purchase is an attempt to manage the overflow parking that occurs each summer near Icicle Road Bridge. Located approximately one mile south of US-2, it is the highest upstream access point for a Class I-II section of the Wenatchee River. The site is a popular public put-in for individuals floating the river, and is also used commercially by the Leavenworth Outdoor Center (LOC). 

Located outside of city limits, the access point largely falls within county jurisdiction, which owns the road, bridge and the right of way below the bridge. However, just south of the right of way, the city owns a portion of the river access point known as “Bridge River Access Park.” The park is part of a larger city-owned parcel that includes municipal well facilities and the Leavenworth Golf Course. 

In a 2020 river recreation report, a study recorded that 25 cars were able to park in the combined county right of way and city lot. On a given Saturday afternoon, 50 cars were reported to be parked along the right-of-way along Icicle Road, extending over a quarter-mile north of the bridge. The report observed the overflow creating hazards for pedestrians and bikes, which “are forced into the travel lanes in an area with limited sight distance due to the road curvature.” 

Other problems were also documented at the river access point, such as bank erosion along the left bank of the river, as well as the river bank typically smelling “like urine” near the end of summer.

In addition to continuing free river shuttles, the city is looking to house approximately 50 stalls on the Norling Lane lot to address the congestion. According to the site plans, the parking lot would be closed at dawn and dusk by a gate and fencing, and users would pay to park using a solar-powered kiosk. A Link Transit bus stop would be included adjacent to the intersection of Norling Lane and Icicle Road.

“We're trying to provide people a safe place to park when they are accessing the river, because they already do it, and they are creating an unsafe situation on Icicle Road,” said City Administrator Matthew Selby. “The road itself is the county’s, so the city cannot enforce ‘no parking’ on that road.”

Leavenworth resident Shannon Tait, who lives further down Icicle Road, said she observed river users parked along Icicle Road spilling into the middle of the road, while motorists drove above the speed limit.

“Someone’s going to get hurt along that road,” said Tait. “For safety reasons, I think it’s a good idea.”

However, the currently vacant lot is located in the middle of a neighborhood, raising concerns from Ellen Beardsley, who lives directly adjacent to the property. In the site plan, the entrance to the lot sits adjacent to the private road that accesses these homes, essentially sharing the ingress and egress point.

“If you can imagine a cul-de-sac, and there's that round center – that's where they're putting the parking lot. So, each of these properties would be facing a parking lot,” said Beardsley.

In addition to concerns about increased noise and litter, Beardsley worries that the increased traffic coming in and out of Norling Lane, located at the bend of Icicle Road, could create more safety hazards.

“This is not going to lessen the impact or the safety. It's going to create a bigger burden. It's going to create more problems in so many ways,” said Beardsley.

She also worries that the parking lot could contaminate the shared domestic well, which is located on the identified property. The shared well has a 100-foot restriction, but the city only has a 25-foot protective radius in its plan. Selby explained that he clarified with the contract engineer about the restrictions before moving forward with the process.

“It was indicated that there is a 25-foot protective radius, and there's certain activities you cannot do within 100 feet, such as build a septic system, but the parking lot is well within use of 100-feet,” said Selby.

However, Beardsley’s concern goes further regarding the city’s process to obtain the property. In April she sent a letter to the Washington State Auditor’s Office (SAO), alleging that the city violated the Open Public Meetings Act (OPMA) by improperly using executive sessions to discuss the properties. 

Under RCW 42.30.110(1)(b), cities are permitted to discuss real estate purchases in closed meetings if public discussion could increase the price. Beardsley argued that the risk was not evident, citing CUP contingency and the properties’ declining market values.

According to Zillow, the properties were listed together in December 2023 for $599,000. Realtor.com showed the listing at $569,000 in January 2024. In May, the properties were listed separately for $369,000 each. One property was reduced to $299,000 in June before both were removed in the fall.

In January 2025, the city agreed to purchase the two properties – contingent upon obtaining the CUP – for $650,000. 

In her letter, Beardsley accused the city of also going beyond the scope of the purchase discussion by searching parking stall dimensions during the Oct. 8 executive session, in which the city inadvertently left the video recording on during the closed meeting. 

Additionally, the letter raised concern that Selby mentioned discussing the purchase with the Leavenworth Golf Course prior to the first public meeting discussion, violating OPMA. During the Jan. 14 city council meeting, Selby noted he had told the Leavenworth Golf Course the day before that the property was “not the proposed location for an additional municipal supply well.”

Beardsley also argued that the city could use existing parking at the city-owned golf course property, rather than purchasing new land. However, when renegotiating the lease this winter, Selby explained that the city’s priorities were to ensure access to a potential secondary municipal water supply. According to Selby, the city did try to negotiate for the lower lot for river parking, but that it was a “non-starter” with the club. Leavenworth Golf Club did not want to provide comment, but did confirm that the lower lot was not an option, as it would interfere with its operations and guests.

The SAO confirmed that they received what they call a “citizen hotline” concern, which would be incorporated into the regularly scheduled audit, but was unable to provide more information until the audit was completed.

Taylor Caldwell: 509-433-7276 or taylor@ward.media