(emailed March 30, 2025)
Although it has not been long since we sent out Update #16, there is new information that we would like to pass along pertaining to our efforts to preserve Chelan Butte.
As we noted previously, Raja Venugopal (the potential developer and purchase option holder) submitted three building permit applications in February for short-term rentals on lots owned by Golden Gate Ventures (GGV) just east of Chelan Butte Road. These applications indicated that water wells and septic systems would be utilized for these three units, which clearly did not meet City code requirements. We anticipated that these applications would be deemed incomplete for that reason.
As expected, the City of Chelan issued letters dated March 17th indicating that the applications were incomplete for numerous reasons, including the fact that they did not indicate how the units would utilize the City’s municipal water and sewer systems. In fact, each of the three applications had a total of between ten and twelve listed deficiencies.
We also had our attorney with Bricklin & Newman LLP review a cover letter for the applications from Mr. Venugopal’s attorney (Charles Klinge). She prepared a letter to the City of Chelan explaining why Mr. Klinge’s arguments for the use of water wells and septic systems were without merit. We have a high level of confidence in her legal conclusions and hope that this bolsters the City’s position that this project should not be allowed to utilize water wells and septic systems.
As for where this goes from here, it is not clear. Subsequent to the City’s March 17th determination of incompleteness letters, CBC reached out again to Mr. Venugopal to reiterate our desire for him to allow the public to purchase all or most of the GGV properties. His reply did not directly address our stated desire, but instead merely confirmed his goal of pursuing building permits from three small short-term rentals without mentioning the water/sewer issues associated with this goal.
Through a public records request, CBC obtained additional information about Mr. Venugopal’s plans that the local community should be aware of. In email correspondence with the Chelan-Douglas Health District, one of Mr. Venugopal’s consultants (Mitch Reister) described Mr. Venugopal’s development plans as follows: “The larger plan is to acquire all 860+ acres on the Butte and develop discrete portions of them at higher densities – which will require the extension of municipal water & sewer to the site (for which the higher densities will financially support the cost of said capital facility construction).”
Mr. Reister also indicated that these homes would be used as short-term rentals (which would be similar to the Lookout development in Chelan), perhaps all owned by Mr. Venugopal himself. If the plan is indeed to bring City water and sewer up onto the Butte, which from everything we have heard will cost tens of millions of dollars, then this development will require hundreds of homes in order to cover that cost (which is consistent with the description of areas of higher-density homes). This is far different from the “low density, rural style” development of up to 78 homes that Mr. Venugopal has promised in public statements.
Given all of this new information, it is more imperative than ever to try to convince Mr. Venugopal that this is not what the local community wants to see happen on the Butte. CBC will continue to do what we can to persuade him to shift his focus from personal desires to public desires, but to the extent that anyone else converses with Mr. Venugopal, it would be helpful for him to hear this from people other than just us (even though over 3,200 people have signed the petition to preserve the Butte).
I’ll leave it here for now, but please do not hesitate to reach out to us by responding to this email if you have any questions or comments. Note that previous Chelan Butte Updates can be found on our website. Thanks as always for your interest in, and support for, this important endeavor affecting the future of the Lake Chelan Valley. Please see our Facebook and web sites (links below) for more information about CBC.
Brian Patterson
Chelan Basin Conservancy President
on behalf of the CBC board:
Lisa Garvich – Vice President
Tony Crosetto – Treasurer
Debra Patterson – Secretary
Mike Cochran