Dozens of residents, employees and the owner of EZ Burgers urged the Wenatchee City Council on July 10 to reconsider proposed traffic and pedestrian changes on North Wenatchee Avenue that they say would threaten the business.
Owner Pete Ezzetta told the council, “What they’ve asked is just unbelievable to me,” and said the plan would close his “main lane entrance,” remove parking and his dumpster area and make continued operation “almost impossible.” He said his restaurant has operated from the current site since 1992 and that he spends about $3,000 a month maintaining the property.
The public comment period opened the meeting. Several speakers described a package of ideas they attributed to city planning efforts — including restricting some turning movements, reducing entrance points and adding a short trail segment between Maiden Lane and Walnut — and said those changes would remove the business’s curbside access and reduce parking. Council members did not vote on any of the proposed changes that evening.
Supporters of EZ Burgers said the site is a community landmark and a training ground for young workers. “There is no better use of that property than what Eazies is making of it right now,” said Dale Hake, identifying himself as a customer. Employee Roxanne Ashmore said long-tenured staff and current customer demand make operation with fewer entrances unworkable: “If we close down both of those entrances and only have one way to get in there, it’s gonna be almost impossible to be able to continue to do this.”
Family members and customers urged the council to negotiate alternatives rather than remove access. Sally Brawley said it would be “breathtakingly awful” to displace the business after decades of investment. Several speakers also asked whether recent and later-arriving businesses that share the area’s traffic impacts would share mitigation costs.
Councilmember Harold made a disclosure during the meeting, saying she has had contact with Ezzetta and that his business advertises on a radio station co-owned by her husband. She said she wanted to be transparent about that contact.
No formal council action or vote on the North Wenatchee Avenue design was taken at the meeting. Council members moved on to the published agenda after the public-comment period. Community members were told the council accepts written comments by email and that materials can be submitted to the city for distribution to the council.