Kittitas County hearing examines request to allow events and larger cabins at Silver Ridge Ranch

Kittitas County Hearing Examiner Andy Kotkamp on Jan. 28 heard an application (CU240006) to amend an existing conditional use permit for Silver Ridge Ranch to allow use of an on-site amphitheater and a recently constructed barn as event space and to increase the size of four approved cabins.

The amendment would authorize wedding venues, reunions and similar gatherings in the barn and amphitheater and would increase each of four previously approved 16-by-16 cabins to about 800 square feet. Staff recommended approval with 19 proposed conditions and noted a SEPA mitigated determination of non-significance issued Oct. 29, 2024 that included 16 mitigation measures; the hearing examiner admitted exhibits 1–18 into the record and closed the public portion of the hearing, saying a written decision will be issued within 10 working days.

Staff planner Mr. Haley told the examiner the application is an amendment to an earlier CUP that originally authorized the guest ranch and a 2002 amendment that allowed additional cabins, tent sites and RV sites. The property includes roughly 10 parcels on the east side of the site; Silver Creek runs along the eastern boundary and staff said the proposal would remain outside a roughly 200-foot shoreline buffer so no shoreline permit is required. The parcel is zoned Rural-5; staff cited county code section 17.15.060 as authorizing a guest ranch as a conditional use in that zone.

Haley said agencies and tribes were notified and that the county received comments from Kittitas PUD, the Department of Natural Resources, Kittitas Public Health, the Department of Health Office of Drinking Water, Kittitas County Public Works, the Colville Tribe, the Department of Transportation, the fire marshal and the Department of Fish and Wildlife. He said the tribes did not request additional cultural-resources surveys because the project does not propose ground-disturbing activity. The fire marshal suggested fuel-reduction measures and requirements for tent fire ratings and annual inspections if the operation is commercial; the Department of Transportation asked that airport easements be preserved because Eastern State Airport is directly north of the property and uses the driveway through the parcel to access its facilities.

Haley said the county completed an environmental review and issued a SEPA mitigated determination of non-significance on Oct. 29, 2024, which included 16 mitigation measures; those conditions were incorporated into the staff-recommended permit conditions. Haley concluded by recommending the hearing examiner approve the Silver Ridge Ranch conditional use permit with the 19 proposed conditions in the staff report.

Applicant Craig McLeod, sworn at the hearing, told the examiner he and his wife have owned the property about four years and operate hospitality and RV park businesses at other locations. "We're in the hospitality RV park business. We have other locations also," McLeod said. He confirmed he had reviewed the staff report and the proposed conditions and said he had no objections. He described the barn and amphitheater as existing features the applicants intend to use for events and said the four cabins have not yet been built but that there is market demand for larger cabins.

No members of the public spoke. The examiner admitted exhibits 1–18 into the record, closed the public record and said he will issue a written decision within 10 working days after closing the record; he added he will try to issue the decision before leaving on a two-week absence and otherwise expected staff to forward the decision to the applicants in the week of Feb. 17. The examiner also noted that appeals of his written decision must be filed in Kittitas County Superior Court within 21 days of issuance.

The record for the application remains open only to the extent the examiner chooses to accept additional written evidence; no additional evidence was presented at the hearing.