Methow Valley Resort Approved Vote Ends Decades-Long Fight Over Development Of Project

The Okanogan County Commission has cleared the way for construction of a 1,200-acre, four-season destination resort in the Methow Valley.

The commission on Tuesday gave final approval to a rezone application for the Arrowleaf development, a scaled-down version of the abandoned Early Winters project. Construction will begin construction early next year, Arrowleaf spokeswoman Robin Herberger said Wednesday.

After nearly two decades of battling with conservationists, Early Winters dropped plans for an alpine ski resort, two golf courses, retail stores and 4,200 residential units near Mazama.

The R.D. Merrill Co. of Seattle acquired the 1,200-acre Early Winters property in 1992.

Merrill plans to build an 18-hole golf course, a 100-room lodge and about 600 homes in phases over the next 25 to 30 years, Herberger said.

The plan also includes an equestrian center, swim and tennis centers and shops along with a 23-mile trail system for a variety of year-round recreational activities.

The planned destination resort’s first phase, called Wilson Ranch, already has been completed. It features the 12-room Freestone Inn, six historic Early Winters cabins and two lakeside lodges.

The developers will contribute 1 percent of the value of real estate transactions to create and maintain the Methow Valley Environmental Center, a nonprofit conservation, research and conservation facility, Herberger said.

The development also will devote 750 acres to natural open space, encourage energy efficiency and open spaces through architectural guidelines for homeowners and ban the use of wood stoves. Air quality and open spaces were points of dispute in the Early Winters proposals.