Project Summary:
HISTORY: In 2002 the Cle Elum City Council approved a Master Plan and a Development Agreement to govern the future development of approximately 1,100 acres located west of the Cle Elum Cemetery between Bullfrog Flats Road, SR 903, and I-90. This area, originally known as the Bullfrog Flats Urban Growth Area, or the Bullfrog UGA, has since been annexed into the City. The approved Master Site Plan provided for the construction of 1,334 dwelling units, including 810 single family units and 524 multi-family units, as well as a 75-acre business park, and 7.5 acres for the construction of 50 affordable housing units. The Development Agreement, which was based on a Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) prepared for the proposed master site plan and issued on March 18, 2002, included over 120 conditions of approval. In accordance with the provisions of the Development Agreement, 112 acres were dedicated to the City in 2008 for the purposes of establishing the Washington State Horse Park, and 38 acres were dedicated to the Cle Elum School District in 2003, pursuant to the terms of a mitigation agreement. Mitigation agreements were also executed, and financial payments made, to Hospital District 2 and Kittitas County Solid Waste. Other than the subsequent development activities initiated by the Washington State Horse Park Authority and the Cle Elum School District, the only other approved development activity to date a 2008 subdivision associated with the future development of the Business Park.
The Development Agreement was amended in 2017 to extend the termination date by 10 years, to 2027. In 2019 the City was notified that New Suncadia, the successors in interest to the original Project Sponsor, Trendwest, had entered into a purchase and sale agreement to sell approximately 809-acres within the Bullfrog UGA Master Site Plan to Sun Communities. On March 22, 2023, Sun Communities submitted to the City an application to modify the Master Site Plan according to the process set forth in the Development Agreement. The application proposed 757 residential units, 50 affordable housing units, a 25-acre commercial center, a recreational vehicle (RV) resort for 627 RVs, associated amenities, infrastructure improvements, and 513-acres of open space. To comply with SEPA, a Supplemental EIS and SEIS Addendum were prepared for the proposal. Recently, Sun Communities, the current owner of the remaining portion of this site, informed the City that it had entered into an agreement to potentially sell the site to Blue Fern, a privately-owned Redmond-based developer that has developed housing communities in the Pacific Northwest, and requested that the city pause the review of their applications.
CURRENT PROJECT DESCRIPTION: On August 13, 2024, Bullfrog Flats, LLC submitted applications for the Bullfrog Flats Development Project. The current proposal is approval of subsequent development pursuant to the 2002 Bullfrog Flats UGA master site plan and development agreement approved by the City in 2002. The application is comprised of a boundary line adjustment to establish parcels and phase boundaries for the master site plan, alongside master plat and preliminary plat applications for the first three phases: S-1 (95 single-family units), S-2 (138 single-family units), and J (164 zero-lot line townhouse units), for a total of 397 units.
The entire site is zoned as Planned Mixed Use (PMU), governed by the standards and conditions set forth in the existing Development Agreement. Primary access will be provided by a new road extension connecting Bullfrog Road to SR 903, with additional connections to the north and south.
These phases are part of an overall project that is proposed to be developed over an approximate 10-year period and includes 1,334 single family and multifamily housing units, 950,000 square of business park uses, extensive open space including parks, trails and recreational facilities. Sites for affordable housing and expansion of the city cemetery will also be set aside and dedicated to the city. The master plat includes phasing details, such as proposed phases, residential units, and roadways for the development. The application also requests to transfer the Development Agreement from Sun Communities, and extension of the Development Agreement by 10 years, through 2037. As each phase proceeds, individual preliminary subdivision and grading, excavation, and filling applications will be submitted to further subdivide the land and install the necessary infrastructure for residential lots.
The Applications for the Master Plat, Preliminary Plats and associated documents, as well as background information can be accessed by clicking on the following links.
*Processing timeline to be determined.