Upper Valley MEND (Meeting Each Need with Dignity) is planning a mixed income residential development to provide affordable housing for residents in the Leavenworth valley. The area of potential effect (APE) covers approximately 34 acres. The Meadowlark Development includes sustainable, energy-efficient standards of construction for the 30 permanently affordable homes, and 22 market-rate homes. Six view lots will also be developed and sold to help offset costs. A portion of the development will include open space, and remain undeveloped.
Background research at the Washington Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation (DAHP) revealed no previously recorded cultural resources within the Project Area. The DAHP’s predictive model places the Project Area within an area of very high probability for encountering cultural resources.
All 34 acres of the Meadowlark Development Project Area was surveyed with pedestrian transects. The subsurface investigation focused on the mostly flat area slated for development. A total of 68 shovel probes were excavated across five probing transects using a power auger. Additional investigations were conducted for the wetland mitigation portion of the proposed undertaking. The wetland portion of the project covered 3.5 acres, and Plateau conducted a pedestrian survey and excavated 14 shovel probes. No cultural material was found during the subsurface investigation. Three historic archaeological sites were identified during the pedestrian survey. The cultural resources do not meet the criteria and are not eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places; therefore, the proposed undertaking will result in No Historic Properties Affected, and no further archaeological investigations are recommended prior to, or during, execution of this project.
Location: Chelan County, Washington
