Cashmere residents organize against proposed Dollar General

CASHMERE — A group of Cashmere residents gathered Tuesday, Jan. 20, at the Henry Building on Cottage Avenue to organize opposition to a proposed Dollar General store planned for the Mill District, following last week’s announcement that the Port of Chelan County has sold two parcels there to NNN Development for retail use.

The meeting was facilitated by Micah Haney, a member of the Cashmere Planning Commission, who encouraged residents to focus their concerns through public processes including City Council and planning meetings. Haney said that while the Port controls the sale of its property, any development proposal still must pass through city zoning, permitting and design review, and that community input during those steps can still influence the outcome.

“If the council is aware there’s a unified front from a community perspective, that changes the dynamics of the equation,” Haney said.

Under the terms of the sale, the developer has entered a feasibility period during which it will evaluate permitting, design and site requirements before proceeding. Several residents said they were concerned to learn about the project only after the sale had already been announced, and described feeling left out of a decision they believe will have long-term effects on the community.

Much of the discussion centered on potential impacts to local businesses and the town’s economic character. Andy Thomas, owner of Side Street, said a national discount retailer could draw customers away from Cashmere’s independent stores and weaken the locally rooted business ecosystem that has been developing in recent years. “If your money exchanges hands in a neighborhood six times before it goes to a corporation, everybody will thrive,” Thomas said.

Other speakers raised concerns about the types of jobs typically associated with dollar stores, arguing that part-time, low-wage positions with limited benefits would not provide meaningful economic stability for local families.

Kendra Clark, president of the Cashmere Chamber of Commerce, acknowledged that new retail can bring added convenience and services, but said the community also needs to consider how growth fits with Cashmere’s long-term vision and how it affects existing businesses. Several attendees emphasized that they were not opposed to development itself, but wanted to see growth that strengthens the community rather than undercuts it.

Questions about process and governance were a recurring theme. Several residents said they were confused about how the sale moved forward and which agencies had authority over different parts of the decision. John Perry, a member of the Cashmere City Council who attended the meeting, encouraged residents to bring those questions directly to council and to participate in upcoming public meetings, noting that elected officials rely on that input when navigating complex land-use decisions.

Haney said that while the Port owns the property and controls its sale, the city still has authority over what can ultimately be built on the site through zoning and permitting. He urged residents to show up in numbers and to present their concerns in a clear and constructive way, both to ensure they are part of the record and to help guide future decisions.

As the conversation continued, the meeting broadened into a larger discussion about what kind of town Cashmere wants to be as it grows. Several speakers said the Dollar General proposal had become a symbol of a deeper tension between locally driven development and corporate retail expansion, and of the need for a clearer community vision to guide future projects.

The discussion also illustrated how quickly a debate over one project can widen into a broader conversation about what tools a community should use to shape its future. Much of the frustration in the room centered not only on the proposed store itself, but on whether Cashmere’s existing rules and processes give residents enough say in the direction of development, or whether larger market forces are already doing most of that shaping.

By the end of the meeting, organizers were circulating a petition opposing the project and encouraging residents to attend the next City Council meeting to speak during public comment. While the development remains in its feasibility stage, participants said the gathering marked an important first step in organizing around the issue and in pushing for a more transparent and community-driven approach to growth in Cashmere.

Andrew Simpson: 509-433-7626 or andrew@ward.media