No. 1 Canyon Property Owner Speaks Out Against Neighbors, Process

The man with the building project drawing harsh criticism on No. 1 Canyon Road is speaking out against his detractors.

Tyler Chambers' project to build single family homes on three parcels of land is at the center of numerous lawsuits and expressions of distress.

Chambers says he's done nothing wrong and has been unfairly attacked.

"We're trying to build our dream home and help our kids," said Chambers. "And all the county and all this corruption and abuse of power and discrimination, all it has done is made so much animosity for everybody. And they've taken a dream that we've worked so hard for and turned it into a nightmare."

The project is currently on hold with Chambers awaiting further action from Chelan County.

He says there'll be a second public comment period as well as a hearing and decision by the county hearing examiner before he can move forward.

The county has not confirmed to KPQ what procedures are currently being taken.

The first public comment period ended on May 20 with neighbors complaining to county commissioners that they were never made aware of the process.

The most recent document filed with the state Department of Ecology is dated May 23. The document signed by county Community Development Director Deanna Walter designates her office as the lead agency in the proposal and says the project does not pose a significant environmental risk.

Chamber began moving earth on his hillside property on No. 1 Canyon Road in September of 2021.

According to a timeline compiled by Chambers’ Realtor Jeff Hallman, neighbors filed a code violation request in October of 2021.

Chambers then obtained a letter from the county prosecutor’s office saying the project did not violate county code.

He says he was then confronted by then county commissioner Bob Bugert at his property later in October 2021. Bugert reportedly said, "Good luck getting a building permit."

Chambers also received a letter in that time from the county saying he was not in violation of any codes.

In early 2022, Chelan County went through a series of changes in the Community Development Director's position.

Chambers says he had a good relationship with Director Jim Brown, who resigned in January of 2022. He was replaced by Chris Young, who also resigned in a short period of time.

Deanna Walters was named interim Community Development Director in the spring of 2022 and has since been named permanently to the position.

Chambers says Commissioner Bugert is behind a stop work order issued by Walter's office in May of 2022.

He says he later visited by Commissioner Kevin Overbay, who said, "Don't let the neighbors run you out."

Chamber also says he has been in contact with No. 2 District Commissioner Shon Smith, who was elected after Bugert retired. He says Smith has been supportive of his project.

In the spring of 2022, Chambers began more earth moving for a second time, but was quickly stopped by the stop work order.

The stop work order was delivered by county Code Enforcement Officer Bruce Anderson.

Chambers is currently involved in four lawsuits in Chelan County, three as a defendant and one as a plaintiff.

The county filed a lawsuit in May of 2022, claiming Chambers violated the stop work order. The suit said he had not submitted a required "critical areas report." That litigation has not been resolved and is ongoing.

The Chelan Douglas Land Trust filed a lawsuit against Chambers in December of 2023, claiming harm to its adjacent property,

The most recent court document filed by the Land Trust on May 23 says the parties will engage in mediation late this summer to try to reach an agreement.

A third lawsuit against Chambers includes his Wenatchee garage door business Dependable Door. It claims Chambers constructed a defective retaining wall to protect property adjacent to his that he sold to a couple. That lawsuit was filed in December of 2023 and has not moved forward since.

Chambers lawsuit as a plaintiff is against neighbor Matthew Canlis. He accuses Canlis of trespassing and conducting excavation activities on his property. That suit has a trial date set for June 14.

Chambers has had a particularly contentious relationship with Canlis, who he says has played a major role in the stop order and efforts to hold up his project.

He says Canlis approached him wanting to do a land swap which he declined.

A lawsuit filed by Chambers against an adjacent landowner in 2019 was dismissed on July of 2022 after 12 months of inaction by the parties.

Meanwhile, Chambers says he's had to pay for studies and assessments that no one else with a project the size of his would be subjected to.

Those involve five geo hazard assessments. The property has also been assessed for danger to mule deer, the spotted owl and the golden eagle.

Submissions have been made to the Department of Ecology’s State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA), which identifies and analyzes environmental impacts.

The property has been classified as a critical area, which it was not initially.

Through the whole series of events Chambers said his property and construction equipment has been vandalized.

He remains frustrated with the course of events, which have held up his project for three years.

"I don't understand how I can pay the insurance and taxes, and the neighbors can dictate what I'm doing," said Chambers. "I'm not hurting them. They're hurting me."

Neighbors have made numerous appearances in front of county commissioners, expressing concerns, and in some cases, harm to their property or the general area because of his earth moving activity.

A decision on the project moving forward will most likely come from the county, which has declined to state what that process will be.