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Kittitas County December 2016 Comprehensive Plan <br />The plan designates two alternative locations for the visitor center. The first is between <br />Interstate 90 and Highway 906 near Exit 52. This site has the advantage of being in the center of <br />summit activities, where visitors could easily walk to other facilities nearby. However, available <br />land may be too small to accommodate a well designed center and the required parking. The <br />second suggested site is east of Interstate 90, near Exit 52. This site's advantages include a forest <br />setting and ample available land; however, the site is much less convenient and access would be <br />more difficult. <br />Subarea C also includes some established residential areas on both sides of Interstate 90. <br />Conifer Estates, located between the two activity nodes at the Summit and Ski Acres, which <br />would appear to be an ideal location for commercial lodging uses. However, the number of long- <br />standing private residences in the development warrants the continuation of residential use. <br />The Yellowstone Road area, though near the summit, is somewhat removed from the activities <br />along Highway 906 and is a good location for private residences. New residential development <br />in this area should be planned in clusters in order to preserve natural vegetation and protect <br />streams and wetland areas. <br />3.7.6 Subarea D Land Use Plan <br />The Gold Creek Valley will likely experience the greatest change of all areas of the Pass. <br />Currently, the valley is relatively undeveloped. However, preliminary plans have been developed <br />for all of the private land holdings in the area. These plans include single family and multiple <br />family residential, restaurants, hotels and motels, conference facilities and recreation. <br />During the planning process, the idea of "community" became a common thread among the <br />various committees. As future growth in the number of permanent residents was envisioned, <br />the need for common community services, including commercial and personal services, became <br />evident. The Summit is presently the hub of Pass activity; however, it may not have enough land <br />for all future uses the community wants to see there. The north side of Exit 54 is viewed as <br />another possible location for some of this development, due to its freeway access. <br />The commercially designated property is crossed by Coal Creek in a northwest to southeast <br />direction. A Forest Service road crosses the property perpendicular to the creek. Mardee Lake <br />and its associated wetlands are located in the northeast corner of the property. <br />The plan shows that the property could be developed in four commercial pods using the creek <br />and the road as dividing lines. The two pods south of Coal Creek should be developed with <br />highway commercial uses such as service stations, restaurants and motels. The development <br />should be designed to take advantage of the site's visibility while respecting and protecting the <br />alpine character and scenic beauty of the Pass. <br />The two pods north of the creek could contain a broad mix of uses, including uses commonly <br />found in a community shopping district such as food markets, drug and hardware stores and <br />other retail. The development should be designed in a manner, which would use the existing <br />road route as a "main street" rather than a through road. Pedestrian access and mobility should