Community members speak out in defense of EZ’s amid parkway plans

WENATCHEE — At last week’s Wenatchee City Council meeting, more than a dozen residents offered impassioned testimony in support of Pete Ezetta, the longtime owner of EZ’s Burger Deluxe, whose business sits on land identified as a critical part of the proposed Confluence Parkway Project.

Though the city has not finalized any design that would require a full property acquisition, several attendees expressed concern that the changes under consideration would effectively force the business to close — a point Ezetta made in his own public comments.

EZ’s, which opened in 1992 at its current location, has become a local landmark for many Wenatchee residents, some of whom recalled decades of personal memories tied to the restaurant. Public comments included praise for Ezetta’s community involvement, such as his tradition of offering free meals to veterans, mothers and fathers on their respective holidays, and his long history of employing young people from the area.

“My business has become a landmark in this community,” Ezetta said. “We’ve been the first thing people see coming into town for over 30 years. You take away my parking, my entrance, my reader board — how am I supposed to run a business?”

Roxanne Ashmore, who identified herself as the general manager of EZ’s, said she has worked at the restaurant for 28 years. “We’ve developed something here,” she said. “If we close down both of those entrances and only have one way to get in, it’s going to be almost impossible to continue. I just feel like, with how hard Pete has worked and how caring he is for his employees and this community, this is heartbreaking.”

While many speakers called on the city to halt or significantly revise its plans, others acknowledged the challenge of balancing local heritage with infrastructure improvements.

Craig Homchick, a resident who said he knows members of the council personally, told them: “Be very careful when you’re messing with someone’s life work. That’s why we elected you. I know you’re between a rock and a hard place — but at the end of the day, it’s all about the people.”

The Confluence Parkway Project is a multiyear, multi-agency infrastructure initiative that aims to relieve north–south traffic congestion and improve pedestrian and vehicle access along the city’s waterfront corridor. The project is supported by federal grant funding and has been in the planning stages for more than a decade.

Though the city does hold the power of eminent domain — meaning they could simply take the property in return for fair compensation — it has not exercised it in this case. Instead, staff have confirmed that outreach to Ezetta has included offers of relocation assistance, financial compensation, and early consultation — none of which have progressed to formal negotiation.

Councilmembers did not respond to public comment during the meeting, per standard protocol, but have indicated that planning and design for the parkway is ongoing and that input from local businesses and residents continues to play a role.

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