Right-of-way talks begin as EZ's Burger Deluxe faces uncertain future
Businesses along North Wenatchee Avenue from the Horselake Road intersection to about one-third mile south will begin discussions over right-of-way offers and negotiations during the next several months through the fall for the North Wenatchee Avenue Corridor Improvements Project.
The fate of one business affected by this and another city project has drawn attention across the Wenatchee Valley: EZ's Burger Deluxe, at the corner of Maiden Lane and North Wenatchee Avenue.
The 1950s-themed burger restaurant opened in 1992 after Pete Ezetta purchased the property and converted a former service station into the recognizable eatery topped with a large burger, fries and a Pepsi-Cola blue cup.
At a July 10, 2025, Wenatchee City Council meeting, Ezetta and supporters of the restaurant attended en masse to speak against two city projects they said would affect the business.
The issue resurfaced nearly a year after that meeting when the restaurant's changeable letter sign displayed the message: "HELP SAVE EZ'S, CALL THE MAYOR, 509-888-3604."
Ezetta opposes both the North Wenatchee Avenue Corridor Improvements Project and the North Wenatchee Avenue Shared-Use Trail Project because the city may need to acquire portions of his property, affecting the business.
These projects are not part of the Confluence Parkway Project headed by the city at McKittrick and North Miller streets.
The nearly 2,000-foot section of North Wenatchee Avenue is slated for improvements because of safety concerns stemming from the number of crashes along the corridor.
A total of 296 crashes were reported between 2013 and 2023 within the project's limits, according to Nicole Brockwell, the city's engineering services manager, during a project open house in 2025.
The North Wenatchee Avenue Corridor Improvements Project would widen the roadway and sidewalks, add a median that would replace the two-way left-turn lane, and install designated U-turn lanes at several locations within the project area. Pullouts for Link Transit buses also would be added.
In a 2025 interview with NCWLIFE, Ezetta said the city would acquire the front portion of the restaurant's property, affecting its reader board, dumpster and front parking lot.
Tom Wachholder, the city's public works director, wrote in an email that the North Wenatchee Avenue Corridor Improvement Project's design is approaching 90% completion, with construction tentatively scheduled for 2027. Exact right-of-way requirements for the North Wenatchee Avenue Corridor Project have not yet been finalized.
The city has maintained that businesses will not have to relocate, but Ezetta has said over the past year that the changes would make his business inoperable.
The North Wenatchee Avenue Shared-Use Trail Project, meanwhile, is expected to begin construction in spring 2027 and would create a trail connecting Maiden Lane and Walnut Street.
Ezetta said in a previous interview that the project would take the portion of his property where two storage sheds hold restaurant supplies.
Businesses affected by a separate city project, the Confluence Parkway Project, also raised concerns about displacement. In many cases, businesses along North Miller Street relocated, with the city paying $4.1 million for easement rights on five parcels in the project area in 2024.
Local sculptor Daniel Murphy, owner of Expressions By Murf, vacated both his studio and home because of Phase 1 of the Confluence Parkway Project. The Wenatchee Franz Bakery Outlet, which occupied the same building, permanently closed in April 2025 instead of relocating.
The city said in a June 16 Facebook post that it has "met with every property owner along North Wenatchee Avenue to better understand and minimize impacts while addressing the safety and mobility needs in the corridor."
According to the city, all businesses will remain open and accessible during construction of the North Wenatchee Avenue Corridor Improvement Project.
Copyright 2026 Tribune Content Agency. All Rights Reserved.