Rosario Property Owners Association Information Site

Rosario Resort Information

Rosario Resort and our residential neighborhoods grew up together, and the two have shared history, shared spaces, and shared interests ever since. This page collects public information about the resort that neighbors have found useful over the years, including news coverage, county planning documents, and court records relating to the community recreation area.

This page is provided for general information only. It is not a legal position or legal advice, and RPOA does not speak for the resort or any of its owners. If something here affects you, please read the source documents and do your own homework.

Jump directly to

  1. Rosario Today
  2. The Community Recreation Easement
  3. History at a Glance
  4. 2002 Henke v. Oly Rose Lawsuit
  5. 2007 Rosario Resort Master Plan
  6. 2008 Sale of Rosario Resort
  7. 2016 Rosario Resort Planned Unit Development
  8. 2021–2024 Listing and Sale
  9. Further Reading

Rosario Today

Last updated October 2026, based on published news reports and the resort’s own website.

The former resort property, once under a single owner, is now divided among several owners:

Selected properties, as listed in San Juan County parcel records in October 2026:

Property Owner of record Size
Moran Mansion Rosario Resort LLC  
Cascade Lake dam, greenhouse, and tennis courts Orcas Water Holdings LLC  
Hillside development parcel (Master Planned Resort zoning) Upper Basin Lot LLC 12.5 acres
Hilltop employee housing, east of Olga Road Hilltop Lot LLC 40.2 acres

In 2025, San Juan County issued a stop-work order (February 21) and later a notice of violation over unpermitted tent platforms and excavation on the property, including in an area the county designates as an archaeological buffer. Rosario sits on the site of a Lummi village, and the area remains culturally significant to the Lummi people. The county, the Lummi Nation, and the state Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation worked with the owners on site restoration, and the tents were removed. (See Cascade PBS, July 2025.)

For current hours, amenities, and reservations, please contact the resort or harbor directly.

The Community Recreation Easement

Many Rosario-area lot owners have a recorded right to use a recreation area near the marina, including the outdoor swimming pool, under a 2004 Declaration of Easement (auditor file 20040820033). The easement benefits “the owners of lots within the aforementioned plats, their family members and guests when accompanied by a lot owner or a member of the lot owner’s family.” It affects owners in Rosario Estates, Rosario Estates No. 2, Rosario Estates No. 3, Rosario, Palisades, Rosario Shores, and Palisades South.

unofficial map of the community recreation easement

The easement came out of the settlement of a 2002 lawsuit, described below. It formalized a recreation area that had been described only loosely in the original plats, in connection with a $4/month “recreation fee.” Property owners may have additional rights beyond what the easement spells out.

Using the recreation area today

Since 2025, the pool and most of the recreation area have been owned by Rosario Harbor rather than the resort. Rosario Harbor asks property owners to register each year to use the pool, shower house, and recreation area. It offers several membership tiers, some including beach access and parking passes, with parking available at extra cost on the basic tier. Details and registration are on the Rosario Lawns page of the harbor’s website.

Some neighbors have raised questions about how these tiers relate to the easement, which mentions only the $4/month recreation fee, and about signs limiting access to “Resort Guests & Club Members Only.” The 2007 Resort Master Plan also calls for shoreline access for the general public (see Objective 2.6 in Chapter 3 and Section 5.3.2 in Chapter 5). RPOA has not taken a legal position on these questions. Property owners who have concerns should read the easement and the Master Plan, and talk with Rosario Harbor directly.

As owners and operators change, we encourage neighbors to know their rights under the easement, to respect the property and the people who work there, and to be the kind of good neighbors we hope the resort and harbor will be to us.

History at a Glance

(Sources include a September 30, 2008 article in The Islands’ Sounder, documents from the Henke v. Oly Rose lawsuit, county records, and the news articles listed under Further Reading.)

2002 Henke v. Oly Rose Lawsuit

In November 2002, Rosario neighbors filed suit against Oly Rose, LLC, then owner of Rosario Resort, over community pool access and use of the common area (lawn) north of the marina, around the bow-tie lagoon. The parties reached a settlement, and the case was dismissed on August 30, 2004. RPOA was not a party to the case.

The August 10, 2004 stipulation for order of dismissal led to the community recreation easement described above.

The case is San Juan County Case No. 02-2-05188-1. The full court file is available for a fee from San Juan County; the documents below are a selection. For a complete index of the docket, see the Case Summary.

Date Document
11/22/2002 Letter to clerk from plaintiffs’ counsel
11/22/2002 Complaint for damages and declaratory and injunctive relief
03/21/2003 Rockresorts’ answer to complaint
03/21/2003 Oly Rose’s answer to complaint
08/05/2003 Motion for partial summary judgment
08/05/2003 Memorandum in support of plaintiffs’ renewed motion for partial summary judgment
10/03/2003 Memorandum in opposition to plaintiffs’ motion for partial summary judgment
10/07/2003 Letter to clerk from defendants’ counsel, with Exhibit A to memorandum in opposition
10/17/2003 Reply memorandum in support of plaintiffs’ motion for partial summary judgment
11/24/2003 Order denying plaintiffs’ motion for partial summary judgment (not digitized)
01/23/2004 Defendants’ trial memorandum
01/26/2004 Plaintiffs’ trial brief
04/23/2004 Supplemental complaint
07/08/2004 Plaintiffs’ brief re: $4.00 lot owner’s fee and other disputes
08/10/2004 Stipulation for order of dismissal
08/20/2004 Declaration of Easement, auditor file 20040820033
08/30/2004 Order of dismissal

2007 Rosario Resort Master Plan

On June 11, 2007, San Juan County adopted the Rosario Resort Master Plan to “control future development and use” of much of the property surrounding our residential community. The Master Plan still governs development review at the resort today.

The plan was developed with input from a Master Plan Advisory Committee that included neighbors and representatives of RPOA and the Rosario Condominium Owners Association. Some additional records of the Advisory Committee were obtained from San Juan County.

Resort Master Plan

Environmental Impact Statement

Adopting Ordinance

2008 Sale of Rosario Resort

In 2008, Oly Rose, LLC sold the resort at auction to Rosario Signal LLC, affiliated with the Barto family.

The December 12, 2008 issue of Real Estate in the San Juans reported:

November 17
Oly Rose, LLC. of Addison, TX sold a hotel, 1402, 1608 & 1624 Rosario Rd., 230 Serendipity Ln., 395 Ocean Mist Way and 3231 Olga Rd., to Rosario Signal LLC. of Anacortes for $5,886,000.

2016 Rosario Resort Planned Unit Development

Below is a partial set of documentation related to the 2016 Planned Unit Development filed by Rosario Signal LLC for redevelopment work under the 2007 Resort Master Plan. Additional documents, such as the complete PUD application binder, should be available from San Juan County.

2021–2024 Listing and Sale

Rosario Signal LLC put the resort up for sale in early 2021 through the ownrosario.com marketing website (archived copy). The Orcasonian reported on the listing on April 22, 2021.

The sale to Empower Investing closed in stages beginning April 8, 2024. The resort closed from February 20 to March 31, 2024 for the ownership transition and renovations. See Rosario Today for what has happened since.

Further Reading

News coverage of recent events at Rosario, oldest first: