By Marcy Stamper
Okanogan County has given people more time to comment on its draft comprehensive plan because the deadline came just days after the winter holidays. The new deadline is Friday, Jan. 18.
The Methow Valley Citizens Council (MVCC), a party to a court agreement that governs the revision process for the plan, asked the county for an extension. MVCC wanted people to have adequate time to think through their input for what’s called scoping, which generates a list of topics the county should review during its environmental review.
“It’s hard to find time to write comments over the holidays!” said MVCC in an announcement of the extension on the organization’s website. The conservation group said the previous deadline, which passed last week, “was too close to allow for a thoughtful response from our dedicated community members.”
The comp plan guides where growth should occur and whether the county will be rural or more suburban. The plan is used as the philosophical basis for the county’s zoning code, which outlines land uses for specific parcels.
In their comments for the environmental review, people can ask the county to consider everything from the plan’s effects on water quality and quantity, to how the growth allowed by the plan will affect wildfire hazards, to what effect the plan will have on the county’s economic vitality.
Scoping is an opportunity for people comment on anything that’s important to them — that can include wildlife habitat, agriculture or tourism. People can also make recommendations for ways to minimize impacts of the policies in the plan.
The county is revising the comp plan because the plan adopted by the former board of commissioners in 2014 was challenged in court by MVCC and Futurewise over water quality and quantity, farmland preservation and wildfire risk. The Yakama Nation also sued the county over water issues.
Last year, the parties agreed to a stay to give the county a chance to address the central issues in the lawsuit without going to court. Although that deadline expired at the end of last year, the parties have been working together and there is no new court date.
The comp plan and related documents are available at www.okanogancounty.org/planning in the first box below the scoping notice for the plan, which starts with “Threshold SEPA Determination.” There is a link for “Draft Comprehensive Plan” and three maps of alternatives.
Send comments to rrobbins@co.okanogan.wa.us. People can also comment on the draft plan itself.
For more information, call Okanogan County Planning Director Perry Huston at (509) 422-7218.
