The Okanogan County commissioners have revised the county’s zoning code to clean up language that they believe unintentionally allowed multi-family development in some areas in the county.
The zoning code allows multi-family units. But “curious language” allowed five multi-family dwellings per acre in the county’s 20-acre zone, said Okanogan County Planning Director Perry Huston.
The commissioners adopted an ordinance amending the zoning code so that areas where minimum lot sizes are 5 or 20 acres cannot have multi-family dwellings. Multi-family dwellings would be permitted in zones with a 1-acre minimum, but the developer would have to obtain a conditional-use permit so that a site-specific review would be done.
Part of the commissioners’ rationale is based on state law and court rulings about water adequacy. If multi-family dwellings could be erected at that level of density, there are questions about whether the development could be adequately served by potable water, septic treatment, and other necessary infrastructure, according to the ordinance.
These multi-family units also wouldn’t be compatible with neighborhood characteristics, it says.
The commissioners adopted the changes through an interim amendment to the county code, which requires a public hearing within 60 days. The public hearing is scheduled for Monday (June 17) at 1:30 p.m. in the commissioners’ auditorium in Okanogan.
For more information, contact Huston at phuston@co.okanogan.wa.us.
