The owner of a house in Mazama has applied to Okanogan County to be able to rent the residence as a nightly rental when she isn’t using it.
Chloe Linden Harford submitted an application to the county for a shoreline conditional-use permit (CUP) that would allow her to rent the 2,800-square-foot house to a maximum of 10 guests per stay. The nightly rental would operate year-round.
The Mazama Pines Nightly Rental is located between Highway 20 and the Mazama junction, just west of turn-off to Mazama.
Using the house as a nightly rental wouldn’t include any additional construction, according to the application.
The majority of the 3.15-acre property is flat, with native and non-native grasses, plants and trees. Part of the property is in a riparian zone, some within the 100-year floodplain. Harford said she has been working to remove weeds since purchasing the property in December 2018. She intends to plant more native grasses and trees.
Adjacent properties are used as a weekend and vacation home, for agriculture, and for roadwork vehicles and equipment, according to the application.
Harford’s property is in the Special Review Commercial zone, which requires a CUP for a nightly rental, according to Okanogan County Planner Rocky Robbins. The county code imposes some conditions on all nightly rentals, including the requirement that noise, traffic, light and glare be compatible with the surrounding neighborhood.
If Harford obtains the CUP, she’ll still need to obtain a permit from Okanogan County Public Health and approval from the county’s Building Department.
There will be a public hearing about the proposal on Thursday, Dec. 12, at 10 a.m. in the commissioners’ hearing room in Okanogan. Project comments can be submitted in writing before or at the hearing. People can also testify at the hearing.
For more information or to comment, contact Robbins at (509) 422-7117 or rrobbins@co.okanogan.wa.us.
