Want to help shape the way your community grows? Do you have a vision for the valley and its future?
The Okanogan County commissioners are seeking volunteers for advisory committees for Methow Valley subareas B and C, which cover Winthrop and the lower valley.
The advisory groups will help identify a vision for land use. The groups can address things like how close houses can be to one another; set policies for employee housing and commercial development; or develop goals for roads and trails, recreational opportunities, desirable vegetation, and even the preservation of sounds of nature — in essence, the important details that give the valley its character.
Lower Valley meeting
Okanogan County Commissioner Andy Hover has scheduled a public meeting to get community feedback on land use issues in the Lower Methow Valley on Thursday, Aug. 18, at 7 p.m.
The meeting, which will include a question-and-answer session, will be in the Methow Community Center in the town of Methow, at the south end of Main Street.
Stephanie Palmer, director of the Okanogan County Planning and Development Department, will be present at the meeting to answer questions about the Citizens Advisory Committee. Deadline for membership application submission is Sept.15. For more information, contact Hover at andy.hover@co.okanogan.wa.us.
The county’s comprehensive plan directs the commissioners to appoint a diverse group of property owners for the advisory committees. The committees will help draft subarea plans, which would be adopted as amendments to the comp plan. The plan allows individual areas to create their own specialized plans to reflect neighborhood priorities. The plans wouldn’t apply to the county as a whole.
Subarea B takes in Winthrop and the Chewuch and goes a little south of Twisp, and subarea C goes from south of Twisp to just north of Pateros, including Carlton and Methow. Subarea A, which goes from Mazama to Winthrop, already has an advisory committee appointed by the commissioners.
Other committee duties may include:
- aiding the commissioners in formulating public policy and helping transform policy decisions into action.
- addressing issues of interest or conducting background work on technical or politically sensitive issues.
- helping build public consensus on controversial issues.
- providing a forum for in-depth community discussion.
If interested, request an application by sending your résumé and letter of interest to Okanogan County Planning Director Pete Palmer at spalmer@co.okanogan.wa.us. The deadline for applying is Aug. 15.
