People interested in helping shape the way their community grows can have direct input by serving on an advisory committee.
The Okanogan County commissioners are still looking for volunteers for advisory committees for Methow Valley subareas B and C, which cover Winthrop and the lower valley.
The committees will help shape how the community grows and the future of the Methow Valley. 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 details that give the valley its character.
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 countywide 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 to south of Carlton (above Libby Creek). Subarea C goes from south of Carlton to Pateros. 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 put policy into action.
- providing a forum for in-depth community discussion.
Advisory group members must own property in the subarea they want to represent. 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.
