Okanogan County has an obligation to ensure that this delicate balance is maintained. Currently the Okanogan County Comprehensive Plan is under revision and there is a limited moratorium on new subdivisions. MVCC appealed the Okanogan County Planning Department’s preliminary approval of two proposed subdivisions between Twisp and Carlton, stating that they do not have a right to use water reserved for single residences, and that therefore, the resulting lots will not have a legal water source.

Last month Okanogan County Hearing Examiner, Dan Beardslee, oversaw arguments regarding the subdivision appeal. MVCC Board Member and attorney, Melanie Rowland, represented the Citizens Council during the hearing. Ms. Rowland said “We’re not opposing all subdivisions; we’re opposing the illegal use of a valuable water source.  We all know people whose wells have gone dry or had their irrigation water cut off.  The sooner the county grapples with the need to plan for growth that doesn’t outstrip water availability, the better for all current and future residents of the Methow Valley.”

The subdivision moratorium is a temporary fix until the County releases an updated Comprehensive Plan. An update of the Okanogan County Comprehensive Plan, is long overdue and is necessary to ensure that our planning codes provide a framework for a rapidly changing world. Last year the Citizens Council and our membership proposed a set of specific policy recommendations to be included in the Comprehensive Plan. In August MVCC staff met with Okanogan County Planning Director, Pete Palmer, who was very receptive and appreciative of the policy recommendations that over 400 members of our community endorsed.

The valley is changing and the Okanogan County Comprehensive Plan provides an opportunity for residents of Okanogan County to decide what they want their futures to look like. We lay at a crossroads and together we must decide what values we choose to prioritize and how to enact a collective vision.