A developer has submitted 6 short subdivision applications to divide 120 acres adjacent to Pine Forest into 24, 5-acre residential lots.

On August 14 Okanogan County issued a preliminary determination, approving all of the applications and imposing only minimal requirements for final approval.

Public comment is needed to encourage the county to take a different approach to this project. Big issues are at stake, including how much importance water availability and wildfire safety should be given when evaluating development proposals. 

MVCC’s comments were submitted today, urging the county to deny the application for these primary reasons:

• The Rezone of the property from 20 to 5-acre minimum density was improperly conducted;
• There are no legally available, approved water sources for the development;
• Wildfire risk and firefighter safety are not adequately evaluated or mitigated;
• Impacts to County Emergency Services need to be studied and mitigated

Comments are due this Friday, September 14 by 5:00 p.m. to cschumacher@co.okanogan.wa.us.

For more background:
Methow Valley News Story
MVCC Comments