What makes Alternative 4 the Citizens Alternative?

Okanogan County is currently working on the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Comprehensive Plan. The EIS analyzes the likely impacts of each proposed Alternative, using criteria found in the law as well as the Scoping comments provided by citizens.

The county originally proposed three Alternatives for analysis.

Alternative 1 is “No-Action” (leaves the current 2014 Plan in place).
The other two alternatives focus on different methods for directing future growth.
Alternative 2 relies on market demand and “other regulations” to direct growth.
Alternative 3 emphasizes larger lot sizes in rural areas and relies on city and town expansion areas to absorb future growth.

MVCC has proposed a fourth alternative that goes beyond directing growth and emphasizes the values and concerns expressed by the community.

We’re calling Alternative 4 the Citizens Alternative because it reflects the need for a Plan that looks ahead to:

• Address the anticipated impacts of Climate Change;
• Protect adequate ground and surface water for fish and wildlife habitat and instream flows;
• Ensure that Air and Water quality are a high priority;
• Provide measures to improve everyone’s safety during wildfires;
• Update the Critical Areas Ordinance to ensure protection of wildlife corridors, Critical Aquifer Recharge areas and other sensitive lands;
• And more! This is a work in progress.

What happens next? 

MVCC will take your “votes” for the Citizens Alternative to the county, and advocate to ensure that every provision is properly analyzed in the EIS and compared objectively with the other three alternatives.

Once the Draft EIS is complete, a new round of public feedback before the Planning Commission will allow the community to help “fill in the blanks” on the alternatives, and inform the Final EIS. When the Final EIS is complete, the Board of County Commissioners will choose a Preferred Alternative. This should initiate a final round of public input before the Comprehensive Plan is finalized and adopted.

There are many points along the way for your voice to be heard!

We hope that you will take the opportunity to stay involved and participate in the public process to ensure the issues you “vote” for now become meaningful measures to protect the things we love long into the future.

Help us gather 100 more signatures!