Public commenter and staff discuss periodic review requirements, critical areas update and Commerce training offer

A public commenter provided the commission with materials and said she had spoken with Suzanne Austin of the Washington State Department of Commerce, who offered to provide training on the periodic-review process that will affect county planning documents.

The commenter said Commerce’s checklist can simplify compliance work for partially planning jurisdictions and suggested a public training for residents in partnership with local groups such as the Farm Bureau. “She has offered to come up here and actually do some training on this whole periodic process stuff,” the public commenter said.

Planning staff confirmed that Okanogan County is a partially planning jurisdiction under the Growth Management Act and that, for partial-planning counties, shorelines and critical areas are the subject areas that must be kept current. Staff said the county recently completed a shoreline periodic review and that critical areas will be the next document to be updated following the floodplain revision. Staff noted a June 30, 2027 deadline for the periodic updates package and said the department expects to move into critical areas work after finishing the floodplain draft.

Funding and timing: staff referenced a recent shoreline update funded at roughly $70,000 and said mapping and Commerce checklists can help prioritize required revisions. The public commenter and staff suggested public outreach and workshops across upper, mid and lower county to improve community understanding and participation.

Ending: staff said they will follow up on training possibilities with Commerce and incorporate public outreach into the periodic-review schedule.