Oroville - Tonasket
Advisory Group
Oroville Area Vision Statement
“The Oroville Area has changed from the last Comprehensive plan in 1964. The area was covered in farm land from the Canadian Border to the north to as far south down the valley as you could see. Red Delicious and Golden Delicious apples and Winesap’s where plentiful and was the mainstay of the orchardist that was trying to support the family farm. Orchardists used the fertile soils along Lake Osoyoos and the hot summer days and the cool nights to grow fruit that kept jobs in the area with farming, warehousing and retail.
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Today the some of the apple orchards have been removed due to the lack of demand and the reduction of the production of the Red Delicious apple. So with numbers of Red Delicious declining people have adapted to what they have to do to make a living by diversification. Some farmers are still producing crops of Red Delicious and different apple varieties, pears, cherries, wine grapes and alfalfa.
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As some of the farmers retire and sell there farms the agricultural lifestyle is threatened. Locals are using the warm summer days and Lake Osoyoos just like there forefathers did as a tool for success. Tourism and recreational activities along with agriculture are supporting the economy.
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However people in the area have expressed that they need to have Oroville grow but still retain the rural flavor that has made it what it is today. They would like to see this with cottage industries, permitting Ag uses such wineries, fruit stands, gift shops and tasting rooms, while maintaining its rural flavor allowing managed growth, upgrading the infrastructure and controlling the growth that could occur on Osoyoos Lake to maintain the health of the lake. Along with this height restrictions on Osoyoos Lake should be reviewed closely with parcels that are within view of the lake. More public access could be obtained through development agreements with developers when a development is proposed.
A large portion of Osoyoos Lake is in the counties planning area, the County will adopt a comprehensive plan that will try to mesh with what the City of Oroville has planned for their Urban Growth Area.”
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​Appendix A Draft 5/13/2009
Tonasket Area Vision Statement
”The Tonasket area has changed very little in recent years, there is still a large amount of orchards that exist in the area as well as large hay fields and large tracts of land used for grazing and cattle ranches. The Tonasket area is fortunate to have many recreational opportunities within a short distance from the valley bottom, whether it is in the mountains on each side of the valley or on the valley floor lakes and Okanogan River. The areas to the north in Oroville and to the south in Omak & Okanogan have seen a boom in development and people are relocating to these areas. The Tonasket area has not seen the same increase due to the amount of larger tracts of land in agriculture.
The transportation corridors are crucial to moving goods and services that are needed to aid in the economy of the area. The area has two state highways that intersect in the middle of the community that could be taken advantage of as well as the railroad that runs along the Okanogan River. The residents of the area have determined that they would like to see their community grow but are worried about the problems that growth would bring. They would like to see agriculture land preserved and the rural aspect of there community to remain in place. They understand that airports are an asset and airport overlay zone should be in place and have a certain amount of development potential. This sort of development should have an industrial area, warehousing, business development and farming. And that access for trucking should be discussed in these areas.
Cities and counties need to know what they want for economic development in their communities and to start planning for the future. The cities and counties need to work more closely together with each other to help create more business opportunities.”
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Appendix A Draft 5/13/2009