OROVILLE – The Oroville City Council will hold a public hearing on Tuesday, Aug. 2 to consider an additional extension of the interim Critical Areas Ordinance to allow for time to complete the final draft of a new ordinance.

The hearing will take place during the council’s regularly scheduled meeting beginning at 7 p.m. in the council chambers. The 180-day extension of the interim Critical Areas Ordinance would allow for the completion of work on a final ordinance to incorporate new information in the proposed final draft, according to Chris Branch, Director of Community Development.

The Oroville Community Development Department has been working with its Planning Commission to address initial state agency comments directed at the interim ordinance and to incorporate Department of Ecology’s new and flexible buffer recommendations for small communities, according to Branch.

The designation, classification and protection of Critical Areas utilizing the best available science are requirements of the Growth Management Act for all counties and cities in the State of Washington, said Branch.

The Interim Critical Areas Ordinance and related documentation are available for viewing on the City’s website at www.oroville-wa.com under the “Public Documents” section. Additional information for this hearing is available from at (509) 560-3535.