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SHORELINE MASTER PROGRAM -
Page last updated: June 4, 2007
Port
Townsend’s shorelines are a treasured natural resource offering a variety of
marine life, spectacular vistas and both recreational and economic
opportunities. We are attracted to the beauty and bounty of our
shorelines; we wish to build our homes and restaurants here, harvest fish
and crab, moor our boats. Unfortunately, activities such as these may
threaten the very qualities that attracted us here. How do we balance the
competing interests of development/use with the preservation of the
shoreline ecology? That is the charge of the City’s Shoreline Master
Program (SMP).
View a Copy of the City’s
Shoreline Master Program
City of
Port Townsend Shoreline Master Program February 14th, 2007
7.5mb
What is an SMP?
The Shoreline Master Program
(SMP) is a plan containing both policies and regulations that apply to
shoreline areas. In Port Townsend, shorelines include Port Townsend Bay,
Admiralty Inlet, Straits of Juan de Fuca, Kah Tai Lagoon, and Chinese
Gardens Lagoon. The SMP is intended to provide for environmental
protection, appropriate development, and public access.
The
City and
State
Department of Ecology jointly administer the Shoreline
Master Program. The Department of Ecology adopted new SMP guidelines in
December 2003 (WAC 173-26).
For
background on the origin of shoreline master programs and the Act that
started it all, see the state’s website:
What is a Shoreline Master Program?
(Ecology introduction).
Introduction
to the Shoreline Management Act (Ecology web page)
History of the Shoreline Master Program Update
In 2001,
the city launched a multi-phased effort to update its 1974 Shoreline Master
Program. An update was necessary to recognize evolving state law, community
interests, and an ever-growing body of scientific data. Following is a
brief outline of the process spanning over five years.
§ 2001-
In the early stages, the City conducted an inventory and assessment of
existing shoreline conditions, producing an atlas and a summary report.
§ 2002-2005,
The city convened a group of stakeholders representing a diversity of
interests (including but not limited to recreational, business,
environmental) to serve as an advisory body in development of the SMP. The
Shoreline Advisory Group began by assigning provisional shoreline
designations, basically “zoning” designations for shoreline areas. They
discussed draft goals, policies and regulations. A first complete draft of
the master program was issued to the group on May 5, 2005. The public was
invited to speak at each of the 25 meetings held by the Shoreline Advisory
Group. Two ad-hoc committees were formed, one to focus on appropriate uses
for Point Hudson and the other to refine the Restoration chapter. After
much review, discussion and debate, the Group forwarded an updated draft
master program to the Planning Commission on July 7, 2005.
§
Summer
2005 - Planning Commission held an open record public hearing over the
course of nine meetings. Key issues of discussion at the commission
meetings included but were not limited to: preservation of marine trades at
Point Hudson and Boat Haven, location of mixed-use developments, impervious
surface limits, setback requirements, and restoration incentives. Finally,
the Planning Commission voted 6-0-2 to recommend approval of the Draft
Shoreline Master Program.
§
Fall
2005 - City
Council held six public meetings and heard public testimony on the draft
master program. On December 20th, 2005 the Council adopted
Resolution 04-056 approving the draft Shoreline Master Program and directed
staff to forward the document to the Department of Ecology for
their review in
accordance with RCW 90.58.090.
§
Fall
2006 -the Department of Ecology issued Findings and Conclusions and
Ecology Required Changes. The Department of Ecology also provided
Ecology Recommended Changes – for the city’s consideration.
§
Winter
2006 -07- The City elected to hold public hearings before the Planning
Commission and City Council prior to accepting or suggesting modifications
to the Department of Ecology’s Required and Recommended Changes. On January
8, 2007, after receiving and considering public testimony and reviewing the
recommendations of the Planning Commission, City Council adopted the updated
Shoreline Master Program (Ordinance 2938).
§
The
Department of Ecology took final action on the Shoreline Master Program on
February 14, 2007 and opened one last public notice initiating a 60-day
appeal period.
There were no appeals.
“Water is an integral part of the fabric of the Port Townsend culture. The
new SMP will allow the community to continue to enjoy the natural, social,
cultural, economic and aesthetic values we place on our waterfront.”
(Mayor Mark Welch 2007)
Where Can I Review/Purchase a Copy of the SMP?
A copy
of the Shoreline Master Program is posted on this website. Hard copies of
the document are available for public review at the City Clerk’s office on
the Second Floor of City Hall, 250 Madison Street, Port Townsend.
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