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Shoreline Master Program Updates for the Cities of Lacey, Olympia, and Tumwater
What is happening?
The Cities of Lacey, Olympia, and Tumwater are in the midst of updating their policies and regulations for shorelines. This is required under the State’s Shoreline Management Act. The cities are doing this as a joint planning effort – coordinated by Thurston Regional Planning Council. They will also be working with Thurston County. They have received grant funding from the State Department of Ecology to assist them.
What is happening NOW?
The cities are completing Phase 1 and entering Phase 2 of their update.
Phase 1
- They have hired a consultant to help them determine what water bodies meet the criteria of shorelines to be regulated under the Shoreline Master Program
- They have completed a Preliminary Draft Inventory of Shorelines and have sent it out for review by a Scientific and Technical Advisory Group. The public is welcome to comment on this preliminary draft inventory – it can be downloaded from this site.
- They conducted the first round of Public Open Houses in February and March 2008.
Phase 2
- They have hired a consulting team to analyze and characterize shoreline conditions and functions
SMP Update Phases and Timeline for the Cities of Lacey, Olympia, and Tumwater
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Phase |
Plan Update Schedule |
Timeline |
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1 |
· Determine what shorelines are regulated under the act
· Conduct an inventory of all existing and available data for shorelines
· Public Open Houses |
Winter 2008 |
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2 |
· Analyze and characterize shoreline conditions |
Spring 2008 |
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3 |
· Categorize each shoreline segment into a designation such as urban, suburban, or rural
Each will have a different set of rules.
· Develop draft rules and policies
· Public meetings |
Fall 2008 Winter-Spring 2009 |
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4 |
· Analyze the cumulative impacts of expected shoreline development or development
· Develop a restoration (and preservation plan, including public access |
Winter - Spring 2009 |
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5 |
· Public hearings
· Planning Commission recommendations
· City Council approval
· State approval |
Late 2009-2010 |
What is the Shoreline Management Act?
The Shoreline Management Act was adopted as a citizen referendum in 1972. It applies to all Shorelines of the State. The main goal of the act is to ensure that there is a balance in the uses of shorelines between reasonable development and economic activity, and preserving the public’s access and enjoyment of shorelines and water-related activities.
It does this by having local governments develop a Shoreline Master Program – a combined planning and regulatory document – that contains policies, goals, and specific land use regulations. The cities must have a new plan in place by 2011.
This update must also include policies that lead to no net loss of ecological function for shorelines and also restore degraded aquatic and marine habitat. Protecting water quality to ensure public safety is also a goal of the Shoreline Management Act.
Why are the updates happening now?
In 2003 the Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) adopted guidelines which required a new generation of shoreline planning. The guidelines required that all local jurisdictions in the state update their Shoreline Master Programs (SMP). Ecology sequenced the adoption of the SMPs to fit the seven year comprehensive plan update cycle required by the state Growth Management Act. The deadline for all local jurisdictions within the Thurston Region to update their SMPs is December 2011.
What are Shorelines of the State?
Shorelines include:
- All marine waters, as well as tidelands
- Lakes that are 20 acres or greater in size
- Streams and rivers with a mean annual flow of greater than 20 cubic feet per second
- Wetlands associated with the waters above
- Upland area stretching 200 feet from the water’s edge
- Floodplains that extend more than 200 feet beyond the water’s edge
The cities have the option to regulate wetland buffers and other critical area buffers under the plan.
What are the main benefits of the Shoreline Master Program?
- Planning for the future will help preserve our shoreline areas for future generations to enjoy.
Preserving essential habitat and protecting water quality will keep local wildlife and fish healthy.
- Strategic development can enhance the local economy and increase the public enjoyment of our area’s water resources.
- Careful planning will ensure an adequate supply of land for water-dependent uses such as ports and marinas.
- Careful planning will lead to fewer impacts from natural hazards such as floods.
Why should you get involved?
Whether you own a home or business on the shoreline, or enjoy the waters of the Puget Sound, how the cities manage our shorelines is important to you. You are encouraged to get on our mailing list, attend our workshops, and review and comment on each element of the plan as work progresses.
What is the Scientific and Technical Advisory Group?
Thurston Regional Planning Council has established a Scientific-Technical Advisory Group (STAG) to review and provide guidance on many steps of this program.
What are other Jurisdictions in Thurston County doing?
Seven jurisdictions in Thurston County have shorelines that are regulated under the Shoreline Master Program. Thurston County is also in the midst of updating their Master Program, and further information can be found on their web site. Yelm, Tenino and Bucoda have not begun updating their Shoreline Master Program yet.
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Communities with Shoreline Jurisdiction |
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Thurston County
Olympia
Lacey
Tumwater
Yelm
Tenino
Bucoda |
Grant Funding
In 2007 the communities of Lacey, Olympia, and Tumwater submitted a joint grant application to have Thurston Regional Planning Council (TRPC) create a SMP Update package. Ecology awarded a grant of $299,837 to TRPC for this multi-year effort. Grant monies will be used to fund the first two years of the SMP Update, with the funding for the third year and its local adoption process being picked up by each of the three cities. The three cities will also be working with Thurston County, who received a separate grant from Ecology, to coordinate efforts.
What rules are in place for shorelines now, before the update is complete?
All seven jurisdictions with shorelines in Thurston County have individually adopted a single regulatory and policy document. The existing Shoreline Master Program for the Thurston Region was adopted in 1976 and was comprehensively updated in 1984 and 1990.
For Additional Information Contact:
Steven W. Morrison, Senior Planner
Thurston Regional Planning Council
360-956-7575
info@trpc.org
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