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 have completed Phase 1 and 2 of their update, and are in Phase 3 and 4. 

Phase 1

• A Draft Inventory can be downloaded from this site. It incorporates comments from the Scientific and Technical Advisory Group. 
• The first round of Community Meetings were conducted in February and March 2008.

Phase 2

• An updated Shoreline Analysis and Characterization report is available for download.  It incorporates comments from the Technical Advisory Group.

Phases 3 & 4

Community meetings were held in Olympia (May 4), Lacey (May 5), and Tumwater (May 12) to discuss the preliminary draft regulations. 

      Community Meeting Flyer

Guide to Understanding the Updates to the Shoreline Master Program

·         Shoreline Master Program Update for Lacey, Olympia, and Tumwater

·         Coordinating Across City Limit Boundaries  

·         No Net Loss of Ecological Function and Restoration

·         Cumulative Impacts

·         Shoreline Jurisdiction

·         Shoreline Designations

·         Public Access

·         Critical Areas

·         High Intensity Environment and Deschutes River

·         Single Family Residences, Setbacks, and Nonconforming Structures

·         Bulkheads, Docks, and Piers

·         Shoreline Vegetation

·         Commercial, Industrial, High Density Residential, and Mixed Use

·         Proposed Development Standards

·         Permitting Process

Shoreline Master Program Documents

·         Preliminary Draft Shoreline Master Program - April 2009

·         Draft Shoreline Environmental Designations

·         Draft Restoration Plan

·         Draft Cumulative Impacts Analysis

·         Draft Public Access Plan

Phase	Plan Update Schedule	Timeline
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
2	·     Analyze and characterize shoreline conditions	Spring 2008
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
4	·     Analyze the cumulative impacts of expected shoreline development or development ·     Develop a restoration (and preservation  plan, including public access	Winter - Spring 2009
5	·     Public hearings ·     Planning Commission recommendations ·     City Council approval ·     State approval	Late 2009-2010

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.

Communities with Shoreline Jurisdiction

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.