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Department of Ecology News Release - July 21, 2010
10-173
BELLEVUE – The Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) seeks public comment on the City of Des Moines’ recently updated Shoreline Master Program, a landmark effort that will increase the protection and restoration of Puget Sound shorelines.
The updated master program guides construction and development in the City of Des Moines along its approximately 5 miles of marine shoreline. It combines local plans for future development and preservation with new development ordinances and related permitting requirements.
Under Washington’s voter-approved Shoreline Management Act, Ecology must review and approve the Des Moines program before takes effect.
Ecology will accept public comment on Des Moines’ shoreline program from July 20 through Aug. 20, 2010. Comments and questions should be addressed to Barbara Nightingale, Department of Ecology, 3190 160th Ave. SE Bellevue, WA 98008, Barbara.Nightingale@ecy.wa.gov .
Des Moines’ proposed program and related documents are available for review at: City of Des Moines Planning-Building Dept. 21630 11th Ave. S Suite D in Des Moines and at http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/sea/shorelines/smp/mycomments/Des_Moines.html .
Ecology may approve the shoreline program as written, reject it or direct Des Moines to modify specific parts. Once approved by Ecology, the Des Moines shoreline program will become part of the overall state shoreline master program. In cases where counties and cities border marine waters, it will be part of the national Coastal Zone Management Program. Ecology also will help each local jurisdiction legally defend its shoreline program, if necessary.
The City of Des Moines updated shoreline program was adopted by the city council after an extensive local process. The update began with a thorough inventory of existing land-use patterns and environmental conditions to preserve existing shoreline areas while protecting future economic development. Des Moines collaborated over a period of several years with waterfront property owners, commercial property owners, environmental interests and state agencies.
Shoreline master programs are the cornerstone of the state Shoreline Management Act passed by voters in 1972. The programs help minimize environmental damage to shoreline areas, reserve appropriate areas for water-oriented uses and reduce interference with the public’s access to public waters and shorelines.
The law requires cities and counties with marine shorelines, lakes 20 acres in size or larger, and streams and rivers flowing at 20 cubic feet per second or greater to develop and periodically update their locally-tailored shoreline programs.
Key features of Des Moines’ updated program include:
Ecology adopted new guidelines in 2003 that establish the basic requirements for updating local shoreline master programs. The guidelines resulted from a negotiated settlement between business interests, ports, environmental groups, shoreline user groups, cities and counties, Ecology, and the courts.
City of Des Moines joins a growing number of cities, towns and counties that have updated their shoreline programs using the 2003 guidelines. The state guidelines allow each town, city and county flexibility to customize their programs to fit its local land-use circumstances and vision of local waterfront development.
More than 30 cities and counties have already updated their shoreline programs, with70 updates currently under way. Most haven’t done so comprehensively in almost 40 years. From 1978 through 2008, the state population grew from about 3.8 million to an estimated 6.6 million people.
Starting July 1, 2009, Ecology provided $7.5 million in state grants to an additional 77 cities and counties to help them begin updating their shoreline policies and regulation – including $3 million earmarked by the 2009 Legislature specifically to help municipalities throughout the Puget Sound region.
Washington has 266 cities and counties with shorelines that qualify them for grant funding, and updating their shoreline programs by December 2014.
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Media Contacts:
Larry Altose, Ecology media relations, 206-920-2600,
larry.altose@ecy.wa.gov
Barbara Nightingale, Ecology shorelines planner, 425-649-4309,
barbara.nightingale@ecy.wa.gov
Robert Ruth, City of Des Moines, Development Services Manager, 206-870-6555,
rruth@desmoineswa.gov
For more information:
Shoreline Master Programs
http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/sea/shorelines/smp/index.html
Ecology’s Citizen Guide to Shoreline Master Programs http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/sea/shorelines/smp/citizen.html
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
