Washington State Department of Ecology

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Shoreline Master Programs

SHORELINE MASTER PROGRAMS

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Snohomish County Shoreline Master Program: Comprehensive Update  

On February 28, 2012, the Department of Ecology (Ecology) provided Snohomish County with required and recommended changes to the County’s Shoreline Master Program (SMP) comprehensive update.

Ecology’s changes are based on whether or not the proposed update complies with state laws and rules, and a public comment period held May 3, 2011 through June 3, 2011. Ecology also held a public hearing where six interested parties testified.

The required and recommended changes have been sent to the County for their review and response. Snohomish County may agree to these changes or offer alternative language. Final Ecology approval will occur when the County and Ecology agree on language that meets state requirements.

In addition to the public comment period, Ecology also held an open house and public hearing on May 12, 2011. Ecology used mail and email to notify those who had expressed prior interest. Ecology also issued a news release and legal ad to encourage public comment. A total of 155 individual comments were received from eleven organizations and groups and eight individual citizens. The comments focused on a wide variety of topics including shoreline exemptions, shoreline environment designations and floodplain management issues.

Ecology prepared a summary of public comments and sent this to the County on June 17, 2011. On September 2, 2011, the County provided their response to public comment. The County's responses are partially incorporated into Attachment A, Findings and Conclusions (see Documents related to approval, below).

The County’s shoreline program guides construction and development on an estimated 2,000 miles of freshwater and marine shorelines. The comprehensive update revises the existing program, including the goals, policies, regulations, shoreline environment designations, and administrative procedures and definitions. The County proposes changes that better align shoreline codes with environmental protection and land use management provided by the County’s current comprehensive plan and other codes. It also combines local plans for future development and preservation with new development ordinances and related permitting requirements. The County last updated their shoreline program in 1993.

Documents related to approval

Note: All documents are PDF

Director of Ecology's conditional approval letter, February 28, 2011 (81 KB)

Locally approved Shoreline Master Program

Local Environmental Impact Analyses

Paper copies of the above documents are available by contacting David Pater (see below), Washington State Department of Ecology.

Staff contact

David Pater
Washington State Department of Ecology
Northwest Regional Office
3190 160th Ave. SE
Bellevue, WA 98008
Phone: (425) 649-4253
email: David.Pater@ecy.wa.gov

For more information

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