Shoreline Master Program: Questions and Answers

Editor’s note: Wahkiakum County and the Town of Cathlamet have been working on updates to their Shoreline Master Programs, and citizens have raised concerns about the effects of the program on various activities. The county Public Works Department provided the media some responses and explanations to the concerns. Here is the first, to address those concerns. Others will be published in following weeks.

How can I weigh in on the SMP update?

Answer: There a few ways to participate in the Shoreline Master Program (SMP) update process. They include:

--Find meeting announcements on the County and Town webpages and in the Eagle.

--Review SMP documents on the Town and County webpages.

--This spring and early summer attend planning commission meetings.

--Later this summer and fall attend Board of Commission and Town Council meetings.

--Comment at meetings, or email, mail, or call in comments to County and Town staff.

--Share information about the SMP and public meetings with the people you know.

Is it true the state has not allowed changes to the Draft SMP?

Answer: There are state rules that provide goal posts for what must, can and cannot be in the SMP. In some cases, changes proposed by the Shoreline Advisory Committee or Planning Commissions were not made because they would not meet state requirements. However changes requested by the Shoreline Advisory Committee and Town and County Planning Commissions have resulted in many revisions to the Draft SMP over the course of the last several months. A few examples include:

--Changes to Section 7.10 enabling existing residences within the new buffers to expand and to add accessory structures such as garages, where they otherwise wouldn’t be allowed.

--Changes to the Shoreline Environment Designation Maps, re-designating some areas from “Rural Conservancy” to “Mixed Waterfront,” which effectively reduces the buffers in these areas and makes it easier to permit some kinds of water-oriented development.

--Changes to the Section 4.9 Allowed Use and Modifications Table, effectively making it easier to permit residences, subdivisions, docks, shoreline stabilization, and non-water oriented development.

What is CREST and who do they work for?

Answer: CREST is a consultant organization paid by the County and Town to help complete the SMP update process. After receiving state grant funds to fund the project, the County and Town selected CREST from a group of interested organizations to help with this effort. CREST’s job is to work with the Town, County, and State agencies to create an SMP that works. CREST facilitates advisory group and planning commission meetings and does most of the document writing, but ultimately follows the instructions of the County and Town.

Was the SMP provided to the Shoreline Advisory Committee before being published? Has there been adequate transparency in the process?

Answer: The Shoreline Advisory Committee reviewed SMP Drafts 1, 2, and 3, over the course of several meetings in 2015 before agreeing that it was time for the County and Town Planning Commissions to take over the SMP drafting process. From December 2015 through February 2016 the County Planning Commission met monthly for informal workshop review of Draft 3 and to request changes to the SMP. The Town Planning Commission has met jointly with the Town Council for four informal review workshops and similarly requested revisions now reflected in the Final Draft SMP.

There have been at least 15 public SMP meetings since early 2015. The SMP Drafts have been posted online throughout this process. The public meeting schedule and the drafting process is discussed at every meeting. Since the beginning of the SMP update process we have invited public conversation about specific proposed regulations that would limit important economic activities, and we look forward to working with County residents to identify more needed changes to the Draft SMP during the formal Planning Commission and Board/Council review processes. Upon submittal to the state Department of Ecology, the public will have yet another opportunity to review and comment on the updated SMP prior to final adoption. Comment periods and hearings will be publicly noticed in advance.

For materials & more information:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ocrnkg13m83dt03/AABqHpnhVHCXkflC-ROztYJsa?dl=0

http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/sea/shorelines/smp/index.html