Politics & Government
Public Comment Sought on Lake Forest Park's Shoreline Program Update
Dept. of Ecology starts review
BELLEVUE – The Washington Department of Ecology seeks public comment on the city of Lake Forest Park’s recently updated Shoreline Master Program. Comments will form part of Ecology’s review of the program, which updates policies and regulations to manage the use and protection of Lake Washington shoreline in the city.
Lake Forest Park’s shoreline program guides construction and development in the city’s 2.2 miles of Lake Washington 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 Lake Forest Park’s shoreline master program before it takes effect.
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Ecology will accept public comment on City’s shoreline program from February 25, 2011, through March 28, 2011. Comments and questions should be addressed to Joe Burcar, Department of Ecology, Joe.Burcar@ecy.wa.gov, 425-649-7145.
The City of Lake Forest Park proposed program and related documents are available for review at:
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- City of Lake Forest Park (Resolution #1225) updated SMP
- SMP-Update Background
- City of Lake Forest Park office: 17425 Ballinger Way NE, Lake Forest Park, WA
- Ecology's Lake Forest Park SMP Comprehensive Update website
- Ecology northwest regional office: 3190 – 160th Ave SE, Bellevue, WA
Ecology may approve the shoreline program as written, reject it or direct the city to modify specific parts. Once approved by Ecology, The city’s 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 Lake Forest Park’s 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. The city collaborated over four years with waterfront property owners, builders, environmental interests, local governments, tribes 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 lakes 20 acres in size or larger to develop and periodically update their locally tailored shoreline programs.
Key features of Lake Forest Park’s updated program include:
- Provides shoreline regulations in one stop by integrating the city’s growth management planning and zoning, floodplain management and critical areas ordinances.
- Addresses protection of habitat and water quality through regulations that apply to all shoreline properties within city limits.
- Provides specific pier/dock construction standards for new and replacement structures.
- Limits construction of new shoreline armoring and encourages the use of soft-bank erosion control methods.
- Includes a restoration plan showing where and how voluntary improvements in water and upland areas can enhance the local shoreline environment.
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.
The City of Lake Forest Park joins a growing number of cities, towns and counties that have updated their shoreline program using the 2003 guidelines. The state guidelines allow each town, city and county flexibility to customize their program regulations to fit its local land-use circumstances and vision of local waterfront development.
More than 35 jurisdictions have already updated their shoreline programs, with 70 updates currently under way. Although the state Shoreline Management Act requires jurisdictions to regularly update their programs, most haven’t done so comprehensively in more than 30 years.
Since 2005, the Legislature has allocated more than $15 million in state grants through Ecology to help more than 260 towns, cities and counties with regulated shorelines update their shoreline policies and regulations by December 2014. This includes $3 million earmarked by the Legislature in 2009 specifically to help municipalities throughout the Puget Sound region.
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)
- City of Lake Forest Park (http://www.cityoflfp.com)
Ecology’s Lake Forest Park SMP updates (http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/sea/shorelines/smp/mycomments/lakeforestpark.html)