PORT ANGELES — Planning for restoration and creating more detailed descriptions for what is allowable on the Port Angeles shoreline have dominated the proposed changes to the city’s Shoreline Master Program.
The draft of the document, a proposed update of the 2003 version of the program, adds a chapter outlining restoration plans for the shoreline, which is a new requirement of the state Department of Ecology.
A major new state requirement is that development cause no “net loss of ecological function” of the shoreline.
That means that if a person or business puts in a dock that will have negative effects on the ecosystem, the owner must mitigate by restoring another portion of shoreline, said Scott Johns, associate planer for the city of Port Angeles.
The city and consultants hired to help with development of the program are working to identify areas that could be restored for mitigation, Johns said.
“It will be interesting to see how it plays out,” he said. “That is one of our biggest changes — having the no net loss in there.
“We are looking to have restoration opportunities — a menu of sorts that people can do to mitigate for the impact that their development will have.
“That will be a big piece of it.”
Draft plan presented
The draft plan was presented to an audience of about 40 people Wednesday night by city-hired consultants from The Watershed Co. of Kirkland and Makers of Seattle.
Another challenge is a change in state requirements that asks permitting authorities to look at the cumulative effect of new structures, Johns said.
“We will have to look at an individual project — say, a dock — and look at that one project, which might have a pretty minor impact, but if there are 400 other parcels that could do this as well, we will have to look at if we allow this one, we can’t say no to the next, and what happens when we have 400 docks?” Johns said.
“I am not sure how this will work or what it means to me,” he continued. “But it is a mandated piece.
“I think we might be able to approach it a couple of different ways, but I’m not yet sure how it will work.”
Seven categories
The planners also created seven categories of environmental designations along the shoreline for the city.
Currently, there are only four, Johns said.
The seven categories allow planners to be more specific on the type of development that happens in those areas — for example, a portion of Ediz Hook is categorized as “industrial” which is very specific, said consultant John Owen.
The tip of Ediz Hook is categorized as maritime, which allows more flexibility, Owen said.
Johns emphasized that though the categories were changing, current structures would be grandfathered in, and future development along the same lines as the current development would be allowed.
“We’re trying to make sure that essentially those things that are currently allowed would be allowed in the future as well,” Johns said.
“We’re trying to minimize changes in the process and trying to avoid creating nonconforming situations.”
Owen encourages all residents of Port Angeles to read through the plan, which is available on the city’s website, www.cityofpa.us/shoreline.htm, and through the city’s Planning Department.
Public comment
Public comment will be accepted on the draft plan until April 1.
Written comments may be sent by mail to Department of Community and Economic Development, 321 E. Fifth St., Port Angeles, WA 98362. They may be e-mailed to shoreline@cityofpa.us.
Johns said he was available to discuss the program if people were concerned that any planned development might be affected.
To contact Johns, phone 360-417-4752 or e-mail shoreline@cityofpa.us.
Once the draft plan is complete, environmental review will begin. Ecology will make comments on the draft plan SMP, and the city will revise the draft for final approval.
For more information about Ecology’s shoreline master programs, visit http://tinyurl.com/4ma3j6c.
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Reporter Paige Dickerson can be reached at 360-417-3535 or at paige.dickerson@peninsuladailynews.com.
