On Tuesday Islanders will have the opportunity to weigh in on a suite of changes King County is proposing for the way it manages development and other activities along the county’s shorelines.
The revisions, the first update to the county’s Shoreline Management Plan (SMP) since it was crafted in 1978, will come before Islanders at a public hearing at McMurray Middle School. The plan lays the groundwork for a host of regulations — from dock-building and bulkheads to home and commercial development — along the county’s marine, river and lake shorelines.
Under the proposed revisions, all shoreline areas would be assigned one of eight designations rather than the current four. County Councilmember Larry Phillips, who chairs the committee overseeing the proposed changes, says expanding these designations better considers current conditions in the Puget Sound region, recognizes the various uses of shoreline and ultimately provides for better shoreline protection.
“It is much more tailored towards the current situation,” he said.
If the plan is approved, regulations on docks, piers and bulkheads on Vashon could change, depending on how shoreline areas are designated, Phillips said.
“The proposed changes would take into account any potential damages to shorelines,” Phillips said. “Avoiding those damages is important.”
Amy Carey, environmental activist and president of Preserve our Islands, says she is pleased with the county’s proposal, which she believes strengthens shoreline protection.
“The SMP is the backbone of shoreline policy; all of it is important to the Island,” she said. “There’s a general consensus in the environmental community that the county has done a good job here. They were very science-based in their approach to it.”
Carey hopes that Islanders show up for the hearing, even if it is simply to show support for the plan.
“Any time the public has the opportunity to take part in the regulatory process, it’s important that they do that,” she said.
Vashon Island’s 50 miles of shoreline make up almost all of King County’s marine shoreline.
After considering public comments, Phillips’ panel, the Environment and Transportation Committee, will vote on the plan on July 27. If approved, it will go before the County Council in September.
“We’re very much looking forward to finalizing the update of the management plan. I think it’s long overdue,” Phillips said. “It will go a long way to protect the shorelines of Puget Sound.”
The hearing, one of a dozen in King County but the only one to take place on Vashon, will be held at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 29, at McMurray Middle School. A short reception will precede the hearing at 6 p.m.
