HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOW 2009-11-23 Item 4I.1 - Shoreline Master Program - Attachment A.02: Tukwila's Shoreline Master Program2. TUKWILA'S SHORELINE MASTER PROGRAM
2.1 SMP Components
To comply with the SMA, Tukwila has included the following components in development
of this draft Shoreline Master Program (SMP):
Outreach including a citizen participation process, coordination with state
agencies, Indian tribes, and other local governments (see Section 2.4 below)
Inventory, analysis and characterization of shoreline conditions, environmental
functions and ecosystem -wide processes
Analysis of potential shoreline restoration opportunities
Establishment of shoreline environments
Development of goals and policies
Preparation of regulations
Preparation of Shoreline Design Guidelines
Evaluation and consideration of cumulative impacts
2.2 SMP Elements
The SMA includes eight main issues, or "elements," to be addressed in each local shoreline
master program (RCW 90.58.100). To implement these elements, shoreline policies and
regulations are to be developed for each. The policies are found in The Shoreline Goals and
Policies Section of this SMP and the regulations in the following sections: Shoreline Use
Regulations; Shoreline Development Standards; Environmentally Sensitive Areas within the
Shoreline; Public Access to the Shoreline; Shoreline Design Guidelines; and Habitat
Restoration. The policies will be incorporated into the City's Comprehensive Plan and the
regulations into the Zoning Code. The elements required by the SMA are:
Economic Development
Public Access
Recreation
Circulation
Shoreline Uses
Conservation
Historical, cultural, educational and scientific element
Preventing or minimizing flood damage
Consistent with the Growth Management Act requirement to integrate the SMP and the
Comprehensive Plan, the City adopted its updated Comprehensive Plan in 1995 and
incorporated the required elements of a SMP noted above into its Plan. Further direction
for implementation of the required elements of SMPs is provided through Zoning Code
and Design Review requirements.
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2.3 History of SMP Planning in Tukwila
Tukwila's Shoreline Master Program (SMP) was first adopted in 1974, in response to the
passage of the Shoreline Management Act (RCW 90.58). The SMP was later updated
through minor amendments in 1982 and 1987, none of which required the adoption of a new
SMP.
In 1992 -93, as part of the preparation for a major revision to the City's Comprehensive Plan,
the City completed a Shorelines Background Report (1993), with the participation of the
Tukwila Tomorrow Citizen's Committee. This report established the basis for the shoreline
comprehensive plan goals and policies. The report was reviewed and approved by citizens
and officials as part of the entire Comprehensive Plan adoption process. The
Comprehensive Plan was adopted in 1995.
While effective in setting the stage for the development of a new Shoreline Master Program
(SMP), the policies adopted as part of the 1995 Comprehensive Plan were only the first step.
Staff began the process to prepare a new SMP in the spring of 1999, based on the draft
shoreline guidelines that were in the process of adoption by the Department of Ecology at
the time.
A grant from the Washington State Department of Ecology provided funding for a
Shoreline Inventory and Shoreline Design Manual. The City completed an inventory of
all parcels within the 200 foot Shoreline jurisdiction in 2000. Based on that inventory
and the policies adopted in the Comprehensive Plan, staff prepared a draft Shoreline
Master Program, which also incorporated citizen comments from meetings.
As the Planning Commission was nearing completion of its review of the draft SMP, the
new shoreline regulations were approved by Ecology in November, 2000. The new
regulations were immediately appealed and ultimately invalidated by the Shoreline Hearings
Board in August, 2001. As a result, the City opted to defer completing its SMP update
process until new guidelines were issued by Ecology, which occurred in 2003.
2.4 Current SMP Update Process
In 2003 the legislature established funding and timelines for all jurisdictions to undertake
comprehensive master program amendments. In 2005, Tukwila received a grant (SMA
Grant No. 0600234) to complete a comprehensive update, including new technical analyses
of shoreline conditions, restoration planning, and the preparation of revised SMP goals,
policies, and regulations. The overall update process is described further below.
In order to capitalize on previous citizens' involvement in the planning process, the City
decided to start the current SMP update with the work that had been prepared to date.
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Therefore, this draft document represents the work begun in 1999, with revisions to address
new Ecology regulations and guidance, as well as changed conditions in the City's shoreline
area.
The development of any SMP, as required by new shoreline regulations, involves three
specific steps
Shoreline inventory and characterization, preparation of a restoration plan,
preparation of a cumulative impacts analysis;
Citizen involvement in development of policies and regulations; and
Review by interested parties, including adjacent jurisdictions.
As part of this renewed SMP update process, the City has:
Continued the previously started citizen involvement program utilizing the
Planning Commission, which serves as the City's permanent citizen advisory
body for land use issues, holding Open Houses and public hearings
Coordinated and shared information with neighboring jurisdictions
Updated and expanded the Shoreline Inventory and mapping (included as
Appendix A to this document)
Prepared a Shoreline Restoration Plan (Appendix B)
Proposed shoreline environment designations
Proposed shoreline development policies
Proposed shoreline development regulations
Prepared a draft Cumulative Impacts Analysis
Coordinated with Department of Ecology, submitting a staff draft SMP for
review and comment and meeting with Ecology staff
2.5 Citizen Review Processes
The citizen review component of the SMP amendment process began in 1992 in concert
with the development of a Revised Comprehensive Plan. Tukwila Tomorrow, a citizen's
advisory group, met to determine shoreline issues, develop draft policies for the
Comprehensive Plan, and prepare a Shoreline Background Report (2/93) for review by
elected and appointed officials, a citizens committee and interested parties. The City
Council adopted revised shoreline policies in the 1995 Comprehensive Plan, which in turn
have formed the basis for the policies in the updated SMP.
In 1999, a Shoreline Advisory Panel was appointed by the Mayor's Office, comprised of
two citizens living within the Shoreline jurisdiction and two representatives of businesses
within the shoreline jurisdiction. The Panel reviewed a staff draft SMP and forwarded a
Draft SMP to the Planning Commission for its review in March, 2000. The Planning
Commission began its review in May, 2000 and continued until October, 2000 when
review on the Draft SMP was suspended to allow staff time to review the new Ecology
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shoreline regulations. The new regulations were appealed and invalidated by the
Shoreline Hearings Board in August, 2001. Revised shoreline regulations, based on a
mediated settlement among the appealing parties, were adopted by Ecology in December
2003.
Rather than establish a new Shoreline Advisory Panel, tThe citizen involvement process has
continued utilizing the Planning Commission, as the Commission composed of Tukwila
residents and a business representative serves as the volunteer land use review body for
the City. Other outreach activities have included: city newsletter articles, establishment of
an SMP update page on the City's website, and informational displays at local events and
fairs. A series of public meetings were held on the SMP, along with informational mailings
sent to shoreline property owners, and finally public hearings held before the City's
Planning Commission and City Council prior to SMP adoption.
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