HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOW 2011-06-27 Item 4A - Shoreline Master Program - Ordinance - Attachment A.01: Introduction 1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 Purpose and Background
This document presents the Shoreline Master Program (SMP) for the City of Tukwila. It is
an update to Tukwila's existing SMP, originally adopted in 1974. The SMP is intended to
guide new shoreline development, redevelopment and promote reestablishment of natural
shoreline functions, where possible. It was prepared in conformance with the Washington
State Shoreline Management Act (Chapter 90.58 RCW) and its implementing regulations
(WAC 173 -26).
This Shoreline Master Program represents the first substantial amendment to the existing
SMP since its adoption in 1974, and reflects changes in local conditions and priorities and
the evolving State regulatory environment. An example of changes in local conditions is
that Tukwila has annexed significant amounts of shoreline from 42nd Avenue South
northward and is evaluating additional annexation of King County shoreline areas upstream
of the southern City limits (See Annexation History and Potential Annexation Area
Map, Map 1). On these portions of the shoreline, since the SMP was not updated
concurrently with the annexations, regulators still use the King County SMP and not
Tukwila's.
An example of changes in the State's regulatory environment is seen in the series of
regulations adopted in 1995 by the Washington State Legislature intended to simplify and
streamline the development process. This effort included amendments to RCW 36.70A
requiring that goals and policies of local SMPs be integrated into local Growth Management
Act (GMA) supportive plans. Consistency between the Shoreline Master Program, the
Comprehensive Plan and implementing regulations is required. The GMA also requires that
land use planning efforts be coordinated among all involved citizens, local, regional and
Tribal governments, and businesses. The new Tukwila Master Program complies with these
state requirements.
New guidance issued by the Department of Ecology for local governments updating their
SMPs adds new requirements to the preparation process, including a Shoreline Restoration
Plan and a Cumulative Impacts Analysis.
This Shoreline Master Program presents background information on the Shoreline
Management Act, describes shoreline jurisdiction in Tukwila, summarizes the amendment
process carried out to date, presents a summary of the Shoreline Inventory and
Characterization, presents a summary of the Shoreline Restoration Plan, proposes shoreline
environments, and establishes goals, policies and regulations, which apply to all activities on
all affected lands and waters within the shoreline jurisdiction. In addition, there is a chapter
that establishes design guidelines. Maps are provided to illustrate shoreline jurisdiction and
environments. The Shoreline Inventory and Characterization Report is provided in
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Appendix A. The Restoration Plan is provided in Appendix B. A Cumulative Impacts
Analysis is provided as a stand -alone document.
1.2 Shoreline Jurisdiction
A. Jurisdiction under the Shoreline Management Act
The Shoreline Management Act, or SMA, (RCW 90.58) establishes regulations for the
management and protection of the state's shoreline resources and requires planning for
reasonable and appropriate uses. The Act calls for a joint planning effort between state and
local jurisdictions, requiring local government to develop its own Shoreline Master Program
based on state guidelines.
The SMA requires that local governments establish shoreline jurisdiction for those bodies
of water and lands that are considered to be "shorelines of the state" or "shorelines of
statewide significance." Shorelines of the state include rivers with a mean annual flow of
at least 20 cubic feet per second (cfs). Shorelines of statewide significance in western
Washington include rivers with a mean annual flow of at least 1,000 cubic feet per
second (cfs). The minimum shoreline environment required by the SMA includes all
lands 200 feet from the "ordinary high water mark" or floodway of a state shoreline,
whichever is greater, and all wetlands associated with these state shorelines and located
within the 100 -year floodplain. The following graphic illustrates the jurisdiction of the
Shoreline Management Act.
Ordinary high
water mark Wetland in 100 year
(OHWM) Flood plain
=IIII
-IIII
IIII IIII
IIII IIII =IIII= 1.1111:
IIII- IIII IIII IIII Hill IIII -1 III -IIII= III IIII°IIII-
IIII IIII IIII. =1111- IIII IIII -III IIII IIII -IIII IIII 1111= IIII°IIII- IIII°IIII?
o ❑II I'll Hit o I'll o IIII o II❑ c 1111 0 0 o III IIII IIII lilt O 1111 ❑II C
i 200' 3 200'
Flood wav
100 Year Flood Plain
200' from OHWM or flood way and
all marshes, bogs, and swamps in
100 year flood plain
200' from OHWM and 100 year flood plain
Figure 1.1 Lands and waters under the jurisdiction of the Shoreline Management Act
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B. Shoreline Jurisdiction in Tukwila
The Green/Duwamish River is the only "shoreline of statewide significance" in the city
(RCW 98.58.030). A small portion of the Black River, a shoreline of the state, is also
located in Tukwila. Throughout the SMP document, the term "Shoreline Jurisdiction" is
used to describe the water and land areas subject to shoreline jurisdiction in Tukwila.
Based on SMA guidelines for shoreline jurisdiction, Tukwila's Shoreline Jurisdiction is
defined as follows:
The Tukwila Shoreline Jurisdiction includes the channel of the
Green/Duwamish River and the Black River. its banks, the upland
area which extends from the ordinary high water mark landward
for 200 feet on each side of the river, floodways and all associated
wetlands within its floodplain. For the purpose of determining
shoreline jurisdiction only, the floodway shall not include those
lands that have historically been protected by flood control devices
and, therefore, have not been subject to flooding with reasonable
regularity.
The Tukwila SMP applies to all development activity occurring within the Shoreline
Jurisdiction, which corresponds to the Shoreline Overlay District as established by
Chapter 18.44 of the Tukwila Municipal Code.
The use of the ordinary high water mark, or OHWM, represents a change from the
previous Master Program, which used the mean high -water mark (MHWM). The
MHWM is the elevation of the surface of Green River and Duwamish River waters when
the discharge rate at the U.S. Geological survey Stream Gauging Station near Auburn is
9,000 cfs. Locating the MHWM requires the skills of a surveyor. The OHWM is used to
define the usual height of water, as evidenced by soil and vegetation conditions. It may
be visually located based on the line between flood tolerant and non flood tolerant
vegetation along the riverbank. Due to the relative ease of locating the OHWM, this
measure is preferred and therefore implemented in this SMP. The Shoreline
Management Act also requires the use of the OHWM as the means by which location of
the shoreline environment is determined.
All proposed uses and activities under its jurisdiction must be reviewed for compliance with
the goals, policies and regulations herein. All proposed uses and development occurring
within shoreline jurisdiction must conform to chapter 90.58 RCW, the Shoreline
Management Act and this Master Program whether or not a permit is required.
This Master Program includes the two proposed annexation areas indicated in the
Comprehensive Plan (Map 1). The north annexation area is located between the
Green/Duwamish River on the east, Military Road to the west, and from S. 128th Street
north to S. 96th Street. The south annexation area is located between I -5 and the Green
River, south of the City limits to S. 204th Street. Adoption of shoreline policies and
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environment designations for newly annexed areas would require an amendment to the
Shoreline Master Program. To avoid having to amend the SMP later, these potential
annexation areas are considered here and the environmental designations and regulations
will apply upon annexation.
In response to regional policies of the King County Growth Management Planning Council,
Tukwila designated two key areas as its Urban Center and its Manufacturing Industrial
Center (MIC). The Southcenter area, from I -405 south to S. 180' Street was designated the
"Urban Center," and the Duwamish Corridor, an area where existing industrial- employment
is concentrated, was designated as Tukwila's "Manufacturing Industrial Center." Both of
these areas have lands adjacent to the river and are identified on Map 1.
The Tukwila Urban Center is continuing to expand and intensify the Westfield Southcenter
Mall recently completed the addition of 475,000 sq. ft. of retail space and a new 220,000
square foot shopping center along Southcenter Parkway, Southcenter Plaza recently was
completed. This SMP assumes the re- development of Tukwila's Urban Center and the MIC
will affect the character of the river, as it has in the past.
The City Council adopted a Strategic Implementation Plan for the MIC on November 2,
1998. The Plan includes an analysis of existing conditions along the shoreline, narratives of
various habitats, current regulations, proposed requirements and prototypes for future
development along the shoreline in the MIC. The Strategic Plan was prepared in
conjunction with a Planned Action Environmental Impact Statement that analyzed
development alternatives in the MIC area and streamlined SEPA review for development in
that corridor for the past 10 years. These documents are now 9 -12 years old. Where
changed circumstances dictate, the SMP will provide updated guidance and regulations for
the MIC area. The MIC area has significant potential for redevelopment.
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Map 1
a
Annexation
History and
Potential
Annexation
Areas
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fanufacturingllndustrial
Center Boundary
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Tukwila Urban
Tukwila City Limits 16 tenter
Tukwila Urban Center
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Potential Annexation Areas
Green; Duwamish River
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Shoreline Annexed After 1974
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