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SUPERIORCOURTOFTHESTATEOFWASIDNGTONINANDFORSANJUANCOUNTY
AnitaMLopez
SuperiorCourtAdministratorAugust28,2009CHRISHUGHES,dbaADMINISTRATORS
&
CONSULTANTS,LLC,Petitioner,-vs-SHORRLINEHEARINGSBOARD,anagencyoftheStateofWashington;andDEPARTMENTOFECOLOGY,anagencyoftheStateofWashington,Respondents.SANJUANCOUNTY,apoliticalsubdivisionoftheStateofWashington;andFRIENDSOFTHESANJUANS,aWashingtonnon-profitcorporation,NecessaryParties.
StephanieO'DayAttorneyatLawPOBox2112FridayHarbor,WA98250KyleA.LoringAttorneyatLawFriendsoftheSanJuansPOBox1344FridayHarbor,WA98250
LetterOpinion
JOHNO.LINDEJudge
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KarenE.VedderDeputyProsecutingAttorneyofSJCPOBox760FridayHarbor,WA98250BruceL.TurcottAssistantAttorneyGeneralPOBox40110Olympia,WA98504-0110
DearCounsel:ThismattercameonbeforetheCourt,fromanappealbyPetitioner,ofthedecisionoftheShorelineHearingsBoard(SHB)thatoverturnedSanJuanCounty'sissuanceofaShorelineSubstantialDevelopmentPermittobuildaprivatedock.TheCourttookthematterunderadvisementinordertoreviewthetranscriptoftheSHB'sproceedings,includingallevidenceintroducedandadmittedbytheBoard.
StatementofFacts
InAprilof2005Petitioner,afterfirstseekingpermissionto
use
anadjoininglotowner'sdockandthencontactinganadjoiningpropertyownerseekingapotentialjointuser,submittedanapplicationforaShorelineSubstantialDevelopmentPermitforasingle
use
dock,servinganundevelopedresidentiallotonPearlIslandinSanJuanCounty.InOctoberof2005,theWashingtonStateDepartmentofFishandWildlife(WDFW)issuedanHPAapprovingthedockdesignaspariofanexperimentaldockprogram.InMarchof2006,theSanJuanCountyHearingExaminerdeniedPetitioner'spermitapplication,atwhichtimePetitionerfiledanappealwiththeShorelineHearingsBoard(SHB).Duringthependencyofthatappeal,thePetitionerreachedanagreementwithSanJuanCountywherebythesizeofthedockwastobereducedtoatotalof557squarefeet,andthePetitionerwastoobtainabuildingpern1itforasingle-familyresidenceontheadjacentuplands,priortoconstmctionofanydock.Inaddition,thePetitionerwastoundertakeanoff-siteeelgrassmitigationtoaddresspotentialon-siteadverseimpactstoeelgrassexistingintheareaoftheproposeddock.TheproposedsettlementagreementwasremandedtotheSanJuanCountyHearingExaminerforfurtherpublichearings.OnOctober27,2006,theHearingExaminerissuedanorderapprovingoftheparties'agreementtopursueanoff-sitemitigationasprovidedforinSanJuanCountyCode18.30.l60(D),asaHabitatManagementPlan.TheHearingExaminerrequiredthattheHabitatManagementPlanbepreparedbyqualifiedmarinebiologistsandthatthesuccessoftheplanbeevaluatedbyWDFW.TheFriendsoftheSanJuans(FOSJ)filedanappealwiththeSHB,whichappealwasdismissedasprematureinJanuary2007.InJuly2007,PetitionersubmittedaHabitatManagementPlanforviewbytheSanJuanCountyProsecutingAttorney'sOffice.Thatplanoutlinedanoff-siteeelgrassmitigationplanpreviouslyapprovedbyWDFW.WDFWissuedanewHPAformallyapprovingoftheoff-sitemitigationplan.OnSeptember4,2007,SanJuanCountyCommunityDevelopmentandPlanningDepartment(CD/PD)issuedanadministrativedetermination,approvingoftheoff-sitemitigationplanrequiringthatmitigationbecompletedandprovensuccessfulpriortoissuanceoftheShorelineSubstantialDevelopmentPermit.ThePetitionerfiledanappealofthenewconditionsimposedbyCD/PD.
LetterOpinion2
InJanuaryof2008,thePetitionerandSanJuanCountyreachedasecondsettlementagreement.TheSHBdismissesthefirstHughesappealatHughes'request.InFebruary2008,followingreceiptbytheDepartmentofEcologyoftheHughes'ShorelineSubstantialDevelopment-J>ennit,theFOSJfilesitsappeal.OnAugust
25th
2008,theSHBissuesitsFindingsofFact,ConclusionsofLaw,andOrderreversingtheHughes'ShorelineSubstantialDevelopmentPermit.ThePetitionerappealstheSHBdecisionandrequeststhatthisCourtreinstatetheShorelineSubstantialDevelopmentPermitaspreviouslyissuedbySanJuanCounty.PetitionerownsLot23,PlatofPearlIsland.PearlIslandislocatednorthofSanJuanIslandandbordersRocheHarbor.Thesubdivisionconsistsof44residentiallots,eachofwhichborderstheshoreline.ThelotsaredesignatedasruralresidentialbySanJuanCounty.TheplatwascompletedpriortotheadoptionoftheStateShorelineManagementActandtheSanJuanCountyShorelineMasterPlan.PearlIslandisnotservedbyWashingtonStateferriesandhasnoairstriporotherformofpublicaccess.Autilityandparkareaextendstheentirelengthoftheislandandprovidesa40footwideshorelineaccesswhichisutilizedforbargelanding.Thereisnocommunitydock,astheplatpredatestheCountyrequirementthat"Newsubdivisionswithshorelinefrontageshallberequiredtoprovidecommunitydocksratherthanindividual,privatedocks..."SJCC18.50.1900(1).TherearecurrentlyelevenprivatedocksonPearlIsland,eachprovidingaccesstooneormorelots.Petitionershavenorightofjointuseofotherexistingdocks.TherearesevenotherresidentiallotsalongthenorthshoreofPearlIslandthathavenojointuserights.AbedofeelgrassencirclesPearlIsland.Eelgrassbedsprovidecriticalhabitatforsmallfishesandmarineanimals.Petitioner'sproposeddockwouldextendovereelgrassbedsborderingthewesternendofPearlIsland.AtthetimeofPetitioner'sapplicationtobuildthesubjectdock,WDFWwasconductinganexperimentalprograminSanJuanCountytostudytheeffectsofvarioustypesofdocksandfloatsonmarinehabitatandeelgrassinparticular.ThedockandfloatdesignapprovedbySanJuanCountyforPetitionerwasincludedinthatprogram.Itincorporateddesignfeaturesintermsofwidth,orientation,andgrating,tominimizeorlimittheeffectthedockandfloatwouldhaveoneelgrass.WDFWbiologist,BrianWilliams,couldnotguaranteewithcertaintythattherewouldbenoimpactoneelgrassbeneaththedock,butdidtestifYthat"Thereisalowprobabilityofimpactthere"inpartduetothedesignrequirementsimposedbythepermit.Mr.Williamsrequiredthatthepermitincludeanapprovedmitigationplanandmonitoringofthesitefollowingconstructionto,asheputit,"coverourbases"shouldanadverseimpactoccur.ThemitigationplanapprovedbyWDFWisan"orr-site"mitigationplanlocatedapproximately1milefromthedocksite.
LetterOpinion3
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