Tacoma City Council Study Session

Shoreline Master Program Update

January 27, 2009

1
 Background

„ The Washington Shoreline Management

Act, adopted by public referendum in
1971, places priority on:
„ Protecting water quality and the environment
„ Ensuring land for water-dependent uses

„ Providing public access to the shoreline

2
 Shoreline Master Program Update
„ Tacoma Shoreline Master Program (SMP) includes goals, policies,
and regulations for all shorelines of the State:
„ all marine waters;
„ streams with greater than 20 cubic feet per second mean annual flow;
„ lakes 20 acres or larger;
„ upland areas called shorelands that extend 200 feet landward from the edge of
these waters; and
„ the following areas when they are associated with one of the above:
„ biological wetlands and river deltas; and
„ some or all of the 100-year floodplain including all wetlands within the
100-year floodplain.
„ Tacoma has 42 miles of shoreline and 14 separate shoreline districts
„ Community participation, environmental and land use analyses are
key components
„ Update required by 2011, Washington Admin. Code, WAC 173-26

3
 Shoreline Master Program Update

„ Existing (1996) Tacoma SMP key components:

„ Provides policy guidance, use regulations, and public access
standards, etc.
„ Revised Tacoma SMP key components (WAC 173-26):
„ Inventory and characterization report
„ Land use inventory
„ Restoration plan
„ Public access plan
„ Complete review of, and revisions to, all policies,
regulations, and standards

4
 WAC 173-26, Shoreline Master
Program Guidelines
„ General policies and regulations
„ Archaeological and historic resources
„ Critical areas
„ Flood hazard reduction
„ Public access
„ Shoreline vegetation conservation
„ Water quality, storm water, and nonpoint pollution
„ Shoreline modifications, including stabilization, piers
and docks, fill, breakwaters and jetties, beach
management, dredging, and shoreline habitat projects

5
 WAC 173-26, Shoreline Master
Program Guidelines
„ Shoreline uses
„ Agriculture
„ Aquaculture
„ Boating facilities
„ Commercial development
„ Forest practices
„ Industry
„ In-stream structural uses
„ Mining
„ Recreational development
„ Residential development
„ Transportation and parking
„ Utilities

6
 Public Participation Strategy
„ Public workshops
„ Technical Review Committee oversight
„ Meetings with key community groups and stakeholders
„ Port, Tribe, Chamber, Citizen’s for a Healthy Bay, Tahoma
Audubon, numerous business and property owners, Pt. Ruston,
Walk the Waterfront, Foss Waterway Dev. Authority, etc.
„ Neighborhood Council review
„ Planning Commission review
„ Council Committee review
„ City Council review

7
Recent Community Participation

„ Numerous stakeholder meetings 2006 to 2009

„ Two public hearings in 2008
„ Most recent public workshop Oct 2008--over 40
in attendance at the Foss Waterway Seaport
„ Technical Review Committee meeting Jan 2009
„ Comprehensive city web site
„ All efforts—documents, handouts, maps, etc. are
posted at www.cityoftacoma.org/planning click on
Shoreline Master Program update
8
 Progress to Date
„ In 2006, Tacoma hired consultants ESA Adolfson and Reid
Middleton
„ Background documents/plans to provide basis for the update:
„ Inventory and Characterization document—baseline conditions of
Tacoma's shoreline resources
„ Draft Restoration Plan
„ Draft Waterfront Land Use Analysis
„ Draft Foss Waterway Public Access and Use Analysis
„ Draft Public Access Inventory and Opportunities
„ Revised Critical Areas Regulations to address in-water areas (pursuant
to Growth Management Hearings Board order)

9
 Preliminary Issues
„ Water-dependent land area (more demand than supply)
„ Public access
„ Additional opportunities and projects should be identified
„ Conflicts between industrial uses and public access must be
resolved
„ Regulations will get stricter due to new State
requirements
„ Various area by area conflicts
„ Schuster Parkway
„ Salmon Beach
„ Narrows Marina

10
 Next Steps
„ Continued community participation and collaboration
„ Ongoing meetings with key community groups and
stakeholders
„ Planning Commission review ongoing
„ March City Council/Port of Tacoma study session
„ Ruston Way, Foss Waterway, and general public
workshops in late spring
„ Preliminary draft SMP released in July 2009
„ Public review, workshops, meetings, and comments on
draft SMP July to November 2009
„ Planning Commission public hearing Jan 2010
„ City Council public hearing March 2010

11
Questions

12