Draft update of Clallam County shoreline land-use rules topic of forums this month

Published 12:01 am Sunday, January 4, 2015

PORT ANGELES — Public forums are planned this month — the first this Thursday — on the 2014 draft of an update of Clallam County’s shoreline land-use rules.

The present draft shoreline master program (SMP) is a proposed update to the rules for permits.

The plan first was created in 1976 and was last updated in 1992. A previous draft was released in November 2012.

The Clallam County Planning Commission is seeking public input as it reviews the draft before making a recommendation to the Board of County Commissioners.

The update, required by the state Department of Ecology, deals with buffer zones, setbacks from eroding feeder bluffs and other aspects of a comprehensive use plan for shoreline areas.

It includes goals and policies, shoreline environmental designation maps, use and development regulations, and administrative procedures for the shoreline permitting process.

It generally applies to lakes of 20 acres or larger, rivers and streams with flows of more than 20 cubic feet per second and marine waters, as well as to areas within 200 feet of the ordinary high water mark or floodway of these water bodies and their associated wetlands, floodplains and critical areas.

‘No net loss’

The program has been written to provide “no net loss” of ecological functions.

That means that where environmental impacts will occur, efforts must be made to mitigate or offset them to maintain baseline environmental processes and functions.

The Planning Commission has scheduled four regional public forums this month on this draft plan.

At the forums, members of the public can hear details of the draft document and provide feedback.

The forums, all at 6 p.m., are set for:

■ Thursday, Jan. 8, in Port Angeles — Port Angeles Senior Center, 328 E. Seventh St.

■ Monday Jan. 12, in Clallam Bay-Sekiu — Sekiu Community Center, 42 Rice St.

■ Tuesday, Jan. 13, in Forks — Department of Natural Resources, 411 Tillicum Lane.

■ Wednesday, Jan. 14, in Sequim — John Wayne Marina, 2577 West Sequim Bay Road.

Following the forums, county planners have scheduled four public hearings in February to gather input before they make a recommendation to the county commissioners.

Public hearings

The public hearings, which are at varying times, are set for:

■ Wednesday, Feb. 4, in Sequim — 6:30 p.m., John Wayne Marina.

■ Thursday, Feb. 12, in Clallam Bay-Sekiu — 1 p.m., Sekiu Community Center.

■ Thursday, Feb. 12, in Forks — 6 p.m., Department of Natural Resources.

■ Wednesday, Feb. 18, in Port Angeles — 6:30 p.m., Clallam County Courthouse, 223 E. Fourth St.

Once the Planning Commission makes a recommendation to the county commissioners, the commissioners will conduct public hearings and consider adoption of the update.

Once adopted, the update will be submitted to the state Department of Ecology for review and state approval.

“Therefore, this Draft SMP (November 2014) is a work in progress and likely subject to further revision as the local and state SMP process moves forward,” the county says on its website.

For more information on the draft program, see http://tinyurl.com/PDN-SMPdraft2014.

For more on the process, see www.clallam.net/LandUse/SMP.html.

Comments can be sent by email to SMP@co.clallam.wa.us or by U.S. mail to the Clallam County Department of Community Development, RE: Shoreline Master Program Update, 223 E. Fourth St., Suite 5, Port Angeles, WA 98362.