Title
Approval of a Resolution Submitting Shoreline Master Program Amendment to Ecology
Recommended Action
Committee Recommendation:
Not referred to committee.
City Manager Recommendation:
Move to approve the resolution submitting an amendment to the Washington Department of Ecology, adopting by reference recently-approved amendments to the Olympia Critical Areas Ordinance.
Report
Issue:
Whether to adopt by reference recently-approved amendments to the Critical Areas Ordinance as part of the Shoreline Master Program (SMP). State law requires that critical areas regulations only apply in shoreline areas if they are included in an SMP approved by Ecology.
Staff Contact:
Leonard Bauer, Deputy Director, Community Planning and Development, 360.753.8206
Presenter(s):
None - Consent Calendar Item.
Background and Analysis:
State law requires that protection measures for critical areas that occur along shorelines must be included in the City’s Shoreline Master Program (RCW 36.70A.480). So, to ensure the City’s critical areas provisions also apply in shoreline areas, the City’s Shoreline Master Program (SMP) adopts the Critical Areas Ordinance (CAO)(OMC 18.32) by reference. Any amendments to the City’s CAO are then also required to be amended into the SMP and approved by the Washington Department of Ecology.
The City Council has recently adopted two amendments to the CAO:
• Ordinance 7030 (updating best available science provisions), and
• Ordinance 7090 (including a process for locally-important species nominations).
At its December 12, 2017, meeting, the City Council is scheduled to approve a third CAO amendment, adopting specific protection measures for Great Blue Heron nesting sites.
All three of these ordinances specify they will be effective after approval by the State Department of Ecology.
The attached resolution is to submit a SMP amendment to Ecology for its review and approval that will adopt these three CAO amendments by reference into the City’s SMP.
Neighborhood/Community Interests (if known):
Many groups and individuals in the community are interested in the critical areas regulations. In particular, a significant amount of public comment was heard regarding the Great Blue Heron protections.
Options:
1. Approve the resolution to amend the SMP to adopt the CAO updates by reference and submit to Ecology.
2. Do not approve the resolution to amend the SMP and direct that staff draft an ordinance to amend the previous three CAO ordinances so they take effect only in areas outside of shoreline jurisdiction.
Financial Impact:
None.
Attachments:
Resolution