Title
Agenda Item:
Shoreline Restoration Plan
Body
Issue:
Introduction and update on the City's proposed Shoreline Restoration Plan.
City Manager’s Recommendation:
No recommendation at this time.
Staff Contact:
Gary Cooper, Project Associate Planner, (360) 570-3957
Presenter(s):
Gary Cooper
Background and Analysis:
Why do we have a Restoration Plan?
As the City nears adoption of an updated Shoreline Master Program (SMP) it will also be adopting a Restoration Plan. The Restoration Plan is a new requirement with this round of SMP updates - all jurisdictions are now required to complete one - and it must include “goals and actions for restoration…of impaired ecological functions.” [WAC 173-26-186(8)(c)]
Listed below are minimum requirements for Restoration Plans:
• Identify degraded areas, impaired ecological functions, and sites with potential for ecological restoration;
• Establish overall goals and priorities for restoration of degraded areas and impaired ecological functions;
• Identify existing and ongoing projects and programs that are currently being implemented, or are reasonably assured of being implemented (based on an evaluation of funding likely in the foreseeable future), which are designed to contribute to local restoration goals;
• Identify additional projects and programs needed to achieve local restoration goals, and implementation strategies including identifying prospective funding sources for those projects and programs;
• Identify timelines and benchmarks for implementing restoration projects and programs and achieving local restoration goals;
• Provide for mechanisms or strategies to ensure that restoration projects and programs will be implemented according to plans and to appropriately review the effectiveness of the projects and programs in meeting the overall restoration goals. [WAC 173-26-201(2)(f)]
Ecology defines “restoration” or “ecological restoration” as:
…"the reestablishment or upgrading of impaired ecological s...
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