The Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) is seeking public comment on Eatonville’s recently updated shoreline master program.
The proposed updated shoreline master program will guide construction and development along the town’s five miles of stream shorelines. It combines local plans for future development and preservation with new development ordinances and related permitting requirements.
Eatonville’s locally-tailored shoreline program is designed to help minimize environmental damage to shoreline areas, reserve appropriate areas for water-oriented uses, and protect the public’s right to public lands and waters.
Under Washington’s 1972 voter-approved Shoreline Management Act, Ecology must review and approve Eatonville’s proposed shoreline program before it takes effect. About 200 cities and counties statewide are in the process or soon will be updating or crafting their master programs.
Eatonville’s proposed updated master program:
– Establishes protective buffers of 150 feet with the flexibility to reduce buffers based on individual property circumstances;
– Encourages soft-bank erosion control methods that protect both property and habitat and also limits construction of new structures that harden shorelines, such as bulkheads;
– Includes a restoration plan showing where and how voluntary improvements in water and upland areas can enhance the local shoreline environment;
– Helps support the broader initiative to protect and restore Puget Sound.
[mappress]
Press Release, December 4, 2012