Shoreline Master Program is Updated

The City of Kent must pass a Shoreline Master Program that will be approved by the DOE and the Department of Fish and Wildlife. Shoreline Master Act Guidelines state that “The Shoreline Management Act guidelines require local shoreline master programs to regulate new development to achieve no net loss of ecological function. The guidelines (WAC 173-26-186(8)(d)) state that, To ensure no net loss of ecological functions and protection of other shoreline functions and/or uses, master programs shall contain policies, programs, and regulations that address adverse cumulative impacts and fairly allocate the burden of addressing cumulative impacts.” The final draft of the Shoreline Master Program has come a long way from the original. The original draft called for new and replacement piers to be a maximum of 420 square feet, for the first 30 feet of our docks to be only 4 feet wide and the decking to be replaced with light permeable decking. It left no room for grandfathering in our current docks. The new revision of the proposed SMP allows for grandfathering of our docks at current sizes though decking materials would still have to be light permeable.

The original document had setbacks of 75’ shown with no averaging. The current SMP has the setbacks set at the average of the homes on either side, preserving views and good neighbor relationships. This averaging has been put back into the new version with a minimum 75’ setback from the water. More information will be available on the SMP at the LMCA general meeting.