Poulsbo is the first local jurisdiction in Kitsap County to update its Shoreline Master Program, as required by state law, and send it on to the Washington Department of Ecology for ratification.
The Poulsbo City Council approved the document Wednesday, as reported by Kitsap Sun reporter Amy Phan.
As required by formal state policies, the shorelines plan adopts numerous new regulations to accomplish these basic goals:
- Protect the quality of water and the natural environment to achieve “no net loss” of ecological function as time goes on,
- Encourage water-dependent uses along the shoreline while discouraging uses that are not connected to the water,
- Preserve and enhance public access and recreational uses along the shoreline.
Keri Weaver, Poulsbo’s associate planner, does a good job outlining the content of the Poulsbo Shoreline Master Program in her staff report (PDF 224 kb) submitted to the City Council. The full SMP (PDF 552 kb) is more revealing and not difficult to read.
The document lists five “shoreline environments,” defined by ecological characteristics and current uses, each with its own development rules:
- Shoreline residential
- High intensity
- Urban conservancy
- Natural
- Aquatic
Check out the shoreline maps to locate each of the environments.
The always-controversial issue of buffers was settled during the previous update of Poulsbo’s Critical Areas Ordinance. The City Council saw no reason to revisit its justification for 100-foot buffers along the city’s saltwater shoreline on Liberty Bay and 150-foot buffers along Dogfish Creek, the largest stream draining into bay. In addition, 25-foot setbacks expand the no-building zone, but water-dependent uses and public access may be exempt from those setbacks.
