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Shoreline Master Program Update  

April 2010

The City was notified by the Department of Ecology on April 1, 2010 that additional items were needed in order to complete the shoreline master program submittal, which would permit Ecology to begin its formal review of the document and supporting materials. The City submitted the additional items identified in the Ecology letter on April 8, 2010 and we are waiting for confirmation that the submittal is complete. Three of the missing items in the City's submittal are from the Municipal Code: Title 18, Zoning Code; Title 19, Sign Code; and TMC 8.45, the enforcement procedures of the Municipal Code. The letter from the Department of Ecology and the City's response and missing items not related to the Municipal Code are posted below.


Adopted Shoreline Master Program Materials

Ordinances adopting City of Tukwila Shoreline Master Program and implementing regulations are listed below. The City has submitted these materials to the Department of Ecology for its review and approval. Ecology will hold a public hearing to obtain public input on the adopted SMP. If you are not on the City's SMP e-mail list and want to be notified of the public hearing date, please submit your information to clumb@ci.tukwila.wa.us.

Comments after Close of Public Hearing

(Click to expand/contract comments list in PDF format)



Previous Council Meeting Materials



Comments Received at the April 20, 2009 Public Hearing

(Click to expand/contract comments list in PDF format)

Comments Received at the July 13 & 20, 2009 Public Hearings

(Click to expand/contract comments list in PDF format)



On February 5, 2009, the Planning Commission completed its review of the Shoreline Master Program and forwarded a recommended draft to the City Council for its review. The document is posted below in two formats – a strikeout/underline format and a clean copy of the document reflecting the changes made by the Planning Commission.

List of Maps:

Appendices

   

Planning Commission Action:

The Planning Commission met over the course of six months to review the draft Shoreline Master Program, take testimony, both written and verbal, from interested parties, and deliberate on provisions of the draft Shoreline Master Program before taking final action on February 5, 2009.

Below you will find materials from the last several Planning Commission work sessions as they completed their review of the draft Shoreline Master Program:


Comments from the January 15, 2009 Meeting: The Planning Commission heard from nine parties of record on the actions taken by the Planning Commission at its meetings on December 10 and 11, 2008. The written comments received are available below.


December 10 and December 11, 2008: Work session to review and take action on the comment matrix and attachments prepared by staff. The Planning Commission made revisions to the draft Shoreline Master Program as identified in Attachments A-N

   

Background

Tukwila is updating its Shoreline Master Program in 2008, the land use plan that governs the area within 200 feet of the river's edge on either side of the Green/Duwamish River. Cities and counties in Washington State with lakes and rivers that have been identified as a Shoreline of the State are required to prepare and adopt these plans. The City's original Master Program was adopted in 1974 and has only received minor modifications since then.

Over the past 34 years, a great deal of residential, commercial and industrial development has taken place in Tukwila along the river. In the larger Green River watershed, human impacts on the river system, through logging, farming, residential, commercial and industrial development, has led to flooding and drainage problems, and has hurt the habitat for fish and wildlife, especially salmon. Levees have been constructed to prevent flooding, but these in turn have affected the habitat of the river and restricted the ability of the river to carry storm water to Puget Sound during large storm events. As the impacts of human development have been recognized, State and Federal regulations have emerged to require local jurisdictions to better protect what habitat remains, to better accommodate the collected storm water, which ends up in the river and to identify areas where habitat restoration can occur and to follow through with restoring these sites.

Shoreline stabilization and restoring important habitat are just two of the many issues that the City's new Draft Shoreline Master Program Update addresses. Other important aspects of the update recommend increasing buffers along the river, increasing public access opportunities, preserving native vegetation, and removal of invasive plants.

This draft document has been posted on the web site and we welcome your review and comments. Several background documents have also been prepared that assisted in the preparation of the draft Master Program: The Shoreline Inventory and Characterization Report and the Restoration Plan that identifies potential habitat restoration sites along the Green/Duwamish River has also been prepared.


Shoreline Image Slideshow

View images of the Duwamish/Green River shoreline.

   

Contact:

If you have questions about the shoreline program update or would like to be placed on the mailing list to be notified of meetings on the plan, please contact Carol Lumb, Department of Community Development, 6300 Southcenter Blvd., Suite 100, Tukwila, WA 98188, 206-431-3661 or e-mail her at clumb@ci.tukwila.wa.us.

   

Documents Available for Review and Comment:

 


Public Comments

Comments Received at the August 28, 2008 Hearing

(Click to expand/contract comments list in PDF format)


Comments Received at the Hearings on October 9 & 16, 2008

(Click to expand/contract comments list in PDF format)




Environmental Review

Notice of Decision, Determination of Non-significance and State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) Checklist for Shoreline Master Program Update. Cumulative Impacts Analysis, which was attached to the Checklist may also be downloaded below:




Department of Ecology Guidelines for Shoreline Master Program Updates

State Shoreline Master Program (SMP) Guidelines are standards which local government must follow in drafting their master program. The Guidelines translate the broad policies of RCW 90.58.020 into standards for regulation of shoreline uses. For the full text of these guidelines and additional background information see the following link:

http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/sea/sma/guidelines/index.html



   

•  Draft Tukwila Shoreline Master Program (7/24/08)

This Shoreline Master Program presents background information on the Shoreline Management Act, describes shoreline jurisdiction in Tukwila, summarizes the amendment process carried out to date, presents a summary of the Shoreline Inventory and Characterization, presents a summary of the Shoreline Restoration Plan, proposes shoreline environments, and establishes goals, policies and regulations, which apply to all activities on all affected lands and waters within the shoreline jurisdiction. In addition, there is a chapter that establishes design guidelines. Maps are provided to illustrate shoreline jurisdiction and environments.

List of Maps:

 

Appendices

Appendix A:  Shoreline Inventory and Characterization Report - Final

Prepared by ESA Adolfson, Associates in December 2006: the information in this report is required as part of the update of the City's shoreline master program and will help shape draft policies and regulations that will be part of the overall shoreline program. The report describes the natural and built conditions at the larger Green River watershed level as well as at the local Green/Duwamish River level. The report also discusses how well the shoreline is working as an area for fish and wildlife to live and makes recommendations that could be carried forward to provide policy guidance for the Master Program. The report includes the two Appendices noted below.

Appendix A: Map Folio:

Appendix B:  Shoreline Restoration Plan (Final) - May 2007

Appendix C:  Draft Cumulative Impacts Analysis

Appendix D:  Tukwila SMP Net Loss Analysis

   

Inventory of Shoreline Habitat and Riparian Conditions

Prepared by Pentec Environmental in 2003. This inventory was prepared for an earlier effort to update the City's shoreline master program. Some of the information in this inventory was used in the current inventory.

 

Contact Information:

Department of Community Development
6300 Southcenter Blvd., #100
Tukwila, WA 98188

Phone: 206 431-3670
Fax: 206 431-3665

Email Planning Division

Email Building Division