Lewis County residents living near rivers, streams and lakes in unincorporated Lewis County are asked to attend one of two county Planning Commission workshops on the updated draft Shoreline Master Program.
The workshops build on input from previous workshops and the work of the County’s Citizens Advisory Committee. The intent of the upcoming meetings is to inform residents and the Planning Commission about the Shoreline Master Program update process and present a draft of the document. Both workshops will showcase the same information.
Development along local waterways is regulated and managed by a Shoreline Master Program that was originally approved in 1974 and last updated in 1998.
Along with all other municipalities in the state that fall under the State’s Shoreline Management Act of 1971, the county is required to update its regulations to reflect the state’s current requirements.
The update is led by the Department of Ecology.
The draft updated Shoreline Master Program will apply only to future development in the shoreline jurisdiction. It will include standards that permit reduced river, stream and lake buffers for water-dependent uses and conditions that specify when public access may be required as part of future development. Standards for the integration of the county's existing critical areas regulations in the shoreline jurisdiction — including shoreline vegetation conservation and stabilization measures — are included in the draft Shoreline Master Program.
For more information on the Shoreline Master Program update, visit www.lewiscountywa.gov/communitydevelopment/shoreline-master-program.
To learn more about the state requirements as defined by the Department of Ecology visit www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/sea/shorelines/index.html.
