The question is at the center of an update of the state’s Shoreline Master Program, a partnership between the state and local jurisdictions that regulates what can develop on shorelines. Notably, it controls how tall development can be within 200 feet of the shoreline – a question fresh on the minds of local residents after a two-year battle over building heights on the downtown isthmus.
“Generally speaking, the state doesn’t involve itself in local zoning decisions, but within 200 feet of the shoreline, they do,” said Keith Stahley, director of Community Planning and Development.
Though the Shoreline Master Program isn’t limited to the downtown waterfront, the water is the centerpiece of the city’s downtown and the extent of its saltwater shoreline is unlike any other city in Thurston County.
Starting Wednesday, the City of Olympia will hold two public workshops that focus on what development should be allowed in the 200-foot shoreline boundary, Stahley said.
It has already held two meetings about the freshwater shoreline. It’s part of a series of public comment opportunities before the Olympia City Council is scheduled to approve the plan in September or October. The city plans to submit its plan to the state in November, in order to meet a state deadline.
The state oversight was established with the Shoreline Management Act of 1971, in an attempt to regulate development on bodies of water. Though the state sets general guidelines, each city or county is required to craft a version of the plan that meets local needs.
Olympia’s existing shoreline plan was adopted in 1990, said Cari Hornbein, senior planner for the city.
The state’s shoreline plan governs lakes that have more than 20 acres, streams with water that moves more than 20 cubic feet per second, and marine waters, Hornbein said.
One element that is common to all cities is that the state mandates a 35-foot height limit for buildings within the 200-foot boundary unless the state grants special approval. The regulations also cover what uses are allowed in the shoreline boundary.
“Building heights could be one that we could be examining,” Hornbein said.
Developments that impinge on the boundary must be sent to the state for approval. For example, if a developer proposes building a structure more than 35 feet tall in the shoreline boundary, it can be allowed if it can be proved that certain conditions are met.
The effort to shape the Shoreline Master Program is not to be confused with another extensive planning effort – the two-year process for the Olympia Comprehensive Plan. The latter is a document that guides development for the whole community, including planning and zoning, at a local level. The shoreline plan focuses mainly on what can be developed within 200 feet from state shorelines.
Bob Jacobs, a member of Friends of the Waterfront who has longstanding ideas about limiting development on shorelines, said he has some proposals. He would like buildings in the 200-foot shoreline boundary limited to one story tall.
“I’d like to see the uses be more water-oriented along the water,” he said. “I’d like to see a lot of public access.”
