Council set to review latest shoreline plan

MATT BATCHELDOR

The Olympia City Council will deliberate Tuesday night on final changes to the draft Shoreline Management Program after several years of community conversation.

Mithun, a Seattle architectural firm, will provide a computerized visualization of the Budd Inlet shoreline at a cost of $16,250, which the council agreed to earlier this month. The council may gather additional public comment based on the visualization.

Council members are expected to make comments and suggest changes to the document before making a final review on March 26, approval on April 16 and then transmitting the document to the state, which requires it. Department of Ecology officials have the final say.

The update to the plan dates to 2007, when the state awarded a grant to the city to participate in a regionwide update process. Lacey and Tumwater already have participated in the process.

The shoreline plan regulates development within 200 feet of the shorelines of major bodies of water in Olympia. It has been the subject of much debate, mostly over Budd Inlet. Some want less-restrictive provisions to encourage development; others want more restrictions for conservation.

Here are some examples of the new plan’s requirements, based on a recent draft:

 • New covered moorage would be prohibited.

 • The northern portion of the West Bay shoreline would be an urban intensity zone, requiring buildings to be set back 30 feet. A small section near the northern city limits would be an urban conservancy zone, with a setback of 100 feet.

 • The southern portion of West Bay, which is largely developed, would be in a waterfront-recreation zone, with a minimum setback of 150 feet.

 • The Budd Inlet shoreline of the isthmus, the Percival Landing area and the southern area of East Bay would be in an urban intensity zone, allowing development 30 feet from the shoreline.

Matt Batcheldor: 360-704-686 mbatcheldor@theolympian.com @MattBatcheldor