Shorelines Master Program Update

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Klickitat County Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on Tuesday June 20, 2023 at 6:00 p.m. The meeting will be held both in person and virtually:

Participation in person: The meeting will be held at the Klickitat County Services Building, 115 West Court St, Room 200, Goldendale, WA.

Participation in this meeting will also be offered virtually via Zoom. To join the meeting: type in https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86466360794 in your browser or use one of the call-in numbers below and Meeting ID: 864 6636 0794

669-900-6833 346-248-7799 929-205-6099

253-215-8782 301-715-8592 312-626-6799

THE PURPOSE of said hearing is to hear all interested parties who wish to testify for or against the update to the Klickitat County Shoreline Master Program (SMP). Klickitat County is proposing a Comprehensive Update to the County’s SMP, which has not been comprehensively updated since 1996. Local jurisdictions are required to update their SMPs in accordance with the Guidelines in Washington State Administrative Code (WAC 173-26), which was revised in 2003 to reflect current knowledge regarding shoreline management and available science. This action implements the Washington State Shoreline Management Act (Chapter 90.58 RCW), which governs the development of Washington's shorelines. The SMP is a combined planning and regulatory document that contains goals and policies, development regulations, and shoreline jurisdiction maps with shoreline environment designations. The SMP is intended to balance development, public access, and protection of natural resource, and shorelands and waters of the state. The comprehensive update of the SMP began in 2016 and Klickitat County is behind schedule in completing this update.

Subsequent periodic review of the SMP is required by the Washington State Department of Ecology every eight years. The purpose and scope of the 2022-2023 periodic review is to keep the SMP current with amendments to state law, changes in local plans and regulations, and new or improved data and information. Klickitat County has combined the completion of the Comprehensive Update and the Periodic Review into the current SMP document.

The updated SMP will apply to shoreline jurisdictions in unincorporated Klickitat County. Shoreline jurisdiction encompasses approximately 437 miles of river shoreline, including rivers that qualify as Shorelines of Statewide Significance: White Salmon, Klickitat and Columbia Rivers; and Trout Lake Creek. Shoreline jurisdiction includes the shoreline of Horsethief, Chamberlain and Rowland Lakes; Mill Pond; and streams with a mean annual flow at least 20 cubic feet per second. For each of these water bodies, jurisdiction includes land within 200 feet of the ordinary high water mark (OHWM), its floodway, contiguous 100-year floodplain extending a maximum of 200 feet inland of the floodway, and any associated wetlands. The County did not elect to expand shoreline jurisdiction to encompass the entire 100-year floodplain or critical area buffers.

BY ORDER of the Klickitat County Planning Commission dated this 20^th day of April 2023.

/s/ Mat Spalding, Chairman

Documents for the public hearing:

Click here to open the document: Staff Review to Planning Commission on SMP update

Click here to open the document: Klickitat County public comment, response to the comments

Click here to open the document: Response to Dan Gunkle comments on SMP update

Click here to open the document: Klickitat County Planning Commission Meeting Agenda Tuesday June 20, 2023

SMP - public review draft: Click here to open the document

SMP Appendix B – public review draft: Click here to open the document

SED map: Click here to open the document

Cumulative Impacts Analysis: Click here to open the document

No Net Loss Report: Click here to open the document

Restoration Plan: Click here to open the document

SED Summary of Proposed Changes: Click here to open the document

Klickitat County is in the process of completing a comprehensive update of its Shoreline Master Program (SMP) and ensuring through a periodic review that recent State legislative changes are also included. The SMP is a comprehensive plan that guides the development, conservation, and restoration of Klickitat County's shoreline.

The purpose and scope of the 2022-2023 Comprehensive and Periodic Review is to:

Align the SMP with applicable state laws and guidelines in effect at the time of the review;
Assure consistency of the SMP with the Klickitat County Comprehensive Plan and development regulations; and
Provide existing clarifications to improve usability and predictability for applicants and reviewers.

LEARN MORE & ENGAGE! Klickitat County has launched an Online Open House (https://www.klickitatsmpopenhouse.com) to share information about the SMP update process! Please explore this new online community resource and learn what a Shoreline Master Program is, why it is reviewed, and learn about the review process.

Other key features of the Online Open House include opportunities to:

Access project resources and documents,
Explore details of the proposed SMP when they are available for public review, and
Discover upcoming opportunities for you to join the review process.

Please visit the Online Open House regularly to view additionally posted updates that will occur before and after the public comment period in early 2023. These updates will include more information about proposed amendments and provide additional information on opportunities for you to ask project team members questions and submit comments. The County and consultant team will continue to provide engagement opportunities via virtual public information meetings. Registration for these meetings can be made via the Online Open House website.

Time Line: Click Here

CONTACT INFORMATION! We encourage you to reach out to our team throughout the process, for questions please contact: Mo-chi Lindblad, Planning Director at mo-chil@klickitatcounty.org or (509) 773-5703