Contributed photo/ Gene Helfman “Varied thrush”
INSIDE
Hospice volunteer training . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 3
Sports preview
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New frog sculpture installed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 6
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The
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VOLUME 35, NUMBER 47 • DECEMBER 15, 2015
Update on Shoreline Master Program By Anna V. Smith Journal reporter
San Juan County Council has begun the public hearing process on updating the county’s Shoreline Master Program, which applies to the more than 400 miles of shoreline in the county and concerns landowners, public access points, private businesses and research property. The first SMP was adopted by San Juan County and approved by the Department of Ecology in 1976. According to Linda Kuller, planning manager and deputy director at the Department of Community
Development, the last major update was in 1998, with several amendments made in 2002. Though the county was initially on a deadline of June 2013, Kuller said that a number of factors delayed the deadline including a Critical Area Ordinance review and approval process required prior to the SMP, limited state funding and county staffing, and a lengthy public involvement process. As of Dec. 3, the department has received approximately 115 comments and more than 50 people providing verbal testimony. The first day of the public hearing on the proposed
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SMP on Nov. 30 brought an overflow of commentators to the council chambers from all ferry-serviced islands. The majority of public commentary focused on the proposed changed designation of Snug Harbor Resort on San Juan, currently a non-conforming structure, to a port, marina, marine transportation shoreline designation. While some residents supported the designation change in order for expansion at the resort, others including the Mitchell Bay Homeowners Association opposed the port, marina, marine transportation designation for fear of over-development, intrusion on wildlife and other issues. According to Erik Nelson, coowner of SJ’s Snug Harbor Resort, the original plan to add 11 slips to the marina was denied, and at this point they will not be adding marina slips, whether or not they are designated as port, marine and marine transport. Nelson said the resort is designated as noncomforming use because it should not have been allowed in the current zoning, which is conservancy, but was grandfathered in since it was built
in the 1960s. Due to requirements from Department of Natural Resources, the Snug Harbor docks need to be moved further from shore to avoid “grounding out,” meaning that the dock rests on the sea bed at low tide. Nelson said they will also take out creosote pilings and styrofoam blocks, and replace the old docks. After the redesign of the marina and moving further from shore, the docks will project into the bay approximately 96 feet. “We are just trying to be good neighbors, hopefully satisfy everyone but still end up with a viable project,” Nelson said. “There’s a definite safety hazard with the age of the docks, in terms of stability and overall condition.” The upland portion of Snug Harbor is designated as rural residential, and at the shoreline it has a split designation of conservancy and aquatic. The conservancy designation means that no new marinas or expansion of existing marinas is allowed in the water, Kuller said. The SMP proposes a change in designation to port, marina, marine transportation, making the marina a conform-
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ing use and allow the docks to be expanded into the water. A number of people who spoke at the Nov. 30 public hearing said not enough time was given from when the draft proposal was made available and the end of the public comment period, which included two power outages and two federal holidays. According to councilman Rick Hughes, the council extended public comment one week, to Dec. 8 for comments to go on public record. Hughes said that public comment will be received until deliberations, the Dec. 8 deadline is only for comments to go on public record. “We’ve been working on this document for so long and a good chunk hasn’t changed for a long time, so I do feel that the info has been available to the public for a period of time in one form or another,” Hughes said. “Plus we added on one week and will be accepting comments until deliberations mid-January.” Speakers were also disappointed that certain aspects of the SMP were allowing looser definition of nonconforming use requirements and repealing the forage fish protection clause amongst other issues. Kyle Loring of Friends of the San Juans told the council that the proposed update of the SMP is generally less restrictive, and asked the council that if they did not take the Friends’ submitted comments into account, that it keep the existing SMP because the original “is more protective than the one you are proposing.” Lovel Pratt discussed the future of commercial aquaculture operations, including fish net pens and geoduck operations, saying the proposed SMP does not address them,
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and now is the time to be proactive, since residential and aquaculture operations are priority shoreline uses. Pratt recommended that the county draw from Island County’s plan. Billie J. Swalla, director of Friday Harbor Laboratories, voiced her concerns about the proposed change in designation of the labs research areas, False Bay and Argyle Lagoon. “It is not hyperbole to state that the labs’ existence in San Juan County relies on the quality of the marine resources and the field sites accessible researchers and students; thus this designation affects us directly and significantly,” reads a letter written by Swalla and research professor at the labs Megan Dethier to the council. “The most recent versions of the shoreline designations directly adjacent to our marine life preserves will significantly downgrade the protection of those marine resources.” Around False Bay, the last SMP designated dual designations of rural residential/ natural and rural farm forest/ natural. The proposed SMP eliminates the dual designation, to be rural residential and rural farm forest. Around Argyle Lagoon, near Jackson Beach, the proposal looks to change the designation from natural to port, marina and marine transport, as well as from natural to rural residential to accommodate barges coming into Jackson Beach and the houses on the north shore. “Because the University owns and controls all of the tidelands and the critical area regulations protect the functions and values, no significant impacts to the environment are anticipated with the proposed change to aquatic,” Kuller said. He added that the Department of Community Development proposed early in the process to try and eliminate dual designation. According to Kuller, the council may review the comments at the Dec. 15 meeting, but will likely not complete the bulk of the review until late January. Once approved by the county, the Department of Ecology reviews the plan and may choose to hold a public hearing and allow a 30 day comment period. Kuller says it may take up to six months for Department of Ecology to review and choose to approve or deny the SMP.