County Council to hold hearings on shoreline regulations

Members of the Pierce County Council's Community Development Committee have scheduled meetings to gather public input on changes to proposed shoreline development guidelines required by the state.

These meetings will address 18 amendments that resulted from a series of community hearings last spring. Now the committee wants to gather feedback on those changes before sending a final version to the full County Council.

• Monday, Feb. 2 - 5:30 p.m.

Peninsula High School, Auditorium

14105 Purdy Drive NW, Gig Harbor.

Washington State law requires that Pierce County update its shoreline development regulations, which were adopted in the early 1970s. This affects approximately 12,000 properties near marine waters, rivers and certain streams, lakes, wetlands, and floodplains. Participants can testify, provide written materials or both.

Typical examples of development that will be reviewed for compliance with the updated shoreline regulations include: residential development and associated accessory uses, docks, piers and floats, bulkheads and retaining walls, boat launching ramps, recreational development, marinas and aquaculture uses. The Community Development Committee, chaired by District 5 Councilmember Rick Talbert, made changes to such areas as aquaculture practices, shoreline buffer provisions, and development around Lake Tapps Reservoir.

More information, including a complete list of the 18 amendments to last year’s proposal, can be found at http://www.piercecountywa.org/shoreline.

The full County Council is scheduled to vote on the changes March 10. Then it goes to the state Department of Ecology for review.

Other dates:

• Thursday, Jan. 29 - 5:30 p.m.

North Lake Tapps Middle School

20029 12th Street East, Lake Tapps, WA 98391

• Monday, Feb. 9 - 5:30 p.m.

Pacific Lutheran University, Scandinavian Cultural Center

12180 Park Avenue South, Tacoma, WA 98447

• Monday, March 2 - 1:30 p.m.
• County-City Building, Room 1045
• 930 Tacoma Avenue South, Tacoma.

Source: Pierce County