State Supreme Court affirms Ecology approval authority for shoreline master programs

As assumed, the SMP process is legal. The lawyer that convinced these guys to do take this case forward must have been laughing to the bank. A cursory read of the laws that the SMP is based on clearly shows what the court *unanimously* affirmed. Their argument about tax law shows how little they understood [...]

News on PA Draft Shoreline Master Plan – PDN

—- 3/18 Peninsula Daily News Draft Port Angeles Shoreline Master Program plan includes new edicts By Paige Dickerson Peninsula Daily News PORT ANGELES — Planning for restoration and creating more detailed descriptions for what is allowable on the Port Angeles shoreline have dominated the proposed changes to the city’s Shoreline Master Program. The draft of [...]

State Ecology OKs most of Jefferson County shoreline plan – PDN

2/2 Peninsula Daily News State Ecology OKs most of Jefferson County shoreline plan By Charlie Bermant Peninsula Daily News PORT TOWNSEND — The state Department of Ecology has issued conditional approval of Jefferson County’s updated shoreline master program — taking issue with the plan’s flexible buffer zones, its ban on net-pen aquaculture and its direction [...]

Lots of heat on the SMP buffers in the Leader this week!

Boy, you’d think the Leader is trying to compete with this web site given the articles on the SMP, Black Point, Hastings Street Project, and others this week. Out of all the issues raised, the editorial by Fred Obee questioning the 150′ buffers raised in the SMP is an example of an idea that should [...]

SMP in The Leader

Here’s the Leader’s more journalistic take on the meeting the other night. 9/9/09 Port Townsend Leader Shoreline Master Program draws waves of comments; buffers continue to be major issue By Allison Arthur of The Leader More than 100 people packed into the Jefferson County Superior Courtroom to tell commissioners what they think of revisions to [...]

SMP again…now onto the BOCC

A relatively large crowd (100?)  packed the Jefferson County Courthouse to testify to the BOCC (Board of County Commissioners) on the Jefferson County Shoreline Master Program.  A quick tally seemed to show that tonight, as opposed to the last meeting for the Planning Commission, (PC), that the opponents were in greater numbers than the proponents. [...]

Come out to support the SMP…Again!

Yes, another month, another shoreline master program meeting. Now the document has been handed to the BOCC (Board of County Commissioners), who want public comment on it until September 8th. They then hold a public hearing on the 8th. We are asking that you provide a letter/email/or come in person and give your input. There [...]

Jefferson County SMP update – new info

The Jefferson County Department of Community Development has weighed in with their recommendations to the County Commissioners on the draft SMP update from the Planning Commission’s modified SMP. As you may recall, after the DCD and assorted scientific and citizen’s advisory committees met over the last three years and drafted a decent start to the [...]

Final Draft Jefferson County SMP available

The Planning Commission has finished their work on their Draft SMP, and now the document is heading into the next round, which is to be edited by the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC), and seek the next round of comments from the public by Sept 8th. This deeply flawed document, compromised at many environmental levels [...]

Jefferson County found to be in compliance with growth mgmt – PDN

7/24 Peninsula Daily News Jefferson County in compliance with growth management, board rules By Jeff Chew Peninsula Daily News PORT TOWNSEND — Jefferson County is in compliance with the Growth Management Act and Olympic Stewardship Foundation has failed to prove its challenge of the county’s critical areas ordinance, Western Washington Growth Management Hearings Board concluded. [...]

Jefferson County Draft SMP released

The latest version of the Jefferson County Draft Shoreline Management Plan was released Tuesday. It appears, at first glance, that many of the protections put in by the working science and citizens advisory groups were gutted. Included in the gutting were buffers beyond 50 feet in Shoreline Residential areas, and geoduck expansion concerns. Public comment [...]