The SMP is intended to provide for environmental protection, appropriate shoreline use and development, and public access. As required by state law, the City will need to adopt a SMP that meets state guidelines before December of 2012.

At the same time that the Shoreline Master Program is being updated, the Port Angeles Harbor Resource Management Plan will also be updated. The Harbor Resource Management Plan (HRMP) is a guidance document, based on a vision developed by citizens and stakeholders of Port Angeles. The HRMP is intended to provide a coordinated plan for the future utilization of the Port Angeles Harbor that allocates the water and shoreline areas of the Harbor to those public and private sector uses which best benefit the Port Angeles community for the long term. The Plan will propose specific actions, identify goals for Harbor uses, and guides development along the shoreline and in the Harbor.

The Shoreline Master Program and Harbor Resource Management Plan will be updated concurrently with each other, sharing planning resources, public meetings, and scientific and economic information gathering efforts.

A Harbor planning group has been established to guide the planning process. The group is comprised of representatives of the primary agencies with interest in the Port Angeles Harbor and shoreline uses. Those agencies include the Washington State Department of Natural Resources, Port of Port Angeles, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, Clallam County and the City of Port Angeles. Representatives from Washington State Department of Ecology and the Puget Sound Partnership sit on the committee as ex-officio members.

The City intends to solicit early and continuous feedback from stakeholder groups and community members to provide feedback into decision-making process.

Shoreline Master Program
The master program is essentially a shoreline comprehensive plan with a distinct environmental orientation applicable to shoreline areas and customized to local circumstances. Collectively, the local master programs comprise the State Shoreline Master Program.

Shoreline Master Program
Public Participation Plan
Harbor Resource Management Plan - 1989

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PROJECT OVERVIEW
The City of Port Angeles SMP was initially adopted in 1995. Areas that will be addressed by the SMP Update will include all lands within 200 feet of the marine shoreline ranging from the eastern end of the City's Urban Growth Area (top of the western Morse Creek ravine) to the western city limits (Dry Creek), the areas of tidal influence at the confluence of the Urban Independent Streams (Dry Creek, Tumwater Creek, Valley Creek, Peabody Creek, Ennis Creek and Lees Creek), and any wetlands associated with the marine shoreline.

The shoreline jurisdiction extends 200 feet landward of these waters and includes the Port Angeles Harbor and Strait of Juan de Fuca to the international border. The SMP is intended to protect the shoreline environment while providing for appropriate water-oriented uses and public access. Preparation of the City's SMP update will include several steps, each step requiring input from the public and to providing the public with information regarding the process.

The major steps will include preparing a shoreline inventory; analyzing and designating shoreline environments; drafting shoreline policies and regulations; developing a restoration plan for selected areas; assessing cumulative impacts from anticipated uses; and completing the required environmental review process., all of the draft documents will be refined into a Final Port Angeles Shoreline Master Program.

The SMP update is partially funded through a grant from the Washington State Department of Ecology. The City intends to use a portion of that grant funding to hire professional consultants with experience with Shoreline Master Program updates.

One of the initial tasks is to collect existing shoreline data from a variety of sources. This phase is an important aspect of public participation as this involves connecting with people and organizations for relevant shoreline information. This information will then be analyzed in a way that characterizes the shorelines' ecological conditions. This will provide the scientific and technical foundation from which the remainder of the SMP update process will evolve.

Once the draft SMP is complete, SEPA environmental review will begin. The Department of Ecology will make comments on the draft SMP and the city will revise the draft for final approval.

For more information about the Department of Ecology Shoreline Master Programs, please click the logo below or visit: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/sea/shorelines/smp/index.html

At several times, stakeholders and citizens will be invited to attend public meetings, or workshops, to provide input. Interested parties can submit thoughts, ideas, concerns, or information to city staff via email at shoreline@cityofpa.us or by mail at PO Box 1150, Port Angeles, WA 98362. All comments will be included in the public record that will be kept throughout the entire process.

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UPCOMING EVENTS - CITY'S SHORELINE & HARBOR VISIONING PROCESS BEGINS
Posted on June 3, 2010 - The City of Port Angeles is updating the City's Shoreline Master Program (SMP), in compliance with the Washington State Shoreline Management Act (SMA) and adopted state shoreline management guidelines. A Shoreline Master Program is a document required for all Washington jurisdictions and contains both policies and regulations that apply to "shorelines of the state".

The SMP is intended to provide for environmental protection, appropriate shoreline use and development, and public access. As required by state law, the City will need to adopt a SMP that meets state guidelines before December of 2012.

TIMELINE
The graphic below illustrates a suggested timeline for completing this process beginning in June of 2010. This schedule is subject to change and is only intended as a guideline. Click to view in PDF format.

PROPOSED TIMELINE

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At the same time that the Shoreline Master Program is being updated, the Port Angeles Harbor Resource Management Plan will also be updated. The Harbor Resource Management Plan (HRMP) is a guidance document, based on a vision developed by citizens and stakeholders of Port Angeles . The HRMP is intended to provide a coordinated plan for the future utilization of the Port Angeles Harbor that allocates the water and shoreline areas of the Harbor to those public and private sector uses which best benefit the Port Angeles community for the long term. The Plan will propose specific actions, identify goals for Harbor uses, and guide development along the shoreline and in the Harbor.

The Shoreline Master Program and Harbor Resource Management Plan will be updated concurrently with each other and will share planning resources, public meetings, and scientific and economic information gathering efforts.

FIRST PUBLIC MEETING HELD JUNE 9, 2010
The City will hold public meetings throughout the update process. The first public meeting was on June 9, 2010, and was the first in a series of Harbor-wide visioning meetings. Reports were provided on the history, needs and requirements for updates and backgrounds, including guidance from a consultant on how this process will all be brought together. The meeting incorporated opportunities for public participation.

Presentations
The following three presentations were given at this first public meeting. Please click on the image to view the presentation in PDF format.

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ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Port Angeles is responsible for the update of the SMP in compliance with Washington State guidelines (WAC 173-26 ) as well as terms of the contract with DOE for receipt of grant funds. This includes conducting and documenting public involvement throughout the SMP update process, (WAC 173-26-201 (3)(b)(i); WAC 173-26-090 and 100; WAC 173-26-251 (3)(a)), including communication with state agencies and affected Indian tribes (WAC 173-26-201 (3)(b)(ii) and (iii); WAC 173-26-100(3); WAC 173-26-251(3)(a)).

CONTACT INFORMATION

The primary contact for the project is:

Scott Johns, Associate Planner
City of Port Angeles
Department of Community and Economic Development
321 E. 5th Street
Port Angeles, WA 98362
Email: shoreline@cityofpa.us
Phone: (360) 417-4752

 

The Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) must approve the City's updated SMP as required by the State SMA, and as such will provide guidance throughout the process.

For more information about the Department of Ecology Shoreline Master Programs, please click the logo below or visit: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/sea/shorelines/smp/index.html

The primary contact for Ecology is:
Jeffree Stewart, Environmental Planner
Washington Department of Ecology
SW Regional Office
P.O. Box 47775
Olympia, WA 98504-7775
(360) 407-6521