New shoreline protections okayed

The Council gave its final okay Monday night. There was only the briefest of discussion as the Council had tweaked the shoreline plan before sending it to the state Department of Ecology for their approval. That okay arrived at city hall earlier this month.

Council member Cynthia Richardson called the new shoreline program "one of the first and one of the best in the state" so far. Fellow Council member Brad Adams said it lays out clear rules for shoreline uses.

Before the vote, City Planning Director Ryan Larsen briefly went through changes required by Ecology, as well as some recommended changes. One of the required changes involved mitigating trail construction along the shoreline. Another change required an inventory of critical saltwater habitat.

The 2010 Shoreline Master Program sets buffers to protect the shoreline of up to 100 feet.