Seven jurisdictions in Thurston County are in the process of updating their local Shoreline Master Program (SMP), this includes the Cities of Lacey, Olympia, and Tumwater. They are all seeking to move from a single regional SMP to one which could be more closely integrated into the comprehensive plan and development regulations. The new SMP will contain policies, goals, and specific land use regulations. The SMP updates will need to ensure a balance in the uses of shorelines between reasonable development and economic activity, and preserving the public’s access and enjoyment of shorelines and water-related activities. They must also include policies that lead to no net loss of ecological function for shorelines and also restore degraded aquatic and marine habitat.

In 2007 the Cities of Lacey, Olympia, and Tumwater began to update their SMPs. They received grant funding for two years from the State Department of Ecology to undertake this work. It was a joint planning effort between the cities and Thurston County which was coordinated by Thurston Regional Planning Council (TRPC).

A Draft Shoreline Master Program and other technical reports were prepared using Ecology’s guidelines. Working reports were shared with the planning commission of each city. Additional review was provided by a scientific and technical advisory group made up of staff from state resource agencies, a local tribe, and local experts.

Affected property owners were notified of planning commission meetings in all three cities early in the process and again when a draft SMP was available. A flyer from the second community meeting is listed below. It provides an overview of the entire proposed SMP update.

The shoreline update package was complete in June 2009. The documents are listed below. Each city will review, revise, or reformat this material to better fit its local needs and development codes. Each SMP update will require review by the planning commission and adoption by the city council. Once complete, these materials will be forwarded to the State Department of Ecology for their review and adoption.

Guide to Understanding the Updates to the Shoreline Master Program