Shoreline Master Program
The Columbia River, Rock Cove, and Rock Creek are valuable assets for Stevenson’s property owners, residents and visitors. To ensure that these assets and others like them throughout the state are managed to accommodate all reasonable and appropriate uses, the State of Washington requires local jurisdictions to adopt a Shoreline Master Program or SMP for short.
Best described as a full suite of analyses, visionary endeavors, and regulations guiding use and development along waterways and waterbodies, Stevenson’s Shoreline Master Program must be completed according to the State’s expectations as established in the Shoreline Management Act (RCW 90.58) and the Shoreline Master Program Guidelines (WAC 173-26).
The City Planning Commission and the Shoreline Advisory Committee have drafted a Shoreline Management Program according to these guidelines and the City Council adopted key components of the program on December 20th, 2018. The Washington Department of Ecology reviewed the City's proposal for compatibility with the state’s goals and issued a conditional approval on January 21st, 2022. After evaluating the conditions, the City agreed to all of Ecology's required changes and included nearly all of the recommended changes in Ordinance 2022-1181, which adopted the SMP on March 17th, 2022. Ecology issued final approval of the City's SMP on April 4th, 2022 and the new program took effect on April 18th, 2022.
Upon Ecology approval, the Stevenson City Council adopted Ordinance 2022-1182 to ensure consistency between the Stevenson Comprehensive Plan, the Zoning Code and the updated SMP. These amendments are effective as of May 30th, 2022.
Project Phases
- General Phase of SMP Update
- Phase 1 - Preliminary Shoreline Jurisdiction & Public Participation Plan
- Phase 2 - Shoreline Inventory, Analysis & Characterization
- Phase 3 - Draft SMP & Cumulative Impacts Analysis
- Phase 4 - Restoration Planning & No Net Loss
- Phase 5 - Local Adoption Process
- Phase 6 - State Review & Approval
Contract: N/A
Progress: 99% Complete
Budget: $2k / $2k Spent
Funding: $2k DOE Grant
Planned Completion Date: May 1, 2022
