DPD will hold a public workshop on June 29, 2005, to discuss a plan that would allow more flexibility in shoreline development requirements, while also strengthening habitat protection and enhancing public access.

Called the Shoreline Alternative Mitigation Plan (SAMP), this project would change the way that the city implements its Shoreline Master Program (SMP) for shorelines between the Hiram Chittenden Locks and the Montlake Cut, including Salmon Bay east of the locks, the Ship Canal, Lake Union and Portage Bay.

While the City is not considering changes in the overall policy direction of the SMP, development of the alternative mitigation plan will result in changes to the way that some types of shoreline development projects can satisfy requirements to provide public access or to protect the shoreline environment.

The goals of SAMP are to:

• Promote the vitality of water dependent industrial uses by providing onsite expansion opportunities and a predictable and timely permitting process;
• Protect and restore shoreline aquatic habitat by identifying key restoration projects and leveraging public and private resources to implement these projects; and
• Provide and enhance public access opportunities.

Currently, the City’s SMP requires that developers satisfy shoreline mitigation and public access requirements onsite.  By allowing developers to satisfy these requirements offsite, shoreline restoration projects can be located where they will have the most impact, and shoreline permit applicants will gain greater flexibility in site layout and benefit from a more predictable permit process. 

Drawing on a thorough public participation process and detailed analysis of existing shoreline conditions, a set of shoreline restoration and public access projects is being identified.  Shoreline project applicants will then have the option of satisfying shoreline protection and public access requirements on-site, or by financially supporting projects that are identified in the alternative mitigation plan.