On May 22, DPD is hosting its final public workshop on the Shoreline Alternative Mitigation Plan before developing legislation for City Council. This plan changes the way the City identifies impacts resulting from shoreline development and provides a new way for project applicants to satisfy associated mitigation requirements.

At the workshop, you will have the opportunity to learn about and comment on the plan, which applies to shorelines in the Lake Washington/Lake Union ship canal and does not lessen or increase the level of project review required for shoreline projects. These shorelines are heavily urbanized and play an important ecological, social and economic role in the region. The plan will create a more predictable and flexible approach to providing shoreline mitigation, increasing the quality of shoreline mitigation projects, and enhancing transparency in the way the City reviews shoreline projects.

The plan consists of the following components:

• Goals and Policies guiding development of the plan
• procedures for providing shoreline mitigation on shorelines of the Lake Washington/Lake Union ship canal system
• an offsite mitigation program for water-dependent/related land uses
• a description of potential shoreline restoration activities and project selection criteria
• profiles of candidate shoreline restoration projects

This plan is part of a citywide effort to support maritime and other water-dependent industries, as well as a citywide effort to improve and protect aquatic habitat critical to migrating salmon and other aquatic species. By leveraging the mitigation actions of several shoreline projects, the City can develop larger, more effective shoreline restoration projects.