7/21/2023 - CLICK HERE FOR THE STATE PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD ANNOUNCEMENT

The city of Westport is conducting a PERIODIC REVIEW of its Shoreline Master Program (SMP).

The SMP is the local instrument by which the city of Westport and the Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) jointly administer the requirements of the 1971 Shoreline Management Act (SMA), Chapter 90.58 of the Revised Code of Washington (RCW). The overarching goal of the SMA is "…to prevent the inherent harm in an uncoordinated and piecemeal development of the state’s shorelines.”

The city of Westport is required by state law to review its SMP and the city received a grant from Ecology to support that work.

The SMP update will include numerous opportunities for public involvement.

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NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that Westport is proposing to update the City’s adopted Shoreline Master Program. The City and the Washington Dept. of Ecology (Ecology) are accepting comments on a periodic review in accordance with RCW 90.58.080(4) and pursuant to the joint review process set forth in 173- 26-104 WAC. The City has prepared draft Shoreline Master Program (SMP) amendments to be consistent with state law, local plans, regulations, and other changed local circumstances. Proposed amendments to the SMP are limited to changes to the Shoreline Management Act and related rules, and some limited modifications to reflect changes to local circumstances. Public comments will be accepted from March 20, 2023 to April 19, 2023. Send comments by email to City consultant contact Helen Stanton (contact information provided below) or by mail to Kevin Goodrich, City of Westport, P. O. Box 505, Westport WA 98595. Comments sent to the City (or city consultant) will be forwarded to the Dept. of Ecology.

The proposal and related document are available for review on the project website: https://www.ezview.wa.gov/site/alias__1843/35621/overview.aspx (or type https://tinyurl.com/WestportSMP)

NOTICE IS FURTHER GIVEN that Environmental Review (SEPA) is being conducted on the proposal and a Determination of Non-significance (DNS) was issued on March 20, 2023. The comment period on the DNS concludes on April 3, 2023 at 5:00 p.m. Send emailed comments to city consultant contact Helen Stanton (contact information provided below).

NOTICE IS FURTHER GIVEN that the Westport Planning Commission and the Washington Dept. of Ecology (Ecology) will hold a joint public hearing on the proposal. The hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, April 18, 2023 at 5:30, at the Westport City Council Chambers located at 506 N Montesano St., Westport, WA. Online attendance instructions will be provided on the meeting agenda and on the project website. {SEE HERE}  If you have any questions about the proposed amendments, the SEPA determination, or public hearing, please contact the City Administrator. The meeting packet including the staff report will be available one week preceding the meeting.

• The City staff contact is Kevin Goodrich, City Administrator at (360) 268-0131 or ca@ci.westport.wa.us

• The consultant (technical) contact is Helen Stanton at (206) 658-2676 or hstanton@ahbl.com

• The Ecology staff contact is Tess Brandon, AICP, Senior Shoreline Planner, at (564) 200-3016 or tess.brandon@ecy.wa.gov 

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What is the scope of the SMP periodic review?

The scope of the periodic review will be generally limited to those items which are required to be updated according to new laws or rules, as identified on Ecology’s checklist.  The city of Westport must complete the periodic review of its SMP by June 30, 2023.

City of Westport SMP Update Website

The tabs on this website contain the following information:

Updates – When new materials are posted for review, meetings, hearings, or events are scheduled, website update notices will be posted here.

Overview – General information regarding the SMP update.

Contacts – City and consultant staff to contact if you have any questions or need additional information.

Events – As meetings, hearings, and events are scheduled; information regarding their time and location will be posted here.

Library – All documents including plans and maps related to the SMP update is posted here. The information is broken up into different categories. The library includes background information from Ecology, the City’s current SMP, materials supporting the SMP update, such as the Public Participation Plan and other reports, and materials being updated, such as the map folio and the SMP. 

[Note: The "TASK" names are left from the city's previous work to conduct a Comprehensive Update to the SMP several years back, but we have retained this organization scheme to show documents which are -  and are not - being changed.  The most important materials / documents for this periodic update are listed under TASK 6.]

Links – Links to websites related to the SMP update are posted here, including Ecology’s SMP website and the websites of the city of Westport.

What is a Shoreline Master Program (SMP)?

The SMP is a comprehensive shoreline land-use plan that:

• Protects shoreline processes;
• Promotes public access;
• Accommodates all appropriate shoreline uses; and
• Balances public and private interests.

What is the geographic area covered by the City's SMP?

The minimum SMP jurisdiction in the city of Westport applies to the following shorelines of the state [RCW 90.58.030]:

• Marine shoreline: Grays Harbor and the Pacific Ocean
• Shorelands adjacent to these water bodies. The minimum shoreline jurisdiction for shorelands is the greater of the following:
  • Lands extending landward 200 feet horizontally from the Ordinary High Water Mark.
  • The floodway plus the contiguous floodplain 200 feet landward of the floodway.
  • Associated wetlands and river deltas.

Within the shoreline jurisdiction, regulations in the SMP govern future development, such as bulk and dimensional regulations (various levels of buffers from waterways, height limits), allowed uses, and shoreline modification regulations.