City of Issaquah Shoreline Master Program: locally initiated amendment
We held a public comment period on the City of Issaquah's proposed locally initiated amendment to its Shoreline Master Program (SMP). The period for public comment was from Sept. 18 - Oct. 9, 2023.
We used email to notify those who had expressed prior interest. We received one written comment that focused on critical areas, buffers, setbacks, and no net loss.
Response to public comment
We prepared a summary of public comments and sent this to the City on Oct. 12, 2023. The City will write a response to the public comments. The response to comments will be posted here when available. Please check back.
Next steps: our decision
We will decide if the City of Issaquah's proposed amendment meets the requirements of the Shoreline Management Act and the Shoreline Master Program Guidelines. We will decide whether to:
- Approve the program as is.
- Approve with recommended changes.
- Send the proposed program back to the City with required changes to meet statutory and rule requirements. Recommended changes may also be included with the required changes.
Relevant documents will be posted on this website when they become available, please check back.
The City of Issaquah adopted the locally initiated amendment to its SMP on May 1, 2023. The amendment updates Title 18 of the Issaquah Municipal Code and its Critical Areas Ordinance, with specific changes including:
- Removal of the common line setback exception.
- Removal of references to buffer reductions.
- Removal of the buffer reductions with bulkhead removal incentive.
- Addition of bulkhead removal as part of the new/redevelopment.
- Removal of illustration for buffer example with bulkhead removal.
- Creation of lighting dock standards for new docks.
- Addition of threshold for docks to come into compliance with new dock standards.
- Inclusion of the Critical Area Ordinance as an appendix to the SMP.
Documents related to approval
Note: All documents are PDF
- Locally adopted SMP
- Background Documents