SMP Restoration Relief Request – City of Tukwila
Comment period: June 28 – July 19, 2021
We are seeking comments on a request for relief from the Tukwila Shoreline Master Program (SMP) as allowed under RCW 90.58.580. This statute authorizes local governments and Ecology to grant relief to property owners from Shoreline Master Program development standards and use regulations where a nearby restoration project causes a landward shift in the ordinary high water mark (OHWM), bringing additional land into shoreline jurisdiction.
According to House Bill 2199: “The legislature finds that restoration of degraded shoreline conditions is important to the ecological function of our waters. However, restoration projects that shift the location of the shoreline can inadvertently create hardships for property owners, particularly in urban areas. Hardship may occur when a shoreline restoration project shifts shoreline management act regulations into areas that had not previously been regulated under the act or shifts the location of required shoreline buffers. The legislature intends to provide relief to property owners in such cases, while protecting the viability of shoreline restoration projects.”
Applicant: Tukwila Public Works
Location: 11210 Tukwila International Blvd. and 11231 East Marginal Way S.
Water body: Duwamish River
Restoration Project Creating a Landward Shift of the OHWM: Chinook Wind Mitigation Site (King County Mitigation Reserves Program)
Request: The city of Tukwila Public Works Department owns two parcels located immediately adjacent to the proposed Chinook Winds restoration project and plans to redevelop the site into a combined public works shop facility. The facility will consolidate currently dispersed facilities into a single location that will meet needs through at least 2045. Tukwila Public Works estimates that approximately 92,000 square feet of their proposed facility that is not currently subject to the Tukwila Shoreline Master Program or the Shoreline Management Act will be brought into shoreline jurisdiction by the shift of the OHWM from the Chinook Wind restoration project. This area includes 26,000 square feet that would be within the shoreline buffer required by the Shoreline Master Program. Tukwila Public Works has plans to construct new structures that overlap with the 92,000 square feet area as part of their overall site redevelopment plans. Tukwila Public Works is requesting that these 92,000 square feet be relieved from the requirements of the Tukwila Shoreline Master Program.
Local government review: The city of Tukwila Department of Community Development locally approved the request on March 31, 2021, and forward the request to us, pursuant to review procedures listed in RCW 90.58.580.
Public comment period
Opens: June 28, 2021
Closes: July 19, 2021
All interested parties are invited to provide comment during this public comment period. There are several ways to provide comments. You only need to submit your comments once.
Submit written comments and questions to:
Maria Sandercock
Washington Department of Ecology
Northwest Regional Office
PO Box 330316
Shoreline, WA 98133-9716
maria.sandercock@ecy.wa.gov
425-256-1372
Comments must be received no later than July 19, 2021.
Project documents:
Site plans:
Conceptual design of the restoration project and of the proposed Tukwila Public Works Facility: