Edmonds planning board hears public concerns on critical areas ordinance update

Edmonds planning staff opened a public hearing on revisions to the city’s Critical Areas Ordinance (CAO) and heard more than a dozen public commenters who urged clearer procedures, stronger tree and slope protections and explicit safeguards for drinking-water sources.

The proposed rewrite, presented by senior planner Brad Shipley, condenses and reorganizes existing code language and removes redundancies; Shipley told the board the draft in the meeting packet is a work-in-progress meant to show the city’s intended direction. "I think we're making a lot of progress," Shipley said, and he asked the public to focus comments on substantive concerns that should shape later drafts.

Why it matters: the CAO update guides how the city defines and protects wetlands, streams, geologic hazard areas, wellhead protection areas and riparian buffers. Changes to buffer definitions, allowed activities and review timing affect where and how development can proceed and who must pay for—and carry out—mitigation.

Public commenters representing environmental groups, experts and utility providers pressed staff on multiple topics. Arlene, a resident and commenter, praised reinstating a prohibition on tree removal from steep slopes, saying, "Reinstating a provision that the removal of trees from 25% or greater slopes is not allowed is extremely important…