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Planning commission weighs larger wetland and stream buffers; residents seek exemptions and grandfathering
Summary
City planners proposed larger buffers for wetlands and streams under a draft critical areas ordinance update. Staff said the proposals draw on state guidance; residents and commissioners pressed for exemptions or grandfathering for existing lots and clarity on costs, tax impacts and next steps.
The Newcastle Planning Commission discussed proposed updates to the city’s critical areas ordinance July 22, focusing on larger wetland and stream buffers, how to apply state “best available science,” and potential exemptions or grandfathering for existing lots.
Director Erin Fitzgibbons and consultants from Shockey Planning Group presented the draft. Darcy Miller, senior wetland biologist with Shockey Planning Group, described wetland categorization (categories 1–4) and how habitat score and land-use impact (low, moderate, high) factor into buffer-size recommendations. Miller said the draft also retains options such as buffer averaging and mitigation measures that can reduce required buffer widths when applicants implement specified best-practice measures.
Fitzgibbons and the consultants said the proposed changes are intended to align Newcastle’s code with state guidance — principally the Growth Management Act (RCWs), the Washington Administrative Code (WAC) guidance on best available science, and recommendations from the Department of Ecology and the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). For streams, DNR’s riparian management zone guidance and tree-height science were discussed; staff…
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