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South Whidbey homeowners urge Island County to respond to Ecology on Shoreline Master Program
Summary
At the May 20 Island County Board of Commissioners meeting, South Whidbey residents asked the board to move faster in responding to Washington State Department of Ecology comments on the county’s Shoreline Master Program and to involve homeowners in a plan to protect shoreline properties from sea-level rise.
South Whidbey homeowners asked Island County commissioners on May 20 to accelerate the county's response to comments from the Washington State Department of Ecology on the county Shoreline Master Program (SMP) and to involve residents in drafting protective measures.
"The bottom line is the SMP won't get looked at until 2030 or later, and we just can't wait," Brad Thompson, lead of the South Whidbey Shoreline Group, told commissioners during public comment. Thompson said the group represents about 240 homeowners and has spent "over $200,000" on efforts to protect homes from storm damage and sea-level rise.
Thompson said Ecology returned the SMP with public comments, and that the county planning department received Ecology's response a week or two earlier. He asked the board to set policy direction for planning and to respond to Ecology, saying residents want to participate in developing solutions. "It is Island County's responsibility to respond back to Ecology with what they intend to do, and we'd like to participate in that to help catalyze it," Thompson said.
In commissioners' remarks, one commissioner said they had not yet seen Ecology's comments and expected a work session to review the department's feedback and determine how the county will reply. "I have not yet seen the comments that have come back from Ecology, so I look forward to seeing what those comments are," the commissioner said, and indicated a work session on the topic was likely.
The meeting record shows planning staff had Ecology's materials but no formal action on SMP revisions was taken at the May 20 meeting. Commissioners did not adopt a policy or direct an immediate ordinance change; they indicated the county would review Ecology's comments and consider a work session to formulate a response.
The SMP governs use and development along shorelines; Ecology's review and the county response are part of the state review process for local SMP updates. Residents pressed the board to move faster because of immediate erosion and flooding concerns along South Whidbey beaches.
No vote or regulatory change occurred at the meeting. Commissioners said they expect further discussion in a future work session once Ecology's comments have been reviewed.
