Lake Stevens planners review major update to critical areas ordinance, weigh stream buffer options

City planning staff told the Lake Stevens Planning Commission on Sept. 17 that an update to the city’s critical areas ordinance (chapter 14.88) will be needed to align with the Growth Management Act and recent best-available science, and that one proposed approach from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) could vastly increase riparian buffer widths.

The update is part of the city’s periodic implementation of its comprehensive plan following the 2024 update, Principal Planner David Levitan said. A consultant prepared a gaps analysis and a best-available-science report that staff distributed in August; attachments in the commission packet identify five critical-area types under the Growth Management Act—wetlands; critical aquifer recharge areas; frequently flooded areas; geologically hazardous areas; and fish and wildlife habitat conservation areas (streams are a primary focus).

Commissioners were briefed on a WDFW-informed model that establishes riparian management zones based on the “site potential tree height” of species in a riparian area—i.e., the projected maximum height of native trees at approximately 200 years of age—and then sets a…