Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Environmental Regulation Critical Areas topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Port Orchard council adopts repeal-and-replace of critical-areas code
Summary
Council unanimously approved an ordinance repealing and replacing Port Orchard Municipal Code 20.162 to comply with Growth Management Act deadlines and update wetlands, riparian zones and critical aquifer protections.
The Port Orchard City Council unanimously adopted an ordinance repealing and replacing municipal code section 20.162, the city's critical-areas regulations, to comply with the Washington Growth Management Act. Planning staff (Mr. Bond) said the decision to present a full repeal-and-replace was taken because the code section is long and the approach is less cumbersome than showing redlines.
Staff described the update as relying on the best available science, changing wetland buffers (including some decreases in buffer widths in limited circumstances), updating terminology, and amending riparian management zones. The planning commission reviewed the code and voted to recommend approval after extensive discussion and a public hearing.
Council asked whether shoreline master program rules intersected with the critical-areas update; staff clarified the shoreline master program is a separate requirement with a different schedule (work likely to start in 2027 and an adoption deadline in 2029). Council then voted 'aye' and the ordinance passed unanimously.
Staff will continue to integrate state guidance and the planning commission's comment matrix into the implementation materials.
