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Arlington adopts comprehensive rewrite of critical areas code, expands riparian buffers and monitoring requirements
Summary
Council adopted an overhaul of Arlington's critical areas ordinance (AMC 20.93), reorganizing procedures, adding reporting and mitigation requirements, and increasing certain riparian management zones; staff said changes follow state guidance (Department of Ecology, Fish & Wildlife) and do not rely on an independent city study.
The Arlington City Council approved a comprehensive rewrite of the city's critical areas code (Arlington Municipal Code chapter 20.93), a staff-led overhaul that reorganizes procedures and adds new review, mitigation, monitoring and bonding requirements.
Amy presented the rewrite and told the council the wetlands provisions were largely reformatted while the broader overhaul introduced several new elements, including a critical-area evaluation form, required contents for critical-area reports, mitigation-plan requirements and monitoring provisions. She said the city followed state guidance from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Department of Ecology to set definitions and to determine riparian management zones.
Amy described one notable technical change as increasing riparian management zones for Type N, P and S waters from 50 feet to 100 feet in some applications and said the update strengthened geological-hazard and critical-aquifer recharge protections and added a cultural-resources section. She told the council the city did not commission a separate independent study and relied on state-provided guidance.
After staff's presentation there were no substantive amendments on the dais; a councilmember moved to approve the ordinance, the motion was seconded and the council adopted the update by voice vote.
The ordinance revises local permitting standards for projects affecting wetlands, fish and wildlife habitat conservation areas, geologic hazard areas and critical aquifer recharge areas; it also sets a framework for monitoring and bonding to ensure mitigation measures are implemented.
