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Council adopts critical‑areas update increasing some stream buffers and reinstating setbacks
Summary
The council passed Ordinance No. 2026‑683 updating critical‑areas code: it reinstates a building setback, allows limited rebuilding on fully covered sites, and uses a predictive model to increase some stream buffer minimums (e.g., from 100 to 150 feet for certain fish‑bearing streams).
The Newcastle City Council voted unanimously on Feb. 17 to adopt an update to the city’s critical areas ordinance aimed at implementing state requirements and best‑available science for buffer widths and setbacks.
Planning Director Fitzgibbons summarized the work, which began in May 2025 and included outreach last summer. The ordinance contains multiple changes;…
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