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Kenmore hears hours of public comment as council weighs three stream‑buffer options
Summary
Kenmore City Council heard extended public comment on proposed critical‑areas amendments to adopt new riparian buffer rules. Staff outlined three options — A (modest), B (moderate with enhancement incentives) and C (site‑potential tree height) — and council directed staff to return with refined mapping, outreach and flexibility options.
Kenmore — Dozens of residents and experts filled the council meeting to contest mapping, property impacts and ecology after the city introduced three options for updating stream buffers to align with Washington State guidance.
Supporters of the most protective approach, Option C, argued the change is necessary to protect salmon habitat and long‑term watershed health. "If the answer is yes, option three is the only one that makes any sense," said Tom Murdoch, founder of the Adopt‑a‑Stream Foundation, urging the city to follow Department of Fish and Wildlife recommendations and warning of legal challenges for weaker rules.
Homeowners across Kenmore pushed back strongly, saying maps mislabel intermittent ditches and covered culverts as fish‑bearing streams and that larger setbacks would strip developable area from family properties. "We believe that the stream…
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