Planning Commission unanimously recommends council adopt King City Local Wetland Inventory

The King City Planning Commission unanimously voted to recommend that City Council adopt the city's Local Wetland Inventory (LWI), following a staff presentation and a Department of State Lands approval letter dated Oct. 1.

City staff said the DSL letter triggers the city's formal adoption process under statewide planning Goal 5 and that the LWI must be incorporated into the city code. A staff member addressed the commission and said the inventory was produced after the city's 2019 urban growth boundary expansion and was funded by a Metro 2040 grant; the city submitted final invoices and Metro closed out the grant after receiving the DSL approval and the city's request for reimbursement.

The staff presentation (led by a city staff member addressed as Max) described the technical approach used by the city's consultant, David Evans and Associates: satellite imagery, seasonal review and vegetative analyses were used to identify locally significant wetlands across Kingston Terrace. The consultant team mailed access requests to about 100 properties and received four permissions for on-the-ground surveys, including permission from Commissioner Blair.

Staff and commissioners emphasized the distinction between property-specific wetland delineations and the LWI. The LWI identifies "locally significant" wetlands that receive an automatic 100-foot no-encroachment buffer in city code; by contrast, a property-level delineation is the shorter, parcel-specific process that a developer must complete if proposing work on or near a wetland. The DSL letter, staff said, states that the LWI and functional assessment form the foundation for wetland planning under Goal 5 and that the city is required to adopt the LWI.

Commissioners asked for clearer maps for public use. Staff explained the current map uses green to indicate locally significant wetlands, hashing for significant wetlands and a blue offset line to show the 100-foot buffer; commissioners requested a simplified color scheme to avoid public confusion and said staff would prepare a clearer map prior to Council review.

During public comment, resident Daniel Brooks identified himself and asked whether the mapped area near his property was protected; staff confirmed the map shows protection and said code provisions prohibit new roads or impervious surfaces within the 100-foot buffer around locally significant wetlands.

A motion was made to recommend adoption of the LWI by ordinance (staff said the ordinance number will be assigned later, likely 20261). A second was recorded and the commission conducted a roll-call vote: Commissioner Blair, Commissioner Bellows, Petri, Mitchell and the Chair all voted yes. The commission's recommendation will be forwarded to City Council for final adoption and code amendment (the staff noted the new map would replace Figure 16114-10 in the city code).

The commission's discussion also referenced coordination with work by private developers: New Home Company and Pacific Community Design contracted SWCA to perform a separate inventory on the west side of Kingston Terrace, and staff said the two consultant teams coordinated to provide more precise on-the-ground information where property access was granted.

Next steps: staff will prepare a clearer public-facing map and forward the recommendation and supporting documentation to City Council for a first hearing and ordinance adoption.