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Public and conservation groups press commission to reject Westport golf proposal; developer urges wait for final EIS
Summary
At the July 9 Washington State Parks Commission meeting, public commenters and conservation groups urged rejection of a private golf course proposed at Westport Light State Park, citing risks to interdunal wetlands and public access; the project''s proponent said the final EIS should guide any decision and emphasized private funding and promised stewardship benefits.
The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission heard nearly an hour of public comment on a proposed private golf development at Westport Light State Park, where opponents warned the project would harm rare interdunal wetlands and public access while proponents said the proposal funds long-term stewardship.
"The fundamental policy decision should come with the final EIS," Megan Anderson of Ellensburg and Grayland told commissioners, arguing that the project relies on using already-protected parklands as mitigation and that a private golf course is "not a water dependent or water oriented use." She asked the commission to reject the proposal when the final environmental impact statement is complete.
Peter Stilquist, Washington policy manager for the Surfrider Foundation, said the Department of Ecology described the proposal as potentially "one of the largest impacts to category 1 interdunal wetlands the agency has ever evaluated," and said that statement alone "should give us all extreme pause." He emphasized threats to coastal dynamics, public recreation, and species habitat if the project proceeds.
The project's lead proponent, Ryan Day, president of Westport Golf Links, urged the commission to withhold judgment until staff and the public have the final EIS. Day said the proposal uses only private capital and would fund habitat restoration, invasive species management, new trails and public access, and create what he described as "approximately 300 permanent family-wage jobs" and substantial construction investment.
Thomas Cava, City of Westport city administrator and the SEPA responsible official for the EIS, told commissioners the city is ready to proceed with the final EIS and is awaiting State Parks' comments on the preliminary final EIS so permit review can continue; he noted the city received a shoreline variance application on 05/16/2026 (supplemented 06/26/2026) and is reviewing it for completeness.
Commissioners did not take an immediate policy vote on the proposal. Staff and the commission emphasized that SEPA (the EIS process) is a decision-support tool and that the commission retains authority to weigh whether the project is an appropriate use of the park after the final EIS, further permitting, and consultation are complete. The record shows strong, sharply contrasting public views: conservation groups and local nonprofit commenters urged rejection, while the applicant highlighted long-term stewardship funding and local economic benefits.
Next steps: the final EIS, additional technical review and permit processes will be completed before the commission reaches a formal policy decision, and the commission indicated it expects to use the final EIS and staff analyses to guide that determination.
