Clallam County Shoreline Master Program

Update 11-19-2018: 

Background

The Washington Shoreline Management Act (SMA) requires Clallam County to review and update the existing Shoreline Management Program (SMP) consistent with the SMA. The existing SMP was approved in 1976 and last amended in 1992.

Clallam County adopted a Public Participation Strategy in 2010 and hosted a series of forums leading to the Revised Draft SMP which was approved by the Planning Commission in Sept 2017. The Clallam County Board of Commissioners closed public comments in December 2017. 

Sixteen work hearings were held and a revised Clallam County SMP (Oct. 2018) was approved. This revision was forwarded to Washington Department of Ecology via Resolution 91 on October 30, 2018.

What’s Next

The County and State Department of Ecology share joint authority and responsibility for the update and administration of the SMP; thus updates require approval by Ecology.

Clallam County has submitted its updated SMP to Ecology. Next, Ecology reviews and submits their required and recommended changes. These will be negotiated with the County. The process could take as long as 6 to 12 months. Once negotiations are finished Ecology will publish a Notice of Adoption followed by a 60-day appeal period open to the public. 

February 25, 2015 - NOG commented on Clallam County’s update of its Shoreline Master Program (SMP) asking the County to take into account the effects of climate change as it updates the plan. Localities are required to prepare SMPs under the Washington’s Shoreline Management Act of 1971. This Act seeks to promote public access and protect shoreline natural resources and functions by prioritizing shoreline land use. The State also requires that local SMPs include regulations and standards ensuring that each permitted development will not cause a "net loss of ecological functions of the shoreline”.  Our comments on the SMP can be found here.