| Get involved in the Shoreline Master Program Update |
| Take the Shoreline Survey |
| Sign up for SMP update Mailing List |
| Watch this space for workshop dates |
Shoreline Master Program
The Town of Winthrop is proposing a comprehensive review and update to the Town’s Shoreline Master Program (SMP). The Town’s initial SMP was approved by the Department of Ecology in 1991. The SMP is a combined planning and regulatory document that contains the Town’s policies, goals, and specific land-use regulations for shorelines and consistent with the Shoreline Management Act (SMA) is intended to balance development, public access, and protection of natural resources and shoreline areas.
What is the Shoreline Management Act (SMA)?
The shorelines of the state are among the most valuable and fragile of Washington’s natural resources. The SMA was enacted to protect the shorelines uses and development. The SMA is a cooperative program between the local government (Town of Winthrop) and the state (Department of Ecology). Ecology acts primarily in a supportive and reviewing capacity and must approve SMPs.
What is the Shoreline Management Program (SMP)?
The SMP is a collection of regulations pertaining to shoreline protection, use, and development. The SMP is a tool to plan and regulate the use of Washington shorelines.
What is a Comprehensive Review?
The Department of Ecology publishes a checklist of laws and rules each year that require local governments to review its SMP for compliance. The comprehensive review and periodic update1 is meant to look at what has changed in the community and in the rules and bring our SMP, from 1991, up to date. It is required under RCW 90.58.080(2) to make sure the Town complies with the requirements of the SMA. The comprehensive review includes this public participation plan, a shoreline inventory, a cumulative impacts analysis, and a restoration plan.
- All marine waters
- Streams and rivers with greater than 20 cubic feet per second mean annual flow (METHOW and CHEWUCH RIVERS)
- Lakes 20 acres or larger
- Upland areas called shorelands extending 200 feet landward from the edge of the water
- Wetlands and deltas connected to bodies of water
- 100-year floodplains
The goal is to provide the public with timely information, an understanding of the process, and multiple opportunities to review and provide comments before final decisions are made. Please help us guide this project by providing your input in any or all of the following ways:
- Sign up for email updates and meeting notices; if you would prefer mail, please provide mailing address.
- Read the documents
- Attend public meetings
- Share your ideas and comment during the public comment periods
- Give testimony at public hearings
- Fill out the SURVEY
- Attend the community visioning meeting and provide comments
Links to Shoreline Materials
The documents and links below consist of task performed and materials produced as part of the SMP update. Ecology provides grants to communities updating the SMP. Some of the documents are required deliverables as part of the grant agreement with Ecology. Project documents will be uploaded and linked here as they are prepared:
- FAQ
- Shoreline Master Program
- Shoreline inventory and characterization report
- Public participation plan
- Survey
- Power Point
- Community visioning and questionnaire
- Cumulative impacts analysis
- Restoration plan
Contact Us
The primary contacts for the SMP update:
Kurt Danison, Contract Planner
509-322-4037, kdanison@ncidata.com
Rocklynn Culp, Town Planner
509-996-2320, planner@townofwinthrop.com