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To: Jefferson County Planning Commission
From: Barbara Blowers
Re: Proposed Shoreline Master Plan
Date: January 21,2009
I am very concerned that this Plan is not being given proper, or even, legal review. The Plan
was to be available to you, the Planning Commission, and to the Public in September 2008.
Inst~ it was made available in December, 2008. I think that you owe the Public the time
to let them carefully review this Plan which will have such a profound affect on 6,200 parcels
ofland in Jefferson County. Please extend the Public review time and the time for Public
Hearing on this Plan for an additional three months to make up for the time that was lost in
the Fall. Receiving the plan in December was also totally unfair - too much else to do. I
know you think people were given notice; o~ 3,000 got cards saying it was being changed.
But only after December could anyone even SEE the changes.
Setback requirements are way too restrictive. The cUITent 30-foot setback on low bank
property and one foot for height ofbank is totally sufficient While I do believe there should
be a buffer requirement, I like what is required in island County - 25 feet of native
vegetation. That protects the bank from erosion and encourages the use of native plants.
If you own a wateIfront lot, you want to have a view. With a 160-foot setback coupled with
another rule that limits the removal of more than 20% of the vegetation in the setback area,
you would have no view at all.
The County cannot afford to lose the revenue from property taxes when these properties lose
value. Since Jefferson County counts on property tax revenue, it seems a pretty silly time to
be reducing values. And properties that become unbuildable under this Plan will never be
able to bring excise tax revenue to the County.
I hope during your reviews, you will pay particular attention to the major negative aspects of
this Plan for residential properties. The Plan is thick with pages and pages about
subdivisions - which will be very few and far between - and light on the residential section,
which is certainly the most costly to the County.