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Jeanie Orr
2flI & I
From: Jude Rubin Uude@nwwatershed.org]
Sent: Friday, January 30,20092:41 PM
To: #Long-Range Planning
Subject: Draft master shoreline program
Hello,
Clean water and healthy shore1itles keep our beaches safe to swim, our shellfish and salmon safe to eat, and
our properties safe from erosion. Developing our shorelines more intentionally will help us protect Puget
Sound. The draft shoreline master program update will help us reach those goals, and I support its
adoption.
Some of the aspects I support are:
. The proposed shoreline environmental designations, including the "natural designation", which will
protect the county's more sensitive shorelines as development occurs, and "priority aquatic", which will
provide better protection to important salmon and shellfish habitats.
. The policies and rules for ecological protection, which include buffers and setbacks to protect buildings
from flooding and erosion as well as protect sensitive habitats. These buffers are not' onerous' - but will
protect the quality of life we moved here to enjoy.
. The aquaculture provisions, including prohibitions on net pens, and finfish aquaculture that uses
herbicides, pesticides, antibiotics, fertilizers, genetically modified organisms, or feed, and prohibition of
GMOs
. The standards to ensure construction of bulkheads, shoreline armoring, docks, and marinas reduce
impacts to salmon and forage fish
. The new "administrative conditional use" rules for some residential structures, such as boathouses, will
reduce costs to property owners, by eliminating the need for public hearings, while ensuring
environmental impacts are properly identified and mitigated.
I support additional safeguards for development of nonconforming lots. The draft would exempt
development on undersized lots from meeting buffer and setback rules with only minimal review by county
staff. Adequate review is necessary to make sure environmental impacts are avoided to the greatest extent
possible. With as many as 3,500 undersized lots along Jefferson County's shorelines, between 33 to 66 miles of
healthy shorelines could be developed without proper county oversight. The county should require an
administrative conditional use permit for these nonconforming lots to ensure adequate review to address
environmental impacts.
Thank you,
Judith Rubin
3407 Eddy Street
Port Townsend, W A 98368
360-774-1457
2/2/2009