USA: Ecology OKs City of Roy Shoreline Master Program

The Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) has approved the city of Roy’s updated shoreline master program (SMP).

The updated shoreline master program will guide development along a half mile along Muck Lake and Muck Creek.

The city of Roy previously used Pierce County’s SMP to regulate shorelines. The updated program provides the city with more locally-tailored regulations.

Jeff Boers, contract planner for Roy, said: “The revised program for Roy is more specific to conditions in Roy. The revisions are important because they integrate better with existing zoning and critical areas regulations.”

State law requires Ecology’s director to give final approval authority for each city and county shoreline program, which then becomes part of the state shoreline master program.

Roy is one of nearly 60 local governments that have completed their updates. All of Washington’s cities and counties with regulated shorelines must update their programs by December 2014. They are following regulations adopted by Ecology in 2003. The regulations resulted from a negotiated settlement among 58 different parties including business interests, ports, environmental groups, shoreline user groups, cities and counties, Ecology and the courts.

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Press Release, November 9, 2012