Open house for shoreline rules

MOSES LAKE - Still concerned with shoreline setbacks and boat dock regulations, the City of Moses Lake Planning Commission is holding an open house Thursday to discuss the current draft of the Master Shoreline Program.

Senior Planner Anne Henning said the state Department of Ecology (DOE) would likely not accept the shoreline setbacks and regulations for boat docks. The DOE must approve any plans before the updated rules take effect.

Debbie Doran-Martinez, executive director at the Moses Lake Chamber of Commerce, said the proposed changes the DOE would like to see in the rules, including a 200-foot setback from the shoreline and additional setbacks added, could potentially make many of the existing vacant lots "unbuildable," likely causing property value to decrease.

"It's something everybody needs to stay in tune with because if property values on the lake go down, then so does everyone else's properties," Martinez said.

The open house begins at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Civic Center Council Chambers at 401 S. Balsam St.

The open house will be used to discuss the current draft as well as the Cumulative Impacts Analysis, used to assess the impact of the proposed draft. Another topic is if future development approved under the proposed program could achieve no net loss of ecological function of the shoreline. The consultant who prepared the analysis will be available for comments.

The Shoreline Master Program, adopted in 1974, sets the rules for development within 200 feet of the lake. The last update to the program was in 1988. Shorelines in the state are regulated and protected by the Shoreline Management Act. Local governments are in charge of shoreline planning under state guidance.

The Planning Commission has been reviewing and modifying the draft since March of 2012

For more information on the Shoreline Master Program, contact Senior Planner Anne Henning at 509-764-3747. The proposed draft can also be found on the city website at www.cityofml.com.