A View from the Sidelines
It all started with weeds. When the Shoreline Master Program Update (SMP) came to town, I welcomed it as a vehicle for reducing the use of chemicals to control aquatic weeds. I had no idea that attending an SMP open house in late fall of 2007, would lead to meetings and workshops beginning in March, 2008, and continuing for more than a year, or that my interest in weeds would lead so quickly to concern for my beloved life afloat.
I should have suspected that anything to do with managing shoreline development in this water-rich city would be complicated. The broadly outlined task was to update "policies and regulations governing development … on and adjacent to marine and freshwater shorelines." Its specific focus would be on "land uses, structure bulk and setbacks, public access requirements, bulkheads, docks, piers, and construction practices." However, it was when the city Department of Planning and Development (DPD) created a Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) to gather input from stakeholders most affected by changes to shoreline regulations, that I began to appreciate the full extent of this daunting effort.
Twenty individuals were selected for membership, and Bob Bowman, FHA Board member and Environmental Committee Chair, was named to represent the floating homes community. Other CAC members represented residential property owners, the University of Washington, central waterfront businesses and recreation interests. They represented the Port of Seattle and the Duwamish Tribe, People for Puget Sound, shoreline contractors, non-residential property owners, marine industry, the environment, labor and commerce. Three individuals served as "citizens-at-large," and a six-member SMP Project Team did the administrative work directing the update. Bob was chosen as a member of the CAC at the end of March, 2008, and I began attending the monthly meetings with Bob and Bill Keasler in August, still focused on addressing my aquatic weed issues, but increasingly drawn into a remarkable civic process.
Over the next months the CAC was presented with DPD's suggested changes to existing shoreline regulations. These regulations covered a wide variety of topics contained in the existing Shoreline Master Program - from environmental designations through residential, commercial and industrial development, to shoreline modifications, water quality, and public access. The committee heard presentations, studied materials, discussed DPD's recommendations for changes, and contributed their own. The sheer size of the three-ring binder Bob maintained during this period tells the story.
Because all proposed changes affected one or more of the groups represented on the CAC, discussions were sometimes difficult, with personal stories displaying the depth and breadth of responses to such changes. DPD's intentions with regard to changes in floating homes regulations began to surface in November. In response Bob - with help from the FHA Board and a workgroup he had formed - undertook a series of steps to educate fellow committee members and DPD staff with regard to the goals and priorities of the floating homes community. Anticipating that DPD would introduce proposed changes to floating homes regulations at the November 18 meeting, Bob wrote a position paper entitled "Seattle's Floating Home Community and the SMP" and submitted it to the committee. It provided an introduction to the history of floating homes in Seattle and distilled the association's goals for updating the SMP and preserving floating homes.
In December, sensing that DPD staff had little direct experience with floating homes, Bob invited Maggie Glowacki, DPD's lead planner for the SMP, to a Portage Bay houseboat for a meeting with the expanded workgroup. Two months later Bob again invited Maggie, along with two members of her staff, to tour a Fairview dock with several members of the Board. The dock was chosen for its dense configuration of houseboats of varying sizes and provided a firsthand look at the impact proposed regulations would have on actual floating homes and docks.
DPD released its Floating Homes Policy Paper detailing regulatory proposals for the SMP Update in early April: prohibit new floating homes, combine the standards for conforming and non-conforming houseboat moorages, prohibit new basements, and prohibit "expansion of existing overwater residences if the existing floating home is on a float that is larger than 1,200 square feet." Bob had roughly three weeks to respond, and proposed regulations regarding floating homes were discussed at the April 28 meeting of the CAC. Bob and Bill reported considerable support for the floating homes community from the CAC members, for they generally like houseboats and recognize their historical and cultural value to the city. As a citizen observer, Bill was able to provide background during the meeting on why the FHA is concerned about the city's proposals, and many committee members spoke, registering a variety of views. A significant number of CAC members expressed their support for protections for floating homes while others opposed increasing the number of homes out of environmental concerns.
The first draft of the CAC's report to the Mayor and City Council on "the discussions, recommendations and conclusions the CAC has reached," was submitted to CAC members a month later. Several drafts followed with input from many CAC members including Bob, until the final version was issued late in June. By affirming the language in The Seattle Comprehensive Plan stating the need to "preserve the existing floating home community," the report seconds the Shoreline Management Act's assertion that "existing communities of floating and/or over-water homes exist" and should be "reasonably accommodated" regarding improvements and property rights. That's good, and it was encouraging to see that DPD's own policy intentions also propose allowing "ongoing repair and maintenance and replacement of existing overwater residences."
On the other hand several issues contained in DPD's original policy paper remained: no new floating homes and no new basements, combining conforming and non-conforming standards, no additional floor area unless on a float of 1,200 feet or less, and the assertion that floating homes are an "allowed" use of shoreline area rather than a "water-dependent" use - language FHA opposes because of the possibility of undermining "the viability of the floating homes community over the long-term" .
The CAC report will go to the Mayor and members of the City Council early in the fall, and DPD's specific regulations will be sent in draft form to the committee and become available for public comment as early as October. During this time a committee of Board members convened by Bill Keasler will work to educate and inform city administrators, our own community, and the public regarding floating homes issues contained in the CAC report and the actual regulations when they appear.
By the way, my modest citizen's suggestion with regard to aquatic weed control did make it into the final report - just barely. What's hard to believe is that nineteen months elapsed between the SMP open house and the filing of the CAC report. It's been a wild and fascinating ride; and it's not over yet.
The full text of documents mentioned in the article and a rich assortment of related materials may be found on our SMP Revision page.