Phase 6 - State Review & Approval

Upon completion by the City, the locally approved Shoreline Master Program documents must be submitted to the Department of Ecology for review and approval. In this phase, 1) the Department of Ecology holds an additional public comment period on the City-submitted documents and provides the City an opportunity to address these comments and 2) an additional iterative review occurs based on the Department of Ecology’s review for compliance with the Shorelines Management Act (SMA) and the SMP Guidelines. At the conclusion of this phase, the City’s Shoreline Master Program will be adopted and apply to proposed development.

State Public Comment Period

The state public comment period opened on May 1st, 2019 and remained open until June 3rd, 2019. This comment period resulted in one comment from the Washington Department of Natural Resources. The City window to respond to comments received during the state comment period occurred between June 14th, 2019 and July 29th, 2019.

Ecology Review

After receipt of the City’s response to public comments, the State Department of Ecology reviews all the information provided to them as part of their record to ensure the local program appropriately addresses the SMA and the SMP Guidelines. Ecology completed this review and issued a conditional approval letter to the City on January 21st, 2022. An iterative review by the City occurred based on the changes required and recommended by Ecology in their conditional approval. The City adopted the modified SMP on March 17th, 2022. On March 28th, 2022, the City submitted the documents for Ecology's final action. After Ecology reviews the City's adopted documents, Ecology will open a 30-day appeal period. At the close of that period or after satisfying any appeals submitted during that period, the SMP will apply within Stevenson's shoreline jurisdiction.