Shoreline Public Access & Trail Plan

Being by water makes people happy. It’s something many people inherently know, and the Today Show recently helped us understand why. Water provides a sense of awe, soothing sensations, and opportunities for mindfulness. We sense these benefits in the whitecaps on the Columbia, autumn reflections on Rock Cove, and cooling mists from Rock Creek Falls.

The state of Washington understands these benefits too. Since 1971, the Shoreline Management Act has been the guiding framework for how Washingtonians access, use, and develop waterbodies considered Shorelines of the State. In Stevenson these shorelines are the Columbia River, Rock Cove and Rock Creek. Our vision for these waterbodies balances 7 elements from Economic Development to Ecological Functions to Property Rights. For Public Access and Recreation, Stevenson sees a future where:

The shorelands and shoreline waterbodies of Stevenson support a network of public access, recreation and navigational opportunities.

Unfortunately, our current Shoreline Master Program takes a reactive approach to achieve that vision. The reactive approach works in many Washington communities, where intense development markets create frequent opportunities to react. This is not the reality for Stevenson. Here, we have a mismatch between our desire to connect people to the water, our reactionary regulatory approach, and our lack of development. The City recognized this mismatch when it adopted the Shoreline Master Program. That document calls for a more proactive approach, one where we:

Develop a comprehensive and integrated public access and trail plan that identifies specific public access needs and opportunities to replace site-by-site requirements.

The draft of this plan is now available for public comment. It was prepared with the assistance of The Watershed Company, an environmental services and landscape architecture firm from Kirkland, WA. Their services are paid for through a no-match grant from the Washington Department of Ecology.

Contract: The Watershed Company
Progress: 98% Complete
Budget: $87k / $87k Spent
Funding: $87k DOE Grant
Planned Completion Targe Date: August 17, 2023