The misinformation on the Jefferson County and City of Port Townsend Shoreline Master Program (SMP) continues to flow. Last week and now this week, Fred Obee seems incapable of going out and reading the document to get his facts straight. Our readers should be aware that there is a political candidate for County Commissioner who has routinely misinformed the public about the actual wording of the County and City SMP, in order to get elected. I have no idea if the Leader or Mr. Obee are supporting this candidate, but it’s things like this that make us wonder about the impartiality of the Leader.
Michelle McConnel of the County Department of Community Development had this to say:
In yesterday’s editorial, Mr. Obee adequately corrects his mistake from last week, yet publishes another erroneous statement: Buffers inside the city of Port Townsend are 50 feet, but those are handled by different legislation.”
The County has repeatedly clarified that the City of Port Townsend SMP requires shoreline setbacks/buffers that range up to 200’. It is misleading for anyone to state only the 50’ distance.
The city setbacks/buffers required actually range from 25-feet to 200-feet: 25’ in the Urban, Historic Waterfront, and Boat Haven designated shorelines, 50’ in the Shoreline Residential designated shorelines, and up to 200’ in the Natural and Conservancy designated shorelines… with some exceptions.
Get to the Source
Readers are advised to review the source documents themselves, especially when uncertainty arises. A public review copy of the Locally Approved SMP is available at the DCD Office, the County Library in Port Hadlock and its Bookmobile, the Forks Library, and online for viewing and download.
Filed under: Jefferson County | Tagged: Jefferson County SMP |
