(1) Shoreline restoration and enhancement activities designed to restore shoreline ecological functions and processes and/or shoreline features should be targeted toward meeting the needs of sensitive and/or regionally important plant, fish, and wildlife species, and shall be given priority.

(2) New shoreline stabilization for new development is prohibited unless it can be demonstrated that the proposed use cannot be developed without shore protection or is necessary to restore ecological functions or hazardous substance remediation.

(3) Proposed designs for new or expanded shoreline stabilization shall be designed in accordance with applicable state guidelines, must use best available science, must document that alternative solutions are not feasible or do not provide sufficient protection; must demonstrate that future stabilization measures would not be required on the project site or adjacent properties; and be certified by a qualified professional.

(4) Land subdivisions and lot line adjustments shall be designed to ensure that future development of the newly created lots will not require structural stabilization for subsequent development to occur.

(5) New or expanded structural shoreline stabilization for existing primary structures, including roads, railroads, and public facilities, etc., is prohibited unless there is conclusive evidence documented by a geotechnical analysis that there is a significant possibility that the structure will be damaged within three years as a result of shoreline erosion caused by wind/wave action or other hydraulic forces, and only when significant adverse impacts are mitigated to ensure no net loss of shoreline ecological functions and/or processes.

(6) Replacement of an existing shoreline stabilization structure with a similar structure is permitted if there is a demonstrated need to protect existing primary uses, structures or public facilities including roads, bridges, railways, irrigation and utility systems from erosion caused by wave action; provided, that the existing shoreline stabilization structure is removed from the shoreline as part of the replacement activity. Replacement walls or bulkheads shall not encroach waterward of the ordinary high water mark or existing structure unless the facility was occupied prior to January 1, 1992, and there are overriding safety or environmental concerns. Proposed designs for new or expanded shore stabilization shall be in accordance with applicable state guidelines and certified by a qualified professional.

(7) Where a geotechnical analysis confirms a need to prevent potential damage to a primary structure, but the need is not as immediate as three years, the analysis may still be used to justify more immediate authorization for shoreline stabilization using bioengineering approaches.

(8) Shoreline stabilization projects that are part of a fish habitat enhancement project meeting the criteria of RCW 77.55.181 will be authorized through a shoreline exemption. Stabilization projects that are not part of such a fish enhancement project will be regulated by this SMP.

(9) Small-scale or uncomplicated shoreline stabilization projects (for example, tree planting projects) shall be reviewed by a qualified professional to ensure that the project has been designed using best available science.

(10) Large-scale or more complex shoreline stabilization projects (for example, projects requiring fill or excavation, placing objects in the water, or hardening the bank) shall be designed by a qualified professional using best available science. The applicant may be required to have a qualified professional oversee construction or construct the project.

(11) Standards for new stabilization structures when found to be necessary include limiting the size to minimum, using measures to ensure no net loss of shoreline ecological functions, using soft approaches, and mitigating for impacts and use biotechnical bank stabilization techniques unless those are demonstrated to be infeasible or ineffective before implementing “hard” structural stabilization measures. (Ord. 484 § 2, 2014)