CITY OF DES MOINES SHORELINE MASTER PROGRAM

Des Moines Shoreline Inventory and Characterization
Comprehensive Plan, Zoning and Other City Regulations
Greater Des Moines Comprehensive Plan – The City’s existing Comprehensive Plan was last
amended in 2004. The City is currently updating the Comprehensive Plan, as required under the
Growth Management Act. The Comprehensive Plan establishes goals and policies that define
the community’s vision for the physical, economic, and social development of the City for the
next 20 years. The Comprehensive Plan land use designations near the Puget Sound shoreline
include Park, Single Family, Multifamily, Commercial, and Public Facility / Utility. City land
use designations are relevant to this shoreline characterization as they establish the general land
use patterns and vision of growth the City has adopted for areas both inside and outside the
shoreline jurisdiction. The City’s Shoreline Master Program goals and policies are adopted by
reference as one element of the Comprehensive Plan.
City of Des Moines Municipal Code, Title 18: Zoning – Title 18 of the Des Moines Municipal
Code establishes zoning designations. Zoning designations near the Puget Sound shoreline
include Downtown Commercial, Single Family Residential, and Multifamily Residential. Park
and open space areas are typically designated as Residential - Suburban Estates.
City of Des Moines Municipal Code, Chapter 18.86: Environmentally Sensitive Areas –
Chapter 18.86 of the Des Moines Municipal Code establishes development standards,
construction techniques, and permitted uses in environmentally sensitive areas and/or their
buffers (i.e., geologic hazard areas, fish and wildlife conservation areas, wetlands, flood hazard
areas, aquifer recharge areas, and stream areas) to protect these areas from adverse impacts. The
City is in the process of updating its Environmentally Sensitive Areas code. To date, updated
mapping has been compiled and is incorporated into the map folio of this report. Timing for
completion of the code update is uncertain. Designated environmentally sensitive areas are
found throughout the City’s shoreline jurisdiction, particularly streams, flood hazard areas, and
geologic hazard areas. Sensitive areas are discussed in the nearshore physical and biological
sections of this report.
City of Des Moines Comprehensive Stormwater Management Plan – The City’s Surface Water
Management Program utilizes both the adopted Comprehensive Stormwater Management Plan
(1991) and a draft updated plan (1998) to guide stormwater management in the city. The City
has adopted the King County Surface Water Design Manual for controlling stormwater runoff
from new development.
State and Federal Regulations
A number of state and federal agencies may have jurisdiction over land or natural elements in the
City’s shoreline jurisdiction. Local development proposals most commonly trigger requirements
for state or federal permits when they impact wetlands or streams; potentially affect fish and
wildlife listed under the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA); result in over five acres of
clearing and grading; or affect the floodplain or floodway. As with local requirements, state and
federal regulations may apply throughout the City, but regulated resources are common within
the City’s shoreline jurisdiction. The state and federal regulations affecting shoreline-related
resources include, but are not limited to:
Page 6 March 2005