Volume 2: Draft Gorst Planned Action Environmental Impact Statement

GORST PLANNED ACTION EIS | APPENDICESAppendix D.Shoreline Buffer Comparison and OptionsIntroductionKitsap County and the City of Bremerton regulate shorelines such as Sinclair Inlet and Gorst Creek. The County andCity also regulate critical areas such as wetlands, fish and wildlife conservation areas, aquifer recharge areas,geologic hazard areas, and flood hazard areas. Generally, the County and City regulations are similar except alongGorst Creek and Sinclair Inlet. County buffer regulations are greater along Gorst Creek while City buffer regulationsare greater along Sinclair Inlet.The Draft Watershed Characterization & Framework Plan and Draft Gorst Subarea Plan include a proposed policyrecommending compatible and equivalent environmental standards:Policy WS-2. Coordinate County and City shoreline and critical area regulations in the GorstCreek Watershed to provide adequate and equivalent protection.Policy UGA-3. Coordinate County and City shoreline regulations and restoration plans alongGorst Creek and Sinclair Inlet to provide adequate and equivalent protection.Following a comparison of standards and background information, options to standardize regulations areevaluated in this appendix.Shoreline Environment and Buffer ComparisonsShorelines subject to the Shoreline Management Act of 1971 include the marine waters of Puget Sound as well asrivers and streams with a mean annual flow over 20 cubic feet per second (cfs). Shorelines include uplands within200 feet of the ordinary high water mark and associated wetlands, and floodways. In the study area, the SinclairInlet marine shoreline and Gorst Creek are subject to the Shoreline Management Act (RCW 90.58).Consistent with the Shoreline Management Act, both the County and City of Bremerton have adopted ShorelineMaster Programs for lower Gorst Creek and the Sinclair Inlet, and are awaiting Ecology approval.City of Bremerton proposed shoreline designations include Urban Conservancy in the inner marine shoreline along the water Commercial or Isolated in the outer marine shoreline area in largely developed areas Aquatic Conservancy applied to the Marine waters (not mapped below) Single Family, Recreation, and Urban Conservancy along Gorst CreekKitsap County proposes a similar shoreline environment approach as the City of Bremerton, except that the fullmarine shoreline north of the SR 3 and SR 16 interchange is shown as High Intensity. South of the interchange, themarine shoreline would be classified as Urban Conservancy in the inner jurisdiction along the water and HighIntensity in the outer jurisdictional area. Gorst Creek would be classified as High Intensity and Urban Conservancy.Figure D--1 Comparison of Shoreline Designations compares the two sets of shoreline environment designations.D-1