Volume 2: Draft Gorst Planned Action Environmental Impact Statement

GORST PLANNED ACTION EIS | APPENDICESdevelopment would have little impact on shoreline hydrologic or vegetative functions. Waterquality functions would further be maintained though stormwater standards that require onsiteinfiltration for any development with new impervious surfaces over 2,000 square feet or clearingof areas greater than 7,000 square feet. In summary, no loss of ecosystem functions is anticipatedin the Gorst UGA.Kitsap County Cumulative Impacts Analysis, January 2013, pages 76 and 77, Urban Conservancy:In the Gorst UGA, development along the marine shoreline is limited to commercial developmentof vacant and underdeveloped parcels. In addition to standard shoreline vegetation conservationbuffers, buffers associated with salt marsh wetland areas in the Gorst UGA limit potentialcommercial development along Sinclair Inlet. If commercial structures are expanded or relocatedduring redevelopment, the SMP will require mitigation. Furthermore, any development with newimpervious surfaces over 2,000 square feet or clearing of areas greater than 7,000 square feetwill need to employ best management practices to infiltrate groundwater onsite. This will helpensure that existing water quality is not further degraded in the area.Streams and Rivers, page 104: The proposed standard buffer of 200 feet for all shorelinefreshwater streams and rivers will ensure that existing stream functions are maintained, and thebuffer will limit most development along streams to the area outside of shoreline jurisdiction.Where future development of residential units along streams is indicated in Section 4 (Table 4-1),these figures are indicative of potential development outside of jurisdiction on lots that partiallyextend within jurisdiction. Significant restoration is planned and underway in the streams andrivers of Kitsap County. Near-term restoration efforts will be focused on restoring fish passageand improving stream habitat on Chico Creek and Burley Creek. Additionally, efforts to reduceagricultural impacts on water quality in Burley Creek are ongoing. In the longer term, efforts willfocus on a balance of protecting intact functions and restoring functions and processes wherethey are impaired. Long-term restoration will include floodplain restoration, enhancing channelcomplexity, improving water quality, and restoring fish passage.The City of Bremerton’s Cumulative Impacts Analysis (February 2012) included a reach by reach analysis thatindicated:Page 2-14: Gorst Estuary is the largest estuary in the planning area and provides significantshoreline functions to Sinclair Inlet and Puget Sound. The estuary receives freshwater flows fromGorst Creek, as well as several small independent drainages nearby. Tributary streams support avariety of species including coho, chum, cutthroat, and steelhead. Gorst Estuary itself is shallow,with fringing marshes and mud flats that provide excellent production of prey for salmonids.Biological resources in the estuary include waterfowl concentrations at the mouth and along thenorth and south shorelines of Sinclair Inlet, as well as shorebird concentrations along the northshore. The majority of the north side of the inlet is bounded by State Route (SR) 2 and the U.S.Navy railroad and is not expected to change. There are extensive areas of commercialdevelopment generally south of Gorst Creek that are subject to redevelopment in the future.Because non–water–dependent development is likely, and such development requires shorelinerestoration and public access, buffer areas are likely to be augmented. On Gorst Creek, thecommercially zoned area between the inlet and Sam Christopherson Road are low intensity and islikely to be redeveloped in the future. This area could provide stream buffers and incorporateshoreline restoration as a non–water–dependent use. Between Sam Christopherson Road andWest Belfair Valley Road, the residential and urban restricted area can be expected to experiencemore intensive future development and provide standard stream buffers.D-4