Marc Berejka
Island Forum

If you live near the shoreline, if you enjoy our waterfront parks, or if you simply care about the health of our environment — take heed. The city is undertaking the laborious process of updating our shoreline management policies and regulations. Your interests will be affected.

This is tough work. State law requires all jurisdictions with shorelands to update their rules to take into account the latest science. The process is overseen by the state’s Department of Ecology. And the legal mandates are nuanced.

In broad strokes, the law requires cities like Mercer Island to manage their shorelines in ways that avoid any “net loss” in ecological functions. The statute goes further, steering local jurisdictions toward regulations that promote “restoration” of ecological function over the long haul. On the flip side, the law encourages “enjoyment” of the waterfront, and it acknowledges the importance of ongoing commercial and residential use.

How do you strike this balance? How do you fold into the mix our greater understanding of Lake Washington’s health? Advances in eco-friendly building materials? Changes in citizens’ expectations? These are some of the questions that the city is beginning to wrestle with.

Thankfully, the city’s staff and Planning Commission have set up a deliberate work plan. The staff has spent months preparing. Partnering with consultants who have broad and deep experience, the team has developed a preliminary draft of what the new rules might look like. The team has also brainstormed on possible approaches to sticky problems, such as setback rules for new construction or rebuilds near the lake.

We are early in the process. The Commission has waded into these regulatory waters just this spring. It’s getting educated on the new law, science and state expectations. It’s reviewing the preliminary draft. It’s providing the team feedback on attributes of Mercer Island that need to be considered. The Commission won’t begin its own editing until summer. The City Council won’t see the Commission’s recommendations until wintertime, and the Council will have the final say.

Despite the lengthy process, residents with a stake in these discussions should not sit idly by. The preliminary draft is 90 pages. It covers almost every aspect of waterfront usage. It includes important legal terms, borrowed from state statutes, that have their own nuances. Residents need to understand what is being discussed so that later they can comment effectively on what is being decided.

City staff is working to help the community on this score, too. The city is hosting an open house on shoreline issues at the Community Center on May 19. Notices have been sent to those who live near the shore, but all are welcome. And all Planning Commission meetings are open to the public. The Commission’s next review of shoreline issues will be in June. Keep your eye out for details in the Reporter and on the city’s Web site.

In my years on Mercer Island, I’ve seen several instances where Islanders have felt surprised by the city’s actions.

With the amount of lead time between now and the finalization of the important new shoreline rules, I’m hoping this won’t be one of those cases. But to avoid surprise, stakeholders should get and stay informed.

Note: Although Mr. Berejka is on the Planning Commission, the views expressed here are his own.