16.55.030 Purpose and Intent.
Washington’s Shoreline Management Act (RCW 90.58) was passed by the State Legislature in 1971 and adopted by the public in a referendum. The SMA was created in response to a growing concern among residents of the state that serious and permanent damage was being done to shorelines by unplanned and uncoordinated development. The goal of the SMA was “to prevent the inherent harm in an uncoordinated and piecemeal development of the state’s shorelines.” While protecting shoreline resources by regulating development, the SMA is also intended to provide for appropriate shoreline use by encouraging land uses that enhance and conserve shoreline functions and values. The SMA has three broad policies:
(1) Encourage water-dependent and water-oriented uses: “uses shall be preferred which are consistent with control of pollution and prevention of damage to the natural environment, or are unique to or dependent upon use of the states’ shorelines....”
(2) Promote public access: “the public’s opportunity to enjoy the physical and aesthetic qualities of natural shorelines of the state shall be preserved to the greatest extent feasible consistent with the overall best interest of the state and the people generally.”
(3) Protect shoreline natural resources, including “...the land and its vegetation and wildlife, and the waters of the state and their aquatic life....”
The intent of the City of Pullman Shoreline Master Program is to ensure comprehensive planning for the City’s shorelines and to ensure the adoption and implementation of use regulations, together with maps, diagrams, charts, or other descriptive material and text, a statement of desired goals, and standards developed in accordance with the policies adopted by the State. (Ord. 16-3 §4, 2016).