Rules for building near Gig Harbor streams and wetlands are changing
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Gig Harbor proposes expanded wetland and stream buffers for new development.
- The code updates affect new development, not existing or approved development.
- City plans public meetings, planning commission review and June adoption of revised code.
Gig Harbor residents who live near wetlands, streams, steep slopes and other environmental features may see changes to what they can and can’t develop on their land this year, along with developers eyeing vacant land within city limits.
The city is required to review their rules around growth and development and the impact to certain environmental features every 10 years, per the state’s Growth Management Act. These rules include buffers and setbacks for development — which affect how far a proposed development must be from a critical area, such as a stream — and additional permit requirements, according to the city’s website.
The proposed updates this year include revised definitions and larger buffers for wetlands and streams, the city’s website says, and are based on “best available science.” That refers to “that scientific information applicable to the critical area prepared by local, state or federal natural resource agencies, a qualified scientific professional or team of qualified scientific professionals that is consistent with criteria” established in state law, according to definitions in the proposed updates.
Here’s what to know.
City to adopt code updates in June
Updates to the code will only affect new development, such as adding structures or clearing land, Gig Harbor Community Development Director Eric Baker said in a virtual presentation March 3. That applies to both vacant land, and making additions to existing homes and businesses.
“So it could affect what people could develop in the future on vacant land, but also could have an impact for folks who want to expand their home or build a deck or something such as that,” Baker said in a separate interview with The News Tribune.
The new updates won’t apply to existing development or development that’s already been approved, he emphasized.
“So when I talk about impacts, think new development,” Baker said during the presentation. “Don’t think what you already have right now. What you have right now, if you created it legally through a permitting process, you’re perfectly safe to continue as it was before.”
City staff began reviewing the city’s critical areas code based on best available science last June, and prepared the draft code updates last fall, according to the timeline on the city’s website. The city is hosting meetings with stakeholders and the public through March, and the code will then go to the planning commission and city council for additional public hearings. Adoption is planned for June, the website says.
Baker said that the city sent out over 2,000 postcards to people with property within 300 feet of a wetland or stream. Though the buffers won’t all be 300 feet, the city wants to make sure “people in the general area know that this is going on and can connect with the city prior to going to the planning commission hearings or council hearings,” he said. “We’d like to hear from them early versus later on.”
Expanded buffers proposed for wetlands and streams
During his presentation March 3, Baker said that buffers for wetlands and streams typically protect fish habitat. Buffers can help keep the water temperature from getting too hot and filter out human-caused pollutants before they wash into the stream or wetland. For example, lawn fertilizer contains nitrogen, which can wash into streams and generate algae.
Buffers also protect habitat for wildlife, giving them “an opportunity to stay outside of our yards,” Baker said in his presentation.
The proposed buffer widths differ by wetland or stream type and other categories. For streams, the proposed widths range from 50 to 100 feet more than the existing buffer requirements. The increase for wetland buffers ranges from 50 to 200 feet more in some cases, with the full breakdown outlined in the proposed revisions.
Baker told The News Tribune that property owners can reach out to the city at any time to ask questions about how the proposed updates could affect their property.
“And I do want to mention, this is a current draft,” he said, “... So we do expect there to be changes along the way.”
While best available science provides what he described as “sideboards” for the code updates, the city does have some space to make decisions within those bounds, he said. He added that the city may also look at the code updates that other local jurisdictions, such as Kitsap and Pierce counties, have made to align with best available science.
