Planning Commission moves to approve shoreline permit for SE Pioneer Way Improvements Project

The Planning Commission has recommended that City Council approve the shoreline permit for the SE Pioneer Way Improvements Project. A hearing before the City Council is scheduled for Tuesday, October 19. In September, the Planning Commission reviewed the SE Pioneer Way Improvements Project against relevant criteria for the City’s Shoreline Master Plan and conducted a public hearing. Even though this project is not a shoreline project, the City’s Shoreline Master Plan was developed to protect the shoreline environment – in particular, respecting property rights and preserving or enhance public access to the shoreline. Projects, such as the SE Pioneer Way Improvements Project, are required to go through this permit process if they are within 200 feet of the shoreline. As a roadway enhancement project with stormwater upgrades, is not anticipated that the SE Pioneer Way Improvements Project will impact the shoreline environment. The State environmental process (SEPA) that addresses this permit named this project a “mitigated determination of non-significance,” and was completed on August 6, 2010.