SMMP Shoreline Policies & Regulations (1974 - 2012)
The Shoreline Management Act Final Guidelines have established Shoreline Use Activities which are to be included within local government shoreline master programs. These use activity categories consist of specific uses or groups of similar uses which are characteristic of the shoreline corridor. They have been formulated as implementing tools to assist in carrying out the intent and policy of the master program and the Shoreline Management Act. The policies and regulations developed for each use activity category are intended to serve as the primary set of criteria for evaluating proposed developments and alterations to the shoreline environment.
Use Regulations
The Use Regulations supplement, but do not duplicate, specific requirements of other county land use regulations. For example, flood-proofing considerations are not addressed here since they are effectively covered by both state and county laws. In essence, the Use Regulations address those Shoreline Management issues which are not effectively provided for by existing federal, state, or county regulations and which must be provided for if the adopted goals and policies of this Master Program are to be implemented.
Unidentified Use Activities
Shoreline use activities not specifically identified and for which policies and regulations have not been developed are conditional uses (Amended Ordinance Number 88-075 dated October 12, 1988).
Use Activity - Shoreline Environment Compatibility Matrix
A use activity - shoreline environment compatibility matrix has been developed to graphically portray in very general terms the relationship between the various use activities and the shoreline environments, established by the use regulations. This compatibility matrix reflects the attempt of the use activity regulations to allow all reasonable and appropriate uses while imposing the regulatory control necessary to insure preservation of the integrity of the natural systems and natural environment of the shoreline area in which they intend to locate. Additional concerns incorporated into the use regulations and reflected in the compatibility matrix included, but were not limited to: long term benefits, view enhancement and protection, aesthetic considerations, and recreation needs.
Use Activity Regulations
Use Activity Regulations are a requirement of the Master Program. It is the regulations that provide the legal assurance of what will be required of any development located within a shoreline area. These regulations are directly supportive of the adopted policies for each environment and use activity. In the development of the regulations, the special character of each environment has been recognized; the regulations seek to reflect and preserve that character wherever appropriate. To this end, most Use Activities have six regulation sections.
Regulation Sections
In each case, the first section contains regulations of general applicability in all environments where the use is allowed. The succeeding five sections contain those additional regulations that are required for the conduct of an activity in each of the five environments: Urban, Suburban, Rural, Conservancy, and Natural.
Three types of activities do not have specific regulation sections and appear as a separate policy section of the SMMP. They serve as an overlay on all use activities, and are: