Critical Areas Ordinance finalized at
city council meeting

Buffers brought up to protect wetlands and streams BY PAM STEVENS | EDITOR The Lake Stevens City Council met on Monday for the third and final reading of Ordinance Number 773, the critical areas regulations amendment. The Journal went to print earlier that day but it was looking like the Council would vote to pass the amendment with the amended changes.

After public hearings on March 24 and 31 and several written letters received and reviewed by the council and city staff, the buffer widths for both streams and wetlands will change from the previous critical area regulations update from last year.

There are four different stream types, which are rated by their functionality.

Type S, the highest functioning streams have gone from a 100 foot buffer to a 150 foot buffer while Type F has been changed from a 75 foot buffer to a 100 foot buffer width.

Of the two lesser functioning stream types, NP stayed the same at a 50 foot buffer width while NS changed from a 35 foot width to a 50 foot width.

“These buffers are based on State recommended stream buffer widths,” Becky Ableman, Planning Director for the City of Lake Stevens said.
Wetlands, which are rated by categories with Category I being the most functional, had changes also.

Category I wetlands in Lake Stevens have gone from 150 foot buffers to buffers up to 190 feet while Category II will change from 100 foot buffer widths up to 190 foot widths. Category III will now go up to 95 foot buffers from 50 feet previously and Category IV changes from 50 foot buffers to 35 foot buffers.

Merlin and Beverly Gilbertson are citizen’s of Lake Stevens and have expressed their concern about “extreme environmentalists” … “who constantly make the rounds of session held by the Snohomish County Council and city councils within Snohomish County,” a letter written to the council stated.

They also expressed concern over the “disregard” of the Lake Stevens Planning Commission’s recommendations made to the city staff and council, which indicated that they thought the buffers should remain the same.

“The vote for the recommendation presented to the City Council by the Planning Commission wasn’t even close, it was seven to zero,” they wrote. “The Planning Commission members are respected, dedicated experts in these matters and it makes a lot of sense to follow their recommendations.”

The city made the changes based on the best available science.
“They felt the smaller stream buffers were supported by our Best Available Science report,” Ableman said.

Ableman explained that they have included an innovative development provision which encourages builders to invent innovative ways to design a project, allowing cluster building on a site while building away from buffers allowing the lt size to go down a little bit.

“It would have to be very innovative and very creative with no impact to the wetlands,” Ableman said. “It’s an opportunity for someone to propose something innovative.”

V changes from 50 foot buffers to 35 foot buffers.

Merlin and Beverly Gilbertson are citizen’s of Lake Stevens and have expressed their concern about “extreme environmentalists” … “who constantly make the rounds of session held by the Snohomish County Council and city councils within Snohomish County,” a letter written to the council stated.

They also expressed concern over the “disregard” of the Lake Stevens Planning Commission’s recommendations made to the city staff and council, which indicated that they thought the buffers should remain the same.

“The vote for the recommendation presented to the City Council by the Planning Commission wasn’t even close, it was seven to zero,” they wrote. “The Planning Commission members are respected, dedicated experts in these matters and it makes a lot of sense to follow their recommendations.”

The city made the changes based on the best available science.

“They felt the smaller stream buffers were supported by our Best Available Science report,” Ableman said.

Ableman explained that they have included an innovative development provision which encourages builders to invent innovative ways to design a project, allowing cluster building on a site while building away from buffers allowing the size to go down a little bit.

“It would have to be very innovative and very creative with no impact to the wetlands,” Ableman said. “It’s an opportunity for someone to propose something innovative.”

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