Project Overview
Washington State’s Shoreline Management Act (SMA) requires jurisdictions that contain “shorelines of the state” within their boundaries to periodically update their Shoreline Master Programs (SMPs). When University Place incorporated in 1995 it adopted the Pierce County SMP. The City replaced the shoreline policies and regulations contained in the County SMP when it adopted its first SMP in 2000. The most recent update to the City's SMP was adopted pursuant to Ordinance No. 652 on March 16, 2015.
Purpose of SMP
University Place’s updated SMP is used as a planning document that sets policy and regulation for the City’s shoreline areas, including adjacent upland areas within 200 feet of designated shorelines and associated wetlands and floodplain areas. These areas include approximately 5.9 miles of marine (Puget Sound) shoreline and 2.65 miles of Chambers Creek shoreline. The shoreline planning area encompasses approximately 314 acres.
Project Tasks
The most recent update of the City's SMP included the following tasks: