Soap Lake reviewing shoreline development regulations

SOAP LAKE — More research is underway, but when it’s done Soap Lake residents will get a chance to register their opinions on updated development regulations along the lake shoreline. 

City planner Alex Kovach asked Soap Lake City Council members how they wanted to proceed on development regulations, given that the lakeshore is subject to different standards from different federal and state agencies. That could mean a change in the way landowners can use their property, depending on the standard used, he said.

The federal Bureau of Reclamation manages the lake, and uses one standard. The city, however, is required to have a shoreline master plan, overseen by the Washington Department of Ecology. The DOE has a different standard, and the shoreline master plan had to be written to their standard. Kovach said the two don’t always match.

Council members previously considered but didn’t pass regulations that included both standards, which said property development would be governed by the most restrictive. 

Kovach said the regulations would require any development to maintain a distance from the line established by the standards. That’s called a setback, and it’s different for residences and commercial buildings, he said.

The development standards also could have an impact on existing buildings. A section of Soap Lake’s East Main Avenue, mostly commercial buildings, could be affected. 

Council Member Susan Carbon said she was reluctant to move forward without a clearer explanation for the public of the two standards. She also asked about a map that would show the shoreline, so people could see where the two standards could affect development, and what the difference would be.

“I think for everybody, a hearing would be good where it shows the topography of our shoreline,” she said. “Keep it simple for everybody.”

Council Member Judith Gorman asked if the city had that information.

“We do not,” Kovach said. 

Some of the land has been surveyed, with the two standards established. Other sections of the lakeshore may not be, including the section bordering the commercial district on East Main Avenue at its intersection with State Route 17.

“I don’t think there have been surveys done on the shoreline under the (shoreline master plan approved in 2014) where it has those requirements to show that,” Kovach said.  

Nancy Wetch, with the city’s engineers Gray and Osborne, said the company might have some of that information, compiled during previous projects they’ve done in Soap Lake. But Wetch cautioned that it’s crucial that all the information starts with the same set of topographical references, since those can make a difference also.

Council members asked Kovach to review the information before deciding on a date for considering the standards, and a public hearing.

Cheryl Schweizer may be reached via email at cschweizer@columbiabasinherald.com.