Last night I attended the Lake Tapps community meeting headed up by Senator Pam Roach, Pierce County Councilman, Dan Roach, and the Lake Tapps Community Council. Although I didn’t count heads, I’d say there were around 150 residents in attendance. The meeting was to discuss The Department of Ecology’s state-mandated Shoreline Master Program. This update is the first revision of policies to regulate shoreline in unincorporated Pierce County since they were adopted in 1974. In 2003, the Legislature set up a timetable for local governments to update their shoreline master programs. Pierce County’s update started in 2007.
To comply with the state, Pierce County is proposing a 50-foot buffer along Lake Tapps as part of its revised changes to shoreline policies — the first such changes in almost 40 years. It seems many residents didn’t think much of this because they confused “set back” with “buffer.” A buffer is a relatively undisturbed area with vegetation that separates development from the shoreline. A setback is a less restrictive designation that permits features such as decks and gazebos. The proposed lake buffers were driven by recommendations from the state Department of Ecology, said Debby Hyde, of the county’s Planning and Land Services department.
This mostly impacts the 119 +/- vacant land owners on Lake Tapps who for whatever reason, have yet to develop their land. There are also even more property owners with “underdeveloped” properties- those with small cabins or mobile homes that were planned to be torn down for a “dream home” to take it’s place. This proposal will also affect homeowners with developed lots if and when they find that it’s time to replace their bulkheads, docks or remove that tree that is leaning over and creating a danger. The list goes on.
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Long story short (yes, too late), it appears that The Department of Ecology would like to see our lake return to the natural, wild habitat it was in the 1800′s regardless of what it will do to the residents property values, way of life and the legacies they planned to leave to their children and grandchildren.