Seattle Public Utilities is conducting research on various alternatives for shoreline design along the southwestern shore of Lake Washington. The purpose of the focus group is to understand what shoreline property owners think and feel about these alternative shoreline designs. The focus group will lead to a survey of shoreline property owners, which may in turn lead to innovative public-private partnerships to implement these designs.

The focus group will be held on December 6th from 6:30-8:30 pm at the Pritchard Beach Bathhouse. Participants will be paid $50 for their participation. SPU needs to recruit the 12 participants no later than November 22nd, so your help is very critical to the success of this project.

SPU is looking for a mix of different types of shoreline property owners - for example, people who have lived here different lengths of time, people of different ages, people who have docks and those that don't males and females. Very importantly, they are looking for a mix of people who will have different opinions about, and levels of support for, these alternative shoreline designs. They will not be inviting Seattle or King County employees to participate.

All interested participants need to call this toll-free number to be screened for the focus group. 1-866-907-1018.

A Bellevue homeowner was recently cited for replacing 12 rotted deck boards on his pier without a permit. On Lake Washington, a minor change to a dock required the planting of two willow trees along the waterfront, blocking views, and adding more shading to the lake.Dock repair can require approval from seven different government agencies, extending the project many months, costing thousands of dollars in permit fees, and often requiring changes to fully grated decking to add more light to the lake.A waterfront homeowner in Holmes Point was required to post a long-term $5K performance bond to assure the mitigation plants and trees along the waterfront would be maintained for five years. The current Regional General Permit requires the bottom of fresh water docks to be one and one-half feet above the water, without fascia, which would not be very practical for boat use or swimming. Federal, state and local regulations are not consistent, and use the most restrictive regulations of each, often making the homeowner’s request impractical. Water access shouldn’t be so difficult! Get involved with SPOCA and help make a difference now.
Labels: War Stories

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Overheard: A super green high tech millionaire was having trouble getting shoreline permits for a "green building" project that involves using lake water for heating and cooling!?!

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