Activities on sites containing erosion hazards shall meet the following requirements:
A. Buffers required. A buffer shall be established for all edges of erosion hazard areas. The purpose of the buffer is to eliminate or minimize the risk of property damage, death, or injury resulting from erosion caused in whole or part by a development, based upon review of and concurrence with a critical areas report prepared by a qualified professional.
B. Minimum buffers. The minimum buffer shall be the greater of: either 100 feet (100') landward from the landward edge of the erosion hazard area; or in the case of shorelines, the controlling 1980 or 1968 shoreline setback line that applies to the subject site, as indicated in the City’s adopted shoreline master program. The shoreline erosion hazard area buffer is determined based on predicted average shoreline erosion rates for adjacent or nearby shoreline segments from the Washington Department of Ecology’s Coastal Monitoring and Analysis Program.
C. Buffer reduction. Buffer reductions are not allowed for erosion hazard areas, unless the Director finds sufficient evidence, based on best available science, to support such a buffer reduction, consistent with the requirements of this chapter.
D. Increased buffer. The buffer may be increased when the Director determines a larger buffer is necessary to prevent risk of damage to proposed and existing development.
E. Alterations. Alterations of an erosion hazard area and/or buffer may only occur for activities for which a geotechnical analysis is submitted and certifies that:
1. The development will not increase surface water discharge or sedimentation to adjacent properties beyond the pre-development condition;
2. The development will not decrease slope stability on adjacent properties; and
3. Such alteration will not adversely impact other critical areas. (Ord. 985, 10-5-2020)