Report: Bellevue Shorelines Proposal Falls Short, State Says

The Seattle Times reports that the Department of Ecology and the city of Bellevue will rework the city's proposed shorelines plan, after state officials were unconvinced that the plan did enough to protect the city's lakes.

According to the Times' report, the changes that the state found problematic were included in the proposal after two Bellevue Planning Commission appointments in the past two years: John Carlson and Diane Tebelius. They are both prominent Republicans who have run for political office. Carlson is a conservative radio host who ran for governor in 2000. Tebelius is a former Republican party chairwoman who has run for state legislature.

The state's concerns included that Bellevue's proposed requirements for plants would not protect the ecology of lakes Washington, Sammamish or Phantom Lake. The state also expressed concern that the city's proposal would be too permissive in allowing construction along the lakes.

According to the Seattle Times, the city Planning Commission had been working on a draft plan that in 2011 was close to the Department of Ecology's expectations of the update. However, in the past few years, the draft changed to reflect Lake Sammamish property owners' concerns that the proposed changes were too restrictive with what they could build on their properties, including docks and seawalls.

Bellevue and state Ecology officials both told the Times that they plan to work together to create a plan that both entities can approve, and possibly defend in a lawsuit if the plan were challenged.

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Seattle Times: Bellevue, state at odds over shoreline plan