— from San Juan County Communications —

The Department of Community Development (DCD) has issued a new policy about the development of residential appurtenances in the shoreline jurisdiction and has addressed Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about shoreline development in a new bulletin.

DCD developed these documents to help the public better understand the County’s code requirements for development proposed within 200 feet of the Ordinary High Water Mark.

Normal Residential Appurtenances

A normal residential appurtenance is a structure or development that is necessarily connected to the use of a single-family residence. DCD’s a new policy identifies “other detached residential appurtenances” mentioned in the definition of normal residential appurtenances and clarifies how and what regulations apply to all residential appurtenances. You can read the new policy HERE.

Shoreline Master Program Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

This bulletin provides answers to the most common questions we receive about the shoreline regulations and will help ensure consistent application of the code. The FAQ is available HERE.

Ask a Planner 

If you have a general question about developing a shoreline property, please submit an Ask-A-Planner form through the DCD page HERE.

Pre-Application Meetings

Pre-application meetings are required prior to the submittal of shoreline substantial development, conditional use and variance permit applications. They are encouraged for all other development proposals in the shoreline jurisdiction. Pre-application materials must be submitted to DCD 10 days prior to the scheduled meeting. There is no charge for these meetings. You may request a pre-application meeting HERE.