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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTaylor Shellfish Fudgepoint Geoduck Aquaculture - OTH Record Requests - 9/12/2011 P6ox °pa.�aA MASON COUNTY Shelton (360) 427-9670 DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT Belfair (360) 275-4467 Planning Elma (360) 482-5269 _ Mason County Bldg.1 411 N.5th P.O.Box 279 Shelton,WA 98584 1854 September 12, 2011 Joel Murray 404 Terry AVE Suite 206 Seattle, WA 98104 RE: Public records request Dear Mr. Murray: This letter is in response to your request dated September 1, 2011 and received in the Planning Department on September 6,2011. Under the Washington State Public Records Act, you have requested "l) All written communication and/or minutes/records from any meetings regarding or relating to Taylor Shellfish Company's multiple applications to Mason County to create a shellfish farm on Parcels No. 12007-34-7000 and No. 12007-34-70010 on Harstine Island in the year 2011 and 2)All written communications and/or minutes/records from any meetings regarding Mason County's approval of Taylor Shellfish Company's multiple applications to Mason County to create a shellfish farm on Parcels No. 12007-34-7000 and No. 12007-34-70010 on Harstine Island in the year 2011." No such records exist because there were no meetings regarding the decision to approve the proposals. It was an Administrative Decision made under the Mason County Shoreline Master Program Policies and Use Regulations for Aquaculture and the Attorney General's 2007 Opinion (AGO 2007 No. 1). No shoreline permit or letter of exemption is necessary since the activity is not definable as development per the AGO. All of the information that is located within the parcel files regarding the applications and their approval were sent to you on August 24,2011 in response to our telephone conversation on August 23, 2011. This letter is being sent to you today both through e-mail with PDF and by regular mail. I have also attached the Aquaculture Policies and Use Regulations from the Mason County Shoreline Master Program. Please let us know if you have any further questions. Thank you. Sincerely, Grace Miller, Planner DEPT OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CC: Barbara Adkins,Planning Manager Mason County Comprehensive Plan Shoreline Management Program Aquaculture Definition Aquaculture involves the culture and farming of food fish, shellfish,and other aquatic animals and plants in lakes, streams, inlets,bays and estuaries. Methods of aquaculture include, but are not limited to,fish pens, shellfish rafts,racks and longlines,seaweed floats and the culture of clams and oysters on tidelands and subtidal areas. Excluded from this definition are related commercial or industrial uses such as wholesale and retail sales, or final process and freezing. Policies 1. Potential locations for aquaculture practices are relatively restricted due to specific biophysical requirements such as water quality,temperature, substrate, dissolved oxygen, and salinity. Priority should be given to aquaculture uses in areas having a high potential for such uses. 2. The County should strengthen and diversify the local economy by encouraging aquaculture uses. 3. Shoreline and upland development in productive aquaculture areas or those areas with a high potential for aquaculture uses.should be reviewed for detrimental impacts on aquaculture. 4. Recognition should be given to the possible detrimental impacts that aquacultural activities might have on the aesthetic quality of the shoreline area. 5. Structures or activities associated with aquaculture should be located inland from shoreline areas unless clearly shoreline dependent. 6. Aquacultural activities should be operated in a manner that allows navigational access to shoreline owners and commercial traffic. 7. Flexibility to experiment with new aquaculture techniques should be allowed. 8. Proposed surface installations should be reviewed for conflicts with other uses in areas that are utilized for moorage, recreational boating, sport fishing, commercial fishing or commercial navigation:,Such surface installation shall incorporate features to reduce use conflicts. v 9. Maximum effort to protect water quality should be made in areas with high potential for aquaculture and current aquaculture areas that have been identified as sensitive areas. Forest Management Practices Definition Any activity conducted on or directly pertaining to forest land and relating to growing,harvesting, or processing of timber including but not limited to: (1)road and trail construction; (2)harvesting, (3)pre- commercial thinning, (4)forestation; (5)fertilization; (6)prevention and suppression of disease and insects; (7) salvage of timber; (8)brush control; and(9)slash and debris disposal. Excluded from this definition is preparatory work such as tree marking, surveying and removal of incidental vegetation such as berries, greenery, or other natural products whose removal cannot normally be expected to result in damage to shoreline natural features. Log storage away from forestlands is considered under Industry. Policies 1. Revegetation of all denuded areas in an Urban Residential Environment should be accomplished as quickly as feasible. Stabilization measures should be provided for all 4 SW 17.50.060 Use Regulations- Aquaculture Definition Aquaculture involves the culture and farming of food fish, shellfish, and other aquatic animals and plants in lakes, streams, inlets, bays and estuaries. Methods of aquaculture include, but are not limited to, fish pens, shellfish rafts, racks and longlines, seaweed floats and the culture of clams and oysters on tidelands and subtidal areas. Excluded from this definition are related commercial or industrial uses such as wholesale and retail sales, or final process and freezing. 1. Shoreline developments adjacent to areas especially suitable for aquaculture shall practice strict pollution control procedures. 2. Proposed residential subdivisions and other developments which may impact aquaculture operations shall install storm drainage and water disposal facilities to prevent any adverse water quality impacts to such operations. 3. Site preparation in the vicinity of aquaculture operations shall not result in off-site erosion, siltation, or other reductions in water quality. 4. Aquacultural practices shall be located and conducted so as to provide reasonable navigational access to waterfront property owners and along the shoreline. 5. Aquaculture development shall not cause extensive erosion or accretion along adjacent shorelines. 6. Aquaculture structures and activities that are not shoreline dependent shall be located to minimize the detrimental impact to the shoreline. 7. Proposed aquaculture processing plants shall provide adequate buffers to screen operations from adjacent residential uses. 8. Aquaculture structures and fisheries enhancement activities shall,-to the greatest extent feasible with regard to the economic viability of the operation and protection of the environment be located, designed and operated so that native plant and animal populations,their respective habitats and the local ecological balance are maintained.. Disease and pest control may be authorized. 9. Floating aquaculture structures shall not unduly detract from the aesthetic qualities of the surrounding area. 10. Aquacultural structures shall be placed in such a manner, and be suitably marked, so as to minimi e interference with navigation. 11. Aquaculture development shall be designed and constructed to harmonize as far as possible with the local shoreline environment and shall be maintained in a neat and orderly manner. 12. Proposed aquacultural developments shall make adequate provisions to control nuisance factors such as excessive noise and odor and excessive lighting. 13. Aquacultural discards shall be disposed of in a manner that will not degrade associated uplands, wetlands, shorelines,or water environments. Discards shall not be disposed of in a manner which results in offensive odors or increases the vector population. 1 Chapter 17.50 Mason County Shoreline Master Prog=Use Regulations L JOEL F. MURRAY o joel@joehnurray.org• (360)292-5922 • 404 Terry Ave,Apt.206, Seattle,WA 98104 • September 1,2011 Mason County j Department of Community Development R "�:. p,I { x_, Planning U fi 201 Mason County Bldg. 1411 N. 5th P.O. BOX 279 426 W. CEDAR ST. Shelton, WA 98584 Re: Washington State Public Records Act Request Dear Sir or Madam: Please let this letter serve as my formal request under the Washington State Public Records Act,RCW 42.56.001 et seq., for the following documents: 1) All written communications and/or minutes/records from any meetings regarding or relating to the Taylor Shellfish Company's multiple applications to Mason County to create a shellfish farm on Parcels No. 1200734-70000 and No. 12007- 34-70010 on Harstene Island in the year 2011; 2) All written communications and/or minutes/records from any meetings regarding Mason County's approval of Taylor Shellfish Company's multiple applications to Mason County to create a shellfish farm on Parcels No. 1200734-70000 and No. 12007-34-70010 on Harstene Island in the year 2011. Where possible,please provide digital or"soft" copies of the requested documents in portable document format(PDF).Please mail the records to Joel Murray,404 Terry Ave, Suite 206, Seattle, WA 98104 or joel@joelmurray.org. You can contact me at(360)292- 5922 orjoel@joelmurray.org with any questions. Thank you for your time and consideration of this request. Ve !urray Joel Skyline Tower 10900 Northeast Fourth Street • Suite 2030 • Bellevue Washington 98004 (425)455-9610 • Fax(425)455-1 170 • E-Mail: mark@mdklaw.com • Web: www.mdklaw.com ti Pf tN (4 vntz - v MASON COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PLANNING DIVISION PO BOX 279 SHELTON WA 98584 360-427-9670 INVOICE DATE: 3� copy/copies of the �,�o, e�i u��. -=�� �-t�•� were mailed to: Ja r ,a,,,� /13 6,2L o ny/�� The charge for each copy is e5 and for postage for a total charge of 7� q, So Please make your check payable to `Mason County Treasurer' and return it to the address listed above. Thank you.