31.04.460 Lake Sutherland neighborhood

31.04.460 Lake Sutherland neighborhood.

(1) Neighborhood Concerns Identified in the Planning Process. The Lake Sutherland neighborhood is bounded by the Olympic National Park to the south, Eden Valley to the east, Lake Crescent drainage divide to the west and Bear Valley to the north. With the exception of the area immediately adjacent to Lake Sutherland the neighborhood is all in commercial forest land use.

Rural suburban community designation describes the urban density development which surrounds Lake Sutherland. This designation will allow infill development at these urban densities but the area of the designation cannot be expanded to limit urban density development occurring outside of urban growth areas. Rural low density is mapped on the north side of Highway 101 in the area between the Shadow Mountain Store and the Lake Crescent Drainage divide. The area immediately surrounding the Shadow Mountain Store is designated rural neighborhood commercial and provides commercial services to area residents and the traveling public. Rural very low density is utilized in an area which has been divided into twenty (20) acre lots just north of the rural low density designation. These densities provide a transition from rural density to the commercial forest and should not be upzoned within this planning time frame.

This neighborhood has large areas of commercial forestland. Maintaining the forested foothills managed by the DNR and other large private landowners in commercial forest use is vital to maintaining the water quality in this neighborhood. Commercial forest use also contributes to the visual quality experienced in this neighborhood as well as maintaining a balance between residential uses and utilization of the actual productive nature of the land for growing commercial timber. Further encroachment of residential uses in commercial forestry areas will be prohibited during this planning time frame.

The neighborhood contains several large wetland complexes near Indian Creek and Lake Sutherland which must be protected. Other critical areas in the neighborhood include the Indian Creek and Upper Colville Creek. Forest resource lands in this neighborhood serve to protect landslide and erosion hazard areas while providing for productive use of the land. The neighborhood is concerned about maintaining water quality in Lake Sutherland but no major problems were discovered with lake water quality at this time. As more full time residences are located on the lake, failing on-site sewage disposal systems may become a problem.

The community is interested in establishing a new fire district to serve the Lake Sutherland community as this would reduce fire insurance rates in the area.

Highway 101 and East Beach Road provide excellent access to this neighborhood.

(2) Boundary. [Policy No. 1] The Lake Sutherland neighborhood is bounded by the Olympic National Park to the south, Eden Valley to the east, Lake Crescent drainage divide to the west and Bear Valley to the north.

(a) [Policy No. 2] Rural suburban community designation describes the urban density development which surrounds Lake Sutherland.

(b) [Policy No. 3] The area immediately surrounding the Shadow Mountain Store is designated rural neighborhood commercial and provides commercial services to area residents and the traveling public. The area surrounding Granny’s store is also designated rural neighborhood commercial. These commercial uses can be expanded within the present area designated for this use but should not be expanded beyond these bounds during the planning time frame to encourage compact commercial service centers, to prevent “strip commercial” sprawl in rural areas and to maintain the scenic nature of this designated scenic corridor.

(c) [Policy No. 4] Rural low density is mapped on the north side of Highway 101 in the area between the Shadow Mountain Store and the Lake Crescent Drainage divide.

(d) [Policy No. 5] Rural very low density is utilized in an area which has been divided into twenty (20) acre lots just north of the rural low density designation.

(e) [Policy No. 6] Rural very low density designations were mapped at the far west extension of Eden Valley to provide low density designations which grade into the commercial forestlands to the west.

(a) [Policy No. 7] Forest lands of long-term commercial significance have been designated in the foothills and mountains which dominate this neighborhood. Ownership of forest lands is diverse: from the State of Washington to major private timber companies to individuals. Land uses adjoining that land shall ensure continued viability of long-term forest production, with increased setbacks from the forest line and notification of potential incompatible uses required during new development. Further encroachment of residential uses into commercial forest areas shall be prohibited as it would severely impact the commercial viability of the area for commercial forestry.

(b) [Policy No. 8] Development adjacent to designated forest lands of long-term commercial significance should be at rural very low density or shall utilize a commercial forest mixed use designation to provide a low density buffer to commercial forestlands. Commercial forestland directly abut rural suburban community designations in the area of the lake due to the extremely steep nature of the ground. No transition designation is needed or is practical in this situation.

(a) [Policy No. 9] Encourage the consolidation of existing individual dock facilities to restore shoreline habitat potential where possible.

Clallam County

(b) [Policy No. 10] Prohibit the construction of bulkheads along the shoreline of Lake Sutherland.

Clallam County

(c) [Policy No. 11] Continue monitoring the waters of Lake Sutherland to establish better baseline information and to evaluate trends. Inform property owners about water quality monitoring results.

Clallam County, Elwha S’Klallam Tribe

(d) [Policy No. 12] Conduct a voluntary sanitary survey of all on-site sewage disposal systems around the lake to identify failing systems and offer incentives for making repairs.

Clallam County, WSU-Cooperative Extension

(e) [Policy No. 13] Encourage creation of a lake property owners’ association so property owners can better communicate problems to each other and to their public officials.

Clallam County, WSU-Cooperative Extension

(f) [Policy No. 14] Provide educational materials to residents about use and maintenance of on-site sewage disposal systems, lawn fertilization, preserving wildlife and wetland habitat, and stewardship.

Clallam County, WSU-Cooperative Extension

(a) [Policy No. 15] Water service is provided by small community systems and individual wells in this area.

(b) [Policy No. 16] Community on-site sewage disposal systems managed by homeowners’ associations or the PUD should be the preferred form of treatment system around the lake. Further from the lake, individual on-site sewage disposal systems could be utilized for waste treatment in this resource and rural density neighborhood.

(c) [Policy No. 17] Clallam County should work with area residents to determine the feasibility of establishing a new fire district to serve the Lake Sutherland community.

(a) [Policy No. 18] Extensive commercial forestry resource lands provide for retention of many open space values. Open space will occur as a result of wetland protection, stream buffering and very low rural densities allowed in this area.

(b) [Policy No. 19] Owners of wetlands should be encouraged to file conservation easements on these portions of their property to protect them from development, provide open spaces and gain tax advantage.

(a) [Policy No. 20] East Beach Road and South Shore Road should be widened.

(b) [Policy No. 21] County gravel roads serving low-density development or accessing commercial forest designation should remain a gravel standard to minimize conversion pressures. The eastern end of Eden Valley Road shall remain at gravel standard to limit conversion pressures in this neighborhood.