SHO Update September 2026
Shoreline Neighbors,
It has been 2-1/2 years since the last SHO Update (February 2024), which reported on two ongoing matters of concern to lakeshore property owners along the east side of Lake Sammamish. Those are 1) litigation pertaining to the East Lake Sammamish Trail, and 2) efforts to reduce extremely high, damaging peaks in lake level. We basically remain in the doldrums in this regard; SHO is unaware of any significant developments on either issue.
However… SHO has learned of a pending issue that should be of concern to all waterfront property owners. The Washington State Department of Ecology (DOE) has proposed extensive changes to the Shoreline Management Act that, if approved, will likely impact to some degree all of us around Lake Sammamish, Pine Lake, and Beaver Lake. This has a short fuse, and we need to get involved right away. Please read on.
Proposed Changes to Shoreline Management Act
The DOE has been working on changes to the state’s Shoreline Management Act since May of 2024, and we are now in a public hearing and a comment period that ends on November 17. In their final form, these changes will become part of the Washington Administrative Code (i.e., state law). Then jurisdictions (like Bellevue and Sammamish) will be required to update their Shoreline Master Programs (SMPs) to be compliant.
These changes are massive, not just a few tweaks here and there. As just one example, DOE wants to place vegetation conservation and restoration requirements on the entire “shoreline jurisdiction”, which in the case of “Shorelines of the State” like Lake Sammamish, extends 200 feet from the Ordinary High Water Mark. I.e., the DOE wants to take over vegetation control for this entire band of shoreline, not just the shoreline buffers or building setbacks (SHO’s interpretation). Reference WAC 173-26-221(6)(d) for this example.
Changes related to shoreline exemptions, nonconformities, shoreline stabilization, and vegetation management should be of particular concern to us.
Here is a link to a summary document characterizing the proposed changes:
https://apps.ecology.wa.gov/publications/documents/2606021.pdf
Links to the proposed changes to the Shoreline Management Act are found here:
As spelled out in this second reference, a public comment period for these changes runs from Sept. 2 through Nov. 17, 2026. Also listed there are five in-person and one online public hearing at various locations and dates from Oct. 15 through Nov. 3. The last of these is the one closest to Sammamish and is in Des Moines.
East Lake Sammamish Trail
The issue of ownership of the former railroad right of way remains in question.
As SHO has been reporting, in January of 2020 King County filed suit in the US District Court for the Western District of Washington against eight property owners in a 200-foot-wide section of the former rail corridor. The suit claims their use of the land within the rail corridor and the adjoining shorelands constitutes trespassing, and demands that they pay for “remediation and restoration of the public lands, along with the payment of back rents”. This includes not just the rail corridor, but their docks, boat lifts, and anything else outside the corridor on the lake side, plus their right to cross the trail to get to them.
The federal court still has not ruled on this case. But a ruling in favor of the defendant property owners would be an important step in the direction of ultimately countering the county’s claim that the rail corridor is now “public land” and that they have the obligation to charge us for “private use of public land” for any enhancements – parking, gardens, landscaping, etc. – that we maintain within the corridor, as well as the right to cross the corridor to get to our homes.
Of course, SHO will continue to monitor the progress of the federal case and report that ruling to you when it comes out.
High lake water levels
SHO also continues to monitor efforts of the Bellevue group, Washington Sensible Shorelines Association (WSSA), in its attempt to get the King County Flood Control District to address the problem of damaging extreme high water events on Lake Sammamish.
There are multiple elements of this, but The Willowmoor Project at Marymoor has the most direct bearing on the matter, as it includes options such as a dynamic weir to actively control lake level. But that project effectively remains on hold in the planning stage after eight years, pending a county decision on how to proceed.
WSSA has been steadfastly working this issue for many years and deserves our support. For more information visit the WSSA website at:
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Finally, many lakefront properties have changed ownership since SHO’s email distribution list was last revised. If you have a new neighbor, please tell them about SHO and encourage them to visit the SHO website and sign up for these Updates. It is easy to do under “Join Our E-Mail List” on the front page of the website.
SHO Board of Directors