My husband and I recently bought a house on Point Monroe – The “Sand Spit.” We have lived on Bainbridge Island 25 years and finally have a place on the water where we could have a boat, go swimming and crabbing.

Little did we know that the city’s Planning Department would newly designate our property a Shoreline Residential Conservancy and our waterway an Aquatic Conservancy, as part of updating the Shoreline Management Plan  (SMP). This designation goes way beyond what the state of Washington is requiring for the SMP.

This means that our right to maintain, update and renovate our property – our house and our dock – will be significantly compromised.

In an Aquatic Conservancy we may not be able to bring our boat to our dock (nor will anyone who enjoys boating into the Spit Lagoon or other island bays like Fletcher Bay or Murden Cove, also being considered for this designation).

As a boater, I would hate not to be able to access these desirable protected bays.

In a Shoreline Residential Conservancy (being considered for 42 percent of the island’s shorelines), many existing, lawfully built houses will be deemed nonconforming and the owners’ ability to repair or replace them will be threatened also. This will significantly take way our property rights and values.

We are all lovers of this environment and want to protect it. There are many other avenues to protect the shoreline environment, such as controlling  runoff and pollution so that we are all sharing the cost of environmental protection.

How can the city just take way our property rights and values? Do you want to pay for the litigation by the shoreline residents that will be inevitable?

Please support us in our fight to protect our property rights. It may be your property next.

Bonnie Dekker

Bainbridge Island