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17B.01.080 Governing principles. The following principles, in conjunction with the policy statements of RCW 90.58.020, establish the foundation for the goals, policies and regulations of this Program: 1. Any inconsistencies between this Program and the Act must be resolved in accordance with the Act. 2. The policies of this Program may be achieved by diverse means including, but not limited to: regulation of development; acquisition of lands and/or easements by purchase or gift; public facility and park planning; watershed planning; voluntary salmon recovery projects; and incentive programs. 3. Regulation of private property to implement Program goals must be consistent with all relevant constitutional and other legal limitations including, but not limited to: civil rights guaranteed by the U.S. and state constitutions, recent federal and state case law, and state statutes. 4. Regulatory or administrative actions contained herein must not unconstitutionally infringe on private property rights or result in an unconstitutional taking of private property. 5. The waters of the state are owned by the citizens of the state. The property rights accrued to the citizens of the state must not be infringed upon by activities that denigrate the value of this ownership interest. 6. The regulatory provisions of this Program are limited to shorelines of the state, whereas the planning functions of this Program may extend beyond the designated shoreline boundaries. 7. The policies and regulations established by the Regional Shoreline Master Program must be integrated and coordinated with those policies and rules of the comprehensive plans and development regulations adopted by the participating jurisdictions under the GMA. 8. Protecting the shoreline environment is an essential statewide policy goal, consistent with other policy goals. Permitted and/or exempt development, actions taken prior to the Act’s adoption, and/or unregulated activities can impair shoreline ecological processes and functions. This Program protects the shoreline ecology from such impairments in the following ways: a. By using a process that identifies, inventories, and ensures meaningful understanding of current and potential ecological functions provided by affected shorelines. b. By including policies, regulations, and incentives designed to ensure all development, including permit-exempt development, will not cause a net loss of shoreline ecological function. c. By including regulations and incentives designed to restore impaired ecological functions where such functions have been identified, consistent with the Restoration Plan dated April 2014. d. By including policies and regulations to address cumulative impacts, including the cumulative effect of exempt development, and by fairly allocating the burden of addressing such impacts among development opportunities. e. By including policies and regulations that coordinate shoreline management while protecting private property rights, consistent with the public interest. 9. In light of other relevant local, state, and federal regulatory and non-regulatory programs, the County will balance the policy goals of this Program to the extent consistent with the policies of the Act and these governing principles, and modify this Program to reflect changing circumstances. (Ord. 2016-006, 2016)