Coastal Development 

Enforceable Policies for Coastal Development:

Policy CD-1	In accordance with the prioritization requirement set forth
in 11 AAC 112.200(b),

	A.  “Water-dependent” uses are economically and physically
dependent upon a coastal location and are given a higher priority than
those land and water uses and activities that are not water-dependent. 
Water dependent uses in the Skagway coastal district include:  

boat harbors; 

freight, fuel or other docks; 

marine-based tourism facilities; 

boat repair, haul outs, marine ways and accessory attached house; 

shipwrights; 

facilities that service the transportation of good and services between
the marine transportation system and the road system; 

fish hatcheries, mariculture activities and fish processing; and 

facilities to provide public access to coastal waters. 

B.   “Water-related” uses in the Skagway coastal district include: 

commercial activities such as hotels, restaurants and other similar uses
that provide views and access to the waterfront.  Commercial uses that
promote physical or visual use of shorelines by the public will be given
preference over other commercial uses in developing shoreline locations.


residential development.  

C.	Accessory developments to residential use shall not be located along
the coastline unless no practicable inland alternative exists, and shall
not be permitted over the water unless water-dependent, such as piers
and floats for recreational or personal use.  Joint or community use of
private piers or floats shall be used over proliferation of piers and
floats for individual lots, where practicable.  Mooring buoys shall be
used where practicable.  

D.  Facilities for water-dependent recreation, such as fishing,
swimming, and boating, and water-related recreation such as picnicking,
hiking and walking shall be located near the shoreline, while
non-water-related recreation facilities shall be located inland where
practicable.  

Policy CD-2	Placement of fill in coastal waters for residential
development is prohibited unless there is no practicable upland
alternative. 

Natural Hazards

Designation of Natural Hazard Areas:  The SCMP is designating the
following areas as natural hazard areas in accordance with 11 AAC
112.210(a) and 11 AAC 14.250(b).  These areas are mapped on Figures 3.3,
3.4 and 3.5.  Policy NH-1 applies within these designated areas.

Skagway River, 100-year floodplain (Chapter 3.0, Section 3.4.2; and
Skagway River AMSA plan, Chapter 5.0, Section 5.4.4).

Taiya River, 100-year floodplain (Chapter 3.0, Section 3.4.3).

Areas in Taiya Inlet subject to underwater landslides and
locally-generated tsunami (Chapter 3.0, Section 3.4.5).

Enforceable Policy for Natural Hazards:

Policy NH-1	Development in the Skagway River and Taiya River designated
natural hazard areas must be designed and constructed to withstand a
100-year flood.

Coastal Access

Enforceable Policies for Coastal Access:

Policy CA-1	New development sited along coastal waters shall provide
physical access to shorelines, unless such access would significantly
interfere with operations or present a hazard to life or property.

Recreation

Designation of Recreation Use Areas:  The SCMP is designating the
following areas as recreation use areas in accordance with 11 AAC
14.250(c).  These areas are mapped on Figure 3.12.  Policies R-1 through
R-4 apply in these designated areas.

Skagway Trail System and 50-foot wide corridor on each side of trail
(excluding trails on federal lands, within a KLGO park unit, or outside
of the Skagway coastal zone boundary)

Dewey Lakes Recreation Area (excluding the small area outside of the
Skagway coastal zone boundary)

Townsite Coastal Recreation and View Areas

Yakutania Point AMSA

Pullen Creek Shoreline Park AMSA

City “View” Lot (Lot 30 on Dyea Road)

Seven Pastures ballfields	

Taiya River Watershed – West Creek, Nourse River (excluding federal
lands, lands within the KLGO Chilkoot Trail Unit, or lands outside of
the Skagway coastal zone boundary)

Upper Skagway River  (excluding federal lands, lands within the KLGO
White Pass Trail Unit, and lands outside of the Skagway coastal zone
boundary)

Enforceable Policies for Recreation:

Policy R-1	Proposed uses or activities in the designated Recreation Use
Areas, as depicted on Figure 3.12, shall not prevent, significantly
impede or cause significant adverse impacts to the recreation uses;
recreation resources; and the physical (including scenic), biological or
cultural features upon which public recreation in these areas depend. 
(See Chapter 3, Section 3.10, for information about the recreation uses,
resources and features that must be considered for each Recreation Use
Area). 

Policy R-2	Developments within recreation areas intended to provide a
recreational experience must be designed, constructed and operated in a
manner that would not present a hazard to life or property.

Policy R-3	Commercial tours are prohibited in the following recreation
areas, mapped on Figure 3.12.  Commercial tours include any group larger
than one person that is being guided for any form of compensation.

A.  Trails maintained by the City, excluding trails on federal lands,
outside of the Skagway coastal zone boundary, or within KLGO park units

B.  Dewey Lakes Recreation Area

C.  Yakutania Point AMSA

D.  City-owned land in the Pullen Creek Shoreline Park AMSA 

E.  West Creek Road or off-road into the West Creek Valley, excluding
areas on federal lands.

Policy R-4	To the extent practicable, utilities shall be installed
underground in the designated recreation use areas for which enjoying
scenic views is listed as a recreational use in Table 3.1-A (Chapter 3,
Section 3.10).  

Fisheries Enhancement

Designation of Sites Suitable for Commercial Fishing/Seafood Processing
(including Fisheries Enhancement Sites):  The SCMP is designating three
areas as areas suitable for location or development of fisheries
enhancement sites, in accordance with 11 AAC 14.250(f).  They are mapped
on Figure 3.10.  Policy F-1 applies in these designated areas.

Pullen Creek Shoreline Park AMSA, and upstream existing hatchery site on
Pullen Creek  (See AMSA Plan, Chapter 5.0, Section 5.2.)

Burro Creek Hatchery

Head of Nahku (Long) Bay

Enforceable Policy for Fisheries and Fishery Enhancement:

Policy F-1	Facilities accessory to fisheries enhancement and aquaculture
shall not be located on the coastline unless the accessory development
is dependent upon that waterfront location to fulfill its role in
supporting the fishery enhancement or aquaculture activity.  Fisheries
enhancement includes a range of techniques used with the purpose of
producing and releasing fish to augment natural fish stocks, such as a
fish hatchery operation.

Subsistence

Designation of Subsistence Use Areas:  The SCMP is designating the areas
mapped on Figure 3.8A and Figure 3.8B as Subsistence Use Areas in
accordance with 11 AAC 112.210(a) and 11 AAC 14.250(g).  The SCMP is
adopting no additional enforceable policies related to subsistence use.

History, Prehistory, Archaeology and Cultural Resources

Designation of Areas Important to History, Prehistory, Archaeology and
Cultural Resources:  The SCMP is designating two areas important to the
study, understanding or illustration of national, state, or local
history or prehistory, in accordance with 11 AAC 112.320 and 11 AAC
14.250(i).  The areas are mapped on Figure 3.7.  Policy H-1 will apply
in these designated areas. 

Skagway and White Pass National Historic Landmark, excluding areas
outside of the Skagway coastal zone boundary

Chilkoot Trail and Dyea National Historic Landmark, excluding areas
outside of the Skagway coastal zone boundary and areas on federal land

Enforceable Policy for History, Prehistory, Archaeology and Cultural
Resources:

Policy H-1	Uses and activities in designated areas identified in Figure
3.7 shall comply with the following:

A.  Known artifacts of significant historic, prehistoric, or
archaeological importance shall not be disturbed during project
development unless the Skagway Coastal District approves the action.

B.	If previously undiscovered artifacts or areas of historic,
prehistoric, or archaeological importance are encountered during
development, an artifact agreement will be developed between the
landowner, the Skagway Traditional Council, appropriate state or federal
agencies, and a curation facility if artifacts are disturbed by the
project.  

Activities occurring on federal or state land are excluded from this
policy, since they fall under the authority of federal and state
agencies. 

 For purposes of this policy, trails maintained by the City include the
Dewey Lake trail system, Yakutania Point trail system, the Lost Lake
Trail and the West Creek Trail from the slide toward the back of the
valley.

