The Bellevue City Council agreed on a two-prong strategy for updating the city’s Shoreline Master Program, and, ultimately, forwarding the plan to the state Department of Ecology for final review and approval.

The shoreline plan is required by state law and provides a regulatory framework for managing shorelines in Washington. Local plans must be consistent with Ecology guidelines.

The Bellevue Planning Commission has been working on shoreline issues for more than five years. In May, the commission recommended that the council consider several components of the plan update that had been completed and posted online for review. Ecology conducted an informal review and sent a letter to the city containing comments on the commission’s recommendations.

On Monday, the council directed city staff to work with Ecology on the content of the commission’s recommendations and possibly narrow the range of issues that need to be resolved. Councilmembers also directed staff to begin work to finalize the remaining elements of the shoreline plan update prior to formally submitting it to Ecology. The council plans to review and discuss the plan update during a study session later this year.