Washington Tide Land Bill Would Create Sales Commission
A new bill moves through the state legislature to codify how the state will survey and sell off the submerged lands along the shoreline.
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At Olympia, a new bill is being considered by the Senate committee on tide lands that aims to replace the existing law. It sets up a 'Tide Land Commission' to oversee the surveying, appraising, and eventual sale of these lands. The bill divides tide lands into three classes: those within or near city limits, those with existing valuable improvements, and all others. It provides a grace period for current owners of adjacent upland or those who have made improvements to purchase the tide lands they occupy before opening the remaining plots to the general public. Commissioner of Public Lands Forre is in support of the measure, which is intended to streamline the monetization of the state's waterfront.
“The tide lands of the state of Washington, which are not by the constitution and laws of the state reserved from sale, shall be surveyed, appraised and disposed of as in this act provided.”
This 1891 debate over tide lands laid the legal foundation for the privatization of Seattle's waterfront, a move that fundamentally reshaped the city's geography. The tension between public access and private commercial development remains a core feature of Seattle's current shoreline battles, particularly as the city grapples with the legacy of industrial use and the desire for public space.
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