San Juan County’s shoreline regulations will remain as they are, for the time being.

In a split decision, the County Council on Sept. 22 set aside possible changes to the shoreline portion of the county Critical Areas Ordinance and opted to deal with whatever revisions may take place as part of the pending update of the Shoreline Master Program. The council, in a 4-2 decision, agreed to move ahead with revisions of the so-called “uplands” portion of the CAO as part of a process that’s slated to reach its climax in February.

The county, as required by the state Growth Management Act, is obligated to complete an update its Shoreline Master Program by 2012.

Councilwoman Lovel Pratt, South San Juan, argued that by delaying the update of the CAO’s shoreline regulations the council could be allowing development to occur which may prove inconsistent with future regulatory changes. In particular, Pratt noted that existing regulations allow bulkheads to be install on waterfront parcels under circumstances that do no match with the recommendations put forth by the San Juan Initiative. Those recommendations were endorsed by the council in 2008, she added.

“It’s the type of thing that needs to be addressed sooner rather than later,” she said.

Pratt and Councilman Bob Myhr, Lopez/Shaw, voted against postponing the CAO’s shoreline update.

Potential changes to shoreline regulations have proven to be the most hotly-debated and controversial point of the pending CAO update. State regulators and some scientists have suggested a need to increase development setbacks to as much as 150 or 200 feet to better protect the “functions and values” of shoreline habitat and wetlands. Critics claim that bigger buffers and setbacks endorsed by state agencies are not backed by scientific data and could cost the county millions of dollars in lost property value and sales-tax revenue.

The update of the county SMP is slated to begin next year.