If your Coastal Property is located in the County’s Proposed “Shoreline Protection Exception Area” extending approximately 1.4 miles from Soquel Point (APN # 028-304-72) to the Capitola City border, we need your help! We are asking coastal property owners in the “SPEA” to write letters of support for the proposed uniform seawall and send to the Coastal Commissioners by October 7, 2022.
A copy of the Final CCC Staff Report can be downloaded from: https://documents.coastal.ca.gov/reports/2022/10/F10e/F10e-10-2022-report.pdf. CCC Staff have recommended to the California Commissioners that the proposed LCP Amendments be denied. The Board of Supervisors MUST withdraw the proposed LCP Amendments, or the County and property owners may face significant consequences from the CCC as they try to maintain their shoreline protection, or redevelop the property.
Major Differences between CCC’s Position vs. County Proposed LCP:
A. CCC’s definition of “existing structures” being those structures which were present prior to the Coastal Act (January 1, 1977).
B. No new armoring for existing structures or redevelopment in coastal hazard zones.
C. Existing Armoring (Revetment Rocks) along East Cliff Dr. between the Harbor and Soquel Point may need to be removed as the public beaches shrink due to sea level rise.
D. The requirement for all property owners with existing shoreline protection (seawalls or revetment rocks) to file a “Monitoring, Maintenance, and Repair Plan (MMRP)” and to routinely inspect, maintain, and repair the shoreline structures and prevent any seaward migration.
E. When necessary, managed retreat to move structures inland to preserve public access and beaches.
F. Shoreline Protection Exception Area (SPEA). The County had proposed a “Shoreline Protection Exception Area, extending approximately 1.4 miles from Soquel Point (APN # 028-304-72) to the Capitola City border.
CPOA Members are invited to a party and reception on October 12, 2022 from 6 – 8 p.m at the home of Steve Laub, located at 2866 S. Palisades Avenue in Pleasure Point to meet with Supervisor Manu Koenig and will have the opportunity to discuss what Santa Cruz’s potential next steps are given the Coastal Commission’s recent response to Santa Cruz’s LCP.
On September 20, 2022 the County Board of Supervisors voted not to withdraw the proposed LCP Amendments for Coastal Beaches and Bluffs, but to allow it to go to the Coastal Commissioners for Hearing on October 13, 2022. It is anticipated that the Coastal Commissioners will reject (deny) the proposed LCP Amendments, and send it back to the County for revision and resubmittal. The Supervisors directed the Planning staff to begin setting up meetings with CCC staff, CCC Regional Officers and major stake holders beginning in early 2023, with the goal of resubmitting LCP amendments that can be certified by CCC by October 2023. This is also tied to Housing Element which is due by December 2023.
Without a formal written review, Coastal Commission staff has informed County staff they intend to recommend denial of the amendments related to coastal hazards, including LCP Safety Element 6.4 (Land Use Plan) for Coastal Beaches and Bluffs, and the Geological Hazards sections (Implementation Plan chapter 16.10), which were deferred for review by CCC until this summer. Therefore the County Planning Department Staff has recommended to the Board of Supervisors that the entire LCP proposed amendments be withdrawn. CPOA has requested the County share all feedback received from the CCC regarding the LCP Safety Element 6.4 (Land Use Plan) for Coastal Beaches and Bluffs, and the Geological Hazards sections (Implementation Plan chapter 16.10).
Meet Shebreh Kalantari-Johnson, candidate for Country Supervisor – District 3, who supports homeowner rights and is against the County proposed Empty Home Tax. Party on 9/16/22 @ 5:30 p.m., at 276 Beach Drive in Aptos, sponsored by Jim Vaudagna. Please RSVP to jvaudagna@comcast.net
Santa Cruz County Planning Department has held a number of Public Hearings to solicit public input on their Coastal Sustainability Project. This project includes a review of the impact of Sea Level Rise on Coastal Beaches and Bluffs, housing, public infrastructure and public beach access, as well as erosion of inland properties due to climate change, more severe and frequent storms and fires.
The Casa Mira Homeowner’s Association is suing the California Coastal Commission over the denial of coastal development permit to construct a 257- foot seawall to protect a collapsing bluff that fronts Casa Mira townhomes built in 1984. Casa Mira worked tirelessly with CCC staff for three years and spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to develop a proposal that met every one of staff’s seemingly endless objections. Coastal staff had recommended approval, but the Commission over ruled and denied the permit. The Trial is set for October in San Mateo Superior Court.
Study on the stability and erosion of California Coastal Bluffs was recently conducted by researchers at UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography indicated cliffs along California’s northernmost coast have been eroding faster than the more populated bluffs of Southern California. See article recently published in the LA Times.
Smart Coast California invites you to learn more about sea-level rise and ways Santa
Cruz County can adapt to it in the years to come at an interactive virtual forum!
The virtual forum was held on Tuesday, August 16, from 5:30-6:30 p.m. The link to the Video conference is attached. Passcode: cL?8ZJB^