2021/May
From ActCoastal
| Year | 2021 |
|---|---|
| Month | May |
| Location | Virtual |
| Description | The Coastal Commission’s May meeting took place on Wednesday, May 12 through Friday, May 14. The meeting started off with a presentation that unveiled a new online map of the California Coastal Trail and a report that the 1,230 mile trail is 70% complete. Other noteworthy items included a new development at Capistrano Shores Mobile Home Park in San Clemente and a rebuild of the Mirada Bridge pedestrian trail in Half Moon Bay. These both resulted in vote charts. The Commission also approved a new CalTrans project on the Pacific Coastal Highway in Ventura County and a rebuild of the Santa Monica Beach Club, both described below. |
Issues voted on at this Meeting
Click on an issue to read full description
| Issue | Summary | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Capistrano Shores Mobile Home Park - Vote | On Wednesday, the Coastal Commission considered the application for construction of a new mobile home at Capistrano Shores Mobile Home Park, which was pulled from February’s consent agenda at the Surfrider Foundation’s request. Recent home sales records show the mobile homes are valued at the $2 - $7 million range despite already being at water’s edge. The new home would rely on an existing seawall and be subject to sea level rise hazards both present and future. While the Coastal Commission staff recommendation does include a condition that states that the new development does not have a future automatic right to a shoreline protective device; this new development will still rely on shoreline armoring, which is prohibited in the Coastal Act. Commissioners agreed the location and coastal hazards were concerning but approved the application due to the “mobile” nature of the proposed development in a 7-2 vote. | 
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| Mirada Bridge Rebuild - Half Moon Bay | The Coastal Commission approved the San Mateo County Department of Public Works (DPW) application to replace the Mirada Road coastal trail bridge at the same location over Arroyo de en Medio Creek along with coastal armoring. The proposed project would include demolition of the concrete arch bridge, replacement of the pedestrian bridge, and installation of armoring on the north and south sides of the Arroyo to protect the bridge abutment areas. While the project has obvious public access benefits associated with restoring CCT access at this shoreline location, it also includes significant armoring that leads to adverse coastal resource impacts, including on beach and shoreline access now and over time.
Special Condition 2, the Public Access Mitigation Plan requires a new access stairway and access amenities. It is wholly insufficient to offset the coastal resource and ecological impacts of the proposed bridge rebuild and associated shoreline armoring. The Surfrider Foundation opposed the project and instead supported moving the trail inland as a better long-term solution in terms of financial cost and coastal resource impact. The Coastal Commission unanimously approved the permit. |
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