SAN DIEGO – San Diego City Council is scheduled to vote Tuesday afternoon on a Coastal Resiliency Master Plan to help save Sunset Cliffs and the coastline north through La Jolla from sea-level rise and ongoing erosion.
The council will vote on a proposal calling for removing parking on Sunset Cliff’s edge. Changes would include re-configuring Sunset Cliffs Boulevard from a two-lane, north-south major collector road to a single southbound lane. The plan also includes creating a protected walkway there for pedestrians and cyclists.
The CRMP identifies potential nature-based solutions for several locations along San Diego’s coast to improve the resilience of communities to sea-level rise while also benefiting wildlife, habitat, and natural coastal resources.
Six priority sites have been identified for pilot projects: La Jolla Shores, Pacific Beach-Tourmaline Surf Park, and Mission Beach, along with Ocean Beach-Dog Beach, Ocean Beach-beachfront (OB Pier), and Sunset Cliffs.
The locations were selected based on feasibility, resilience needs, and potential environmental benefits.
Natural improvements
Proposed projects at these sites include constructing elevated sand dunes, restoring coastal habitats, and realigning parks and infrastructure. To advance these projects, the city secured more than $1.3 million in National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and State Coastal Conservancy grant funding, which will support completion of the plan, concept-level designs for six sites, environmental analysis, technical studies, community engagement, Tribal coordination and partnership, and preliminary engineering design for up to four sites.
Based on need, feasibility, and community input, city staff recommends selecting Ocean Beach-Dog Beach, Ocean Beach-beachfront (OB Pier), Sunset Cliffs, and Tourmaline Surf Park to be included in the Capital Improvement Program to continue forward to initial engineering.
Following are project sites that have alternative concepts providing options to address site-specific constraints and opportunities:
La Jolla Shores
The “Amphitheater Design” concept maintains the existing alignment for La Jolla Shores and includes two different flood protection strategies.
Along the western borders of La Jolla Shores Park and Kellogg Park, an elevated linear earthen dike would be constructed between the grassy area and the La Vereda pedestrian path. Along the seaward border of the parking lot (between the parking lot and the La Vereda pedestrian path), a terraced seatwall would be constructed to provide a viewing and seating area with flood protection benefits.
The reconfigured park concept would realign the parking lot and grassy recreational areas. A grassy recreational area would be added along the entire western edge of the site (formerly parking lot) creating a large linear and continuous grassy park.
Tourmaline State Park
The project concept would convert the existing shoreline protection feature into a hybrid nature-based solution. The existing rip-rap would be buried to provide a core layer and topped with a mix of cobble and sand. The proposed sand and cobble dune would be vegetated with native plantings to provide ecological benefits through introduction of rare plant species and potential habitat for various avian species.
Additional seating and enhanced viewing areas would be integrated into the top of the vegetated dune. Optional components include covering or undergrounding the existing drainage culvert along the north edge of the project site to create additional green space and a pedestrian pathway and/or stormwater improvements through addition of an underground vault beneath the parking lot to capture runoff and provide water quality treatment.
Mission Beach
The “Sand Dune” concept for Mission Beach would construct an elevated sand dune seaward (west) of the seawall and Ocean Front Walk. The proposed sand dunes would be planted with native flora to provide ecological benefits.
The proposed sand dunes would be permanent fixtures at the project site, and would be designed to provide protection from existing and projected flooding impacts associated with sea-level rise.
The “Perched Beach” concept for Mission Beach considers swapping out a portion of grass recreational space at Mission Beach Park for a perched sand beach.
A perched beach is an elevated beach area that would provide increased usable beach space during higher water levels and offers a reservoir of sand for the adjacent beach area. This would be achieved by realigning the seawall and Ocean Front Walk inland. This concept could be implemented in conjunction with a dune feature stretching north along the project site.
Community input
Reacting to recent statements made regarding the alleged lack of community stakeholder meetings and engagement on the CRMP, the city Planning Department noted that “community engagement is a key component of the CRMP.”
As a citywide planning initiative, community engagement included opportunities for the broader San Diego community as well as opportunities for the immediate communities to provide feedback. This occurred through pop-up events, an online survey, community workshops, community webinars and the Community Planner’s Committee.
Information was shared through the Coastal Resilience Master Plan website and through email notifications to anyone who requested notification.”
“The input received directly influenced the CRMP,” said Peter King, city spokesperson. “The Report to Council summarizes the input received and how the plan has been shaped and refined based upon that input.
“As the projects shift into the implementation phase, the city will continue to engage with community members at the project level to develop more detailed designs that are informed by technical studies, implementation trials, and community input.”
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