local coastal plan santa monica’s coastal area in the 21 ... · workshop #1: santa monica’s...
TRANSCRIPT
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The Local Coastal Plan Workshop #1: Santa Monica’s Coastal Area in the 21st Century
Civic Auditorium, East Wing Monday, February 29, 2016 6:30pm ‐ 8:30pm
Approximately 60 residents and
stakeholders from the Santa Monica
community attended the first Local
Coastal Plan workshop at the Civic
Auditorium East Wing on Monday,
February 29, 2016. The workshop’s
purpose was to give the community an
overview of the context for updating the
Local Coastal Plan, and to generate
public input on issues related to coastal
access, natural resource protection and other issues that the LCP will cover. The meeting started with a
presentation from the LCP staff team (Alison Evans, Liz Bar‐El, Garrett Wong), describing the purpose of
the LCP, reasons for updating it, an overview of the past and current context and conditions of Santa
Monica’s coastal zone, and some basics on expectations for coastal change due to sea level rise. Following
the presentation, participants moved between four thematic stations: ‘Santa Monica: A Beach Destination
Since the 19th Century’; ‘New Since ‘92’; ‘Beach Ecosystems: Confronting Climate Change’; and ‘Policy
Environment.’ During the station exercise, participants provided comments on flip charts, comment cards,
post‐its or directly on the display boards, which were summarized and reported back at the end. This
summary includes all written comments received at the workshop.
Quick Facts about the Local Coastal Plan
The Coastal Act requires local jurisdictions to
develop an LCP and submit it for certification to the
Coastal Commission;
Once both parts of the LCP are certified by the
California Coastal Commission, Santa Monica will be
authorized to issue Coastal Development Permits;
The LCP update will coordinate all existing plans and
policies into its policies to form the basis for
consistent permitting processes;
The LCP, in accordance with the Coastal Act, will
prioritize public access, low‐cost visitor activities and
accommodations, and protection of natural
resources.
The update process is funded in part by a grant from
the California Coastal Commission;
Glossary of Acronyms
LCP: Local Coastal Plan
LUP: Land Use Plan
IP: Implementation Plan
DCP: Downtown Community Plan
CCSP: Civic Center Specific Plan
CCC: California Coastal Commission
PCD: Planning and Community
Development Department
OSE: Office of Sustainability
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Workshop Program
David Martin, Director of Planning and Community
Development, kicked‐off the event and introduced the planning
team to the community, including Senior Planner Liz Bar‐El, the
Project Manager, Assistant Planner Cary Fukui, and a team of
consultants put together by Dudek: Alison Evans, Amber
Geraghty, Melissa Ahrens (Dudek), Alan Seltzer (Alan Seltzer
Law), Lisa Wise (Lisa Wise Consulting), and Dr. David Revell
(Revell Coastal). He thanked the staff from other departments
and the Coastal Commission who assisted at the workshop.
Presentation
Below is a summary of the workshop presentation. A copy of the full presentation is available for
download on the Local Coastal Plan Update project page.
Coastal Commission Introduction
Alison Evans began by explaining the LCP Update project within the context of the Coastal Act and
Commission.
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The California Coastal Commission (CCC) was
established as a temporary commission in 1972 by a
voter initiative. Its mission is to “Protect, conserve,
restore, and enhance environmental and human‐based
resources of the California coast…”
The LCP is a basic planning tool used by local
governments to guide development in the coastal zone,
and is required by the CCC. In order for the LCP to be
certified by the CCC, it must adhere to the policies of
the 1976 Coastal Act. Once the LCP is certified, permitting authority in the Coastal Zone, except for in
appeal and CCC jurisdiction areas, is transferred to the local jurisdiction, Santa Monica. The CCC will
retain permanent permit authority over tidelands, submerged lands, and public trust lands.
Santa Monica is not the only local jurisdiction pursuing a certified LCP. In fact, Santa Monica is one of the
last local jurisdictions on the California coast that has not received certification of its LCP. Only 34 of 126
local jurisdictions do not have a certified LCP, one of them being Santa Monica.
Santa Monica and the Local Coastal Plan
An LCP is composed of two separate documents:
a Land Use Plan (LUP) that lays out issues, goals,
and policies and
an Implementation Plan (IP) that acts as a zoning
ordinance specific to the Coastal Zone.
In 1992, the CCC certified Santa Monica’s LUP, but not the
IP, therefore the CCC retains all coastal permitting
authority in Santa Monica.
Introduction to Station Exercise
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Station #1: A Beach Destination Since the 19th Century
The first station reflected Santa Monica’s enduring role as a popular beach destination for nearly 150
years.
Santa Monica beaches back then were not as wide as they are today, mostly due to breakwater creation
and relocation of sand from the dredging of Marina Del Rey Harbor. Beachgoers are now less crowded
than in the 1930s, but because of coastal processes and sea level rise, a return to narrower beaches may
occur in the future.
At this station, participants were encouraged to think about Santa Monica’s coast as a public resource
providing fun activities for locals and visitors, and to consider the long history of public transportation
helping people get to beach.
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Public Comment, Station #1
Include the new San Vicente Boulevard Courtyard Apartment Historic District on the map of historic landmarks and districts;
Include special consideration of cultural resources when addressing invasive species, specifically the Mexican Fan Palm and the Canary Island Palm, two species listed as invasive by the Coastal Commission that play a large cultural role in the historic Palisades Park;
Protect historic landscapes by planting appropriate plants within and adjacent to landmark properties;
Increase universal access temporarily during construction and permanently once the project is complete;
Do not allow private developments to encroach on public access and public views of the coast.
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Station #2: New Since 1992
The LCP Update will address new issues that have arisen since the 1992 LCP was written. Since then, the
CCC has added climate change as a new policy area, as well as visitor‐serving accommodations. The
revised LCP will address these new policy areas and will also incorporate the LUCE, DCP, CCSP, Bike &
Pedestrian Action Plans and other City policies that reduce the emphasis on coastal parking and
encourage multi‐modal transit and sustainability.
Public and private projects that have been completed since 1992 were shown on maps at this station.
At this station, participants were encouraged to think about how the urban landscape has changed since
1992, and how these changes were formulated around ideas of health, transit improvements,
sustainability, and public coastal access.
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Public Comment, Station #2
Include on map of new developments: o Pipeline projects, especially
hotels (Frank Geary Big Hotel; Miramar “BigFoot” Hotel)
o Main Street commercial corridor improvements;
o Tsunami warning system.
New projects and developments to incorporate into the LCP Update:
o A free trolley for local residents; o Renovate pedestrian bridges
between Palisades Park and the beach;
o Additional affordable motels/hostels for visitors of all incomes;
o Preserve old buildings and homes in the coastal zone;
o Improve and expand public open space;
o Widen bike and pedestrian paths (already crowded);
o Additional free beach programming;
o More seating and tables near the beach path;
o Consider traffic implications of green streets;
o Phase development/construction to reduce congestion;
o Improve BBB lines to get locals from residential areas, to downtown, to the beach.
o
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Station #3: Beach Ecosystems: Confronting Climate Change
The Coastal Commission has added climate change and sea level rise to the list of issues that the LCP
update must address. The Santa Monica LCP team of consultants includes a sea level rise expert, Dr.
David Revell, who will provide analysis of new sea level rise data and maps. This analysis will allow the
City to include thoughtful policies to best plan for the changing coastline.
PCD is collaborating with the Office of Sustainability and
the Environment and the USC Sea Grant Team, who are
gathering the new data through a project funded by the
Ocean Protection Council. The data are also being used in
the OSE’s development of a Climate Action and
Adaptation Plan.
The LCP update must look at forces beyond sea level rise
when assessing the impact of climate change on the Santa
Monica coast. The greatest impact to the coast will be a
combination of sea level rise, high tide events, and major
coastal storms. A coastal storm modeling system,
CoSMoS, combines all of these factors and produces maps
that show the level of risk for all parts of the Santa Monica
coastal zone.
The storm forecast map shows that the South Beach is
already at risk (blue line) if a major coastal storm were to
hit in combination with a high tide. More detailed analysis
of sea level rise will be discussed at the next LCP
workshop, tentatively being held on April 13th, 2016
(location TBD).
Participants were also told about the Urban Tides
Initiative, which recruits community “scientists” to
photograph the shore during high tide events and submit
the photos to assist scientists that study the changing
coastline.
The third station encouraged participants to think about
the natural ecosystems and coastal changes that occur in Santa Monica. Aside from the impacts of sea
level rise, this station prompted participants to think about sensitive habitats and species on the beach,
water and air quality issues, and an anticipated smaller beach as sea levels rise and wave action washes
away sand.
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Public Comment, Station #3
Downtown Association trash pick‐up needs to hire more collectors to clean up downtown, not just the beach area.
SLR: o Show how sea level rise predictions
interact with pipeline projects; o Interest in seeing natural adaptive
solutions to sea level rise and coastal protection;
o Look to international examples, like the Netherlands, for best practices when addressing sea level rise;
o Potential for breakwater restoration?;
Ecosystems: o Develop more natural beach activities; o Improve and expand beach cleaning; o Preserve public views and access to the
beaches; o Turn the 300’ of beach land the city has
jurisdiction over into parklands and playing fields;
o Implement buoys and platforms to attract sea life;
o Preserve natural resources of the bay; o Model SM Bay environmental
management practices after the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary;
o Scuba dive program in the SM Bay to promote eco‐tourism;
Water Quality: o Mitigate sewage outflows from under the
pier that will occur once sea level rises; o Restore natural hydrology of the area; o Use the airport as a sewage treatment
facility; o Better water re‐use strategies.
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Station #4: Policy Environment
Since 1992, the City has shifted its focus towards
sustainability and multi‐modal mobility. To reflect these
changes, the LCP update will incorporate the new goals
and actions laid out in the plans written since 1992. It is
important to recognize that the LCP update process is not
about making major policy changes in the coastal zone,
but rather folding in existing coastal policies written since
1992.
Public Comments, Station #4
More discussion needs to take place on the implementation plan, especially since it was not certified in 1992;
o Ensure that the IP creates a one‐stop window for both local and coastal permits.
Additional indoor places to enjoy coastal views;
Overlay sea level rise projections with pipeline projects;
Increase below‐ground density of auto‐row on Santa Monica Blvd to consolidated services onto one lot;
Transit Policies: o Funicular connecting the beach with
palisades Park ($0.25); o Circulator bus with stops planned for
residents, improving North‐South and East‐West connections;
o Reinstate Tide Ride; o Water taxi from Malibu to Santa Monica
Pier; o Free open air trolley between beach and
downtown; o Improve BBB lines to better serve
residents.
Ped/Bike Policies: o Widen Beach Bike Path; o Improve pedestrian safety; o Renovate Montana Ave stairs to the
beach; o Prohibit barriers to public beach access; o Promote universal access in the LCP;
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o Consider legalizing biking on sidewalks because biking on streets can be dangerous.
Environmental Policies: o Protect water quality, especially from
sewage outflows once sea level rises.
Parking Policies: o Do not completely remove parking; must
be available for the elderly/disabled; o Reconsider 2nd Street parking meter
proposal; o Reconcile parking requirements between
the CCC and City.