Prevent Defacto Seawall in Solana Beach

In Solana Beach, there was an application to fill 90 feet of seacaves with supposedly “erodible” concrete as a way to protect two homes, which are not currently threatened from erosion (and thus not entitled to a seawall) in order to prevent a seawall in the future. After years of going round and round, the Coastal Commission finally denied the application, largely due to Surfrider’s advocacy. With the applicant unwilling to prove the material would erode before it was installed, the beach going public was at risk of ending up with a “defacto” seawall if the material does not perform as promised. Furthermore, as conditioned Surfrider saw this as potentially creating a loophole for bluff-top homeowners to secure a seawall when they would not otherwise be entitled, setting a very bad precedent. We were glad the Coastal Commission saw it our way in the end.