Over 25 Surfrider Foundation activists attended the California Coastal Commission meeting on March 7th, 2012 in Chula Vista. The agenda item of the day was that of the Solana Beach Local Coastal Plan (LCP). This is an issue that the Surfrider Foundation has been working on for well over 10 years.
The California Coastal Commission voted unanimously to certify the Land Use Program (LUP) portion of the LCP with the Coastal Commission Staff amendments. The Commission also added an 18 month deadline for the City of Solana Beach to complete their Fee Study to set a Land Lease and Recreation Fee on seawalls. The Coastal Commission Staff is also committed to helping with that effort. This may very well be the first time a 20 year sunset clause will be included in an LCP. The clause means that applicants for seawalls will have to apply for permits, demonstrate continued need, and mitigation for the seawalls to protect their homes every 20 years and there will be an opportunity to remove the beach destroying seawalls.
Congratulations to our Beach Preservation Committee on this well deserved victory and thank you to everyone who came out to show your support!
For more information on the issue check out this blog post by Jim Moriarty, CEO of the Surfrider Foundation.
Also, be sure to read the UT article by Jonathan Horn titled State approves Solana Beach's coastal development plan.
Finally, you can access our press release here.
To read a spotlight on our Beach Preservation Committee activist, Jim Jaffee, check out this blog post.
