The Surfrider Foundation San Diego Chapter’s Beach Preservation Committee works to defend beaches from harmful impacts related to coastal development, and most recently celebrated a victory in Lindstrom v. California Coastal Commission in which the California Fourth District Court of Appeal sided with the Coastal Commission.
Surfrider also sided with the Coastal Commission in an ‘amicus brief’ (or friend of the court) filed earlier this year with the assistance of The Environmental Law Clinic at Stanford Law School.
At issue was permitting for a blufftop home in Solana Beach, wherein the Coastal Commission defended the permit restrictions it had applied to ensure the property is safe from erosion and other coastal hazards and does not compromise public beach access.
Solana Beach is well-known for its bluff instability and erosion issues, as well as a coastline that is almost entirely armored with seawalls.
The Court of Appeal upheld critical terms of the Coastal Commission’s permit restrictions related to 1) The methodology used for calculating bluff setbacks, 2) Waivers to future armoring of the property and 3) Requirements for removal of portions of the structure under future potential conditions.
September’s Lindstrom decision is a win for the broader community of Solana Beach and sets important precedent for drafting managed retreat conditions in the context of coastal development.
Read more about details of the case from Environmental Law Clinic Attorney, Molly Melius, HERE.
