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Beach Preservation

TAKE ACTION

REMOVE THE UGLY TARP & ILLEGAL SEAWALL THAT MAR TOURMALINE BEACH

Tomorrow morning, the San Diego Hearing Officer can finally resolve this unsightly eyesore above Tourmaline beach in San Diego. Please take a moment to submit a quick web comment, see below for instructions. 

Our chapter supports city staff's recommendation, which is to require the property owner to remove their unpermitted concrete seawall (visible in image through the holes on the left side of the tarp), along with other structures that are within 5 feet of the bluff's edge per San Diego's land use plans. However, the tarp itself is not mentioned in the permit and we are requesting that it be named and considered part of the violations at this property. This will ensure that blufftop property owners will not get away with tarping over our coastal bluffs in the future.

SUBMIT A WRITTEN COMMENT

(https://www.sandiego.gov/development-services/hearing-officer/agenda-comment-form in case button does not work.)

• Meeting Date: July 26, 2023
• Comment Type: AGENDA COMMENT
• Agenda Item Number: 6
• Position: In Support of Item
• Comments: see below for suggestions

Please submit by end of day

Suggested Talking Points

• As a San Diego resident and frequent visitor to Tourmaline,
• I support the CDP/SDP to remove unpermitted concrete infill from the bluff face at 417 Sea Ridge, along with additional unpermitted development within 5 feet of the bluff edge.
• The property has hung an ugly tarp over the bluff since 2016, which must also be considered unpermitted development. Additionally, it mars views from the beach in an identified public vantage point in the La Jolla community’s certified LCP. Please add language to the CDP/SDP requiring the tarp’s removal in addition to the other violations.
• Development on the face of a sensitive coastal bluff is not permitted in both La Jolla's LCP and the San Diego Municipal Code, which states that "no development is permitted on the face of a sensitive coastal bluff" if it’s not to protect the existing primary structure. Staff have rightly concluded that neither the tarp nor the infill protect the primary structure. 
• Given the property owner's history of violations, we cannot leave any permit uncertainty that would allow them to hang a tarp over the bluff face in the future. Precedent must also be set for other blufftop property owners in San Diego.

ATTEND THE MEETING IN-PERSON OR VIA ZOOM

We encourage members of the public to attend the Hearing Officer meeting and make a public comment, especially San Diego residents and Tourmaline regulars familiar with this property. The agenda can be found HERE, along with instructions for how to participate both in-person and virtually. The meeting starts at 9am and this will be the last item (agenda #6). Members of the public receive 2-3 minutes to speak, occasionally less if there are many speakers. If you would like to speak in person, you must submit a written speaker request card anytime before the item begins. If you attend on ZOOM, simply "raise your hand" when public comment period opens for Item #6. Please reply to this email if you have any questions!