The County Planning Department will host a Public Informational Meeting on the latest proposed LCP and Code Amendments to address Sea Level Rise on Monday, March 2nd at 7 p.m. at Live Oak Elementary School. (see official meeting announcement)
County Planning Department will hold a Public Informational Meeting on Monday March 2, 2020 at 7 p.m. at Live Oak Elementary School – Multipurpose Auditorium to discuss the latest proposed 6.4 Safety Element Amendments – Local Coastal Plan (LCP) for Coastal Bluffs and Beaches, and 16.10 Safety Hazard Code Amendments to the building codes for Santa Cruz County. CPOA-SC wants to urge you to attend this meeting on March 2nd to reiterate your concerns as Coastal Property Owners.
This letter clarifies that CPOA-SC does not necessarily represent the views and opinions of all CPOA members nor all Coastal Property Owners, but does provide a process for member input through it’s Board of Directors, continues to advocate for rights of property owners, keeping CPOA members informed on important issues impacting coastal property owners.
We have submitted a letter from our attorneys to Kathy Molloy, Planning Director, with copies to each of the Board of Supervisors and the County Clerk for the Board. We have requested another meeting with Kathy Molloy and David Carlson to review our letter and concerns, and have requested the Board of Supervisors consider delaying any action on the proposed LCP & Code Amendments until we have had time to negotiate these final changes into these documents.
The sea level rise is accelerating at a rate that is alarming according to the US’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa) Report. In 2019, rates of sea level rise accelerated at all 21 of the stations studied along the U.S. East and Gulf coasts and at seven of the eight monitored stations along the U.S. West Coast.
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Planning Department has requested the Board of Supervisors defer the Public Hearing on 6.4 Safety Element Amendments and the LCP for Coastal Bluffs and Beaches until March 10, 2020 to allow time to coordinate with Coastal Commission staff and other stakeholders.
Steve Forer, Reed Geistreiter, and Derric Oliver, representing CPOA and Bret Sisney, also a CPOA Board Member, met with Kathy Molly and David Carlson on Friday afternoon on 1/10/20, to discuss our concerns, present issues still needing clarification, and propose alternative language in the one time redevelopment/replacement allowance in the latest draft of the Safety Element Amendments 6.4, Local Coastal Program for Beaches and Cliff Bluffs. Although Kathy did address most of our concerns, we were disappointed in her response and justification for limiting the number of major redevelopment/replacement structures to only one project. Kathy Molly did indicate they plan to clean-up the language in this section, and to make it clear that the one time limitation applies to the next 20 year planning period, but would not commit to language indicating any future potential major redevelopments/replacement structures after 2040. Please see Kathy’s response to to our questions and areas needing further clarification.
The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors is expected to vote on adopting the final Safety Element Amendments Section 6.4 – Local Coastal Program for Beaches and Bluffs on Wednesday, January 28th, @ 9:30 a.m. in the Board of Supervisor Chamber on the 5th floor of the County Building, located at 701 Ocean St., Santa Cruz. There have been substantial changes from prior draft approved by the Planning Commissioners, there are apparent discrepancies between the LCP and Code Amendments, and a number of issues still require further clarification. CPOA will be meeting with Kathy Molloy and David Carlson on Friday 1/10/20 to present alternative language regarding the only one time redevelopment/replacement structure > 50% of major structural components, and to address other outstanding issues and concerns requiring further clarification in the final LCP. We will keep you updated. We urge you to attend this important Board of Supervisor’s meeting on January 28, 2020 @ 9:30 a.m..
CNN & LA Times have published an article about Silicon Valley billionaire Vinod Khosla, who purchased a large parcel of coastal property south of Half Moon Bay, two large pieces of land next to the popular Martin’s beach, which happened to contain the only viable public path to the shore. He has blocked the only public access path to the beach, and refuses to give access because the public leave their trash on the beach. He has been fighting these legal battles over access for over 20 years, and now the California Coastal Commission, and California State Lands Commission are suing him in the CA Supreme Court over public right of way.