In June 2022, the City Council approved the Fiscal Year 2022/23 CIP budget, which included a Sea Level Rise/Coastal Engineering Report and a Beach Sand Survey and Wall Inspections in the combined amount of $175,000. In August 2022, Council adopted the City’s Climate Adaptation Plan and Climate Action Plan which were prepared over the prior years under the guidance of the Climate Committee. While these Plans include various projects to implement over a long period of time, one key initial project is the Coastal Engineering Study and Adaptation Planning Project.
In November 2022, Council approved a PSA with EMC Planning Group, who teamed up with key subconsultants Integral Corp. and Haro Kasunich & Associates, in the amount of $175,000, to conduct the first of two phases for the Coastal Engineering Study and Adaptation Planning Project. The November 2022 staff report (Attachment 2) discussed the extensive, qualifications-based consultant selection process which lead to the selection of the EMC/Integral Corp./Haro Kasunich team for both phases of the project.
In July 2023, the City Administrator executed Amendment No. 1 to the PSA with EMC/Integral/Haro Kasunich to reduce Phase 1, Task 4, “Coastal Hazard and Sea Level Rise Vulnerability, High Priority Adaptation Identification, and Action Plan” and add a new Task 5 under Phase 1, “Policy Review”. The overall schedule and total compensation of $175,000 for the PSA did not change due to the scope of services revised in Amendment No. 1.
The Coastal Engineering Study and Adaptation Planning Project scope of work was always planned to be completed in two phases. Phase 1 was fully funded in the prior and current fiscal years’ Capital Improvement Programs. Although Phase 2 was not yet funded at that time, it was clear that the selected consultant team for Phase I would also develop and submit a California Coastal Commission grant application and ultimately prepare a Local Coastal Plan Amendment for this Project under Phase 2.
The deliverables and status of tasks included in Phase 1 are briefly outlined below:
Phase 1 – Coastal Engineering and Hazard Assessment
- Task 3 – Shoreline and Beach Erosion Exposure Modeling. A technical memo of the methods and maps showing results of the projected existing and future coastal hazard extents is planned to be presented to the Climate Committee and Forest and Beach Commission in February or March 2024.
- Task 4– Coastal Hazard and Sea Level Rise Vulnerability Assessment. The consultants will provide an Executive Summary of results, up to five sector profile summaries (land use, transportation, utilities, etc.) which is planned to be presented to the Climate Committee and Forest and Beach Commission in February or March 2024.
- Task 5– Policy Review. The consultants provided a memo summarizing the City’s existing coastal hazard policies and attended meetings with California Coastal Commission and staff. The Policy Review was accepted by staff.
Overall, the Consultants were on target for budget and on schedule for Phase 1. The Consultants and staff will also provide an overview of Phase 1 at an upcoming City Council meeting.
Phase 2 – Local Coastal Plan (LCP) Coastal Hazards Policy Update
The Phase 2 LCP Coastal Hazards Policy work will build off the technical work completed in Phase 1 and will update the City’s LCP to address Coastal Hazards and identify adaptation strategies.
To fund Phase 2, the EMC Planning Group team worked with the City to receive a California Coastal Commission LCP grant of $500,000 to complete all services anticipated in Phase 2. The Phase 2 scope of work will be focused on the Coastal Hazards section of the LCP, and will address sea level rise hazards, areas of vulnerability, preferred adaptation strategies, potential coastal resiliency projects, and coastal hazards mapping.
Specifically, Phase 2 will include the following tasks:
- Consultant project management;
- Develop recommendations for policy and project approaches and identify high priority adaptations;
- Public outreach and solicit meaningful community engagement;
- Conduct a socio-economic analysis including developing a cost analysis for certain implementation strategies;
- Develop adaptation strategies for short, medium- and long-term projects as well as monitoring triggers for steps to move to the next phase of adaptation;
- Prepare draft language for coastal hazards LCP policy updates;
- Prepare a Draft LCP Amendment for LCP sections for consistency with Coastal Hazards; and
- Prepare an LCP Amendment to update coastal hazard policies.
Results of most of the technical Tasks 2-8 will be presented to the Forest and Beach Commission and/or Climate Committee as appropriate. This effort would ultimately result in an updated LCP that identifies areas of coastal vulnerability in the City, addresses environmental justice needs, and plans for coastal resiliency and climate adaptation projects. The LCP Amendment would be subject to approval of the Planning Commission, City Council, and California Coastal Commission.
The Public Outreach tasks includes:
a) Eleven presentations, including: two Climate Committee, two Forest and Beach Commission, one Planning Commission, up to two City Council, two Public Workshops, and up to two Coastal Commission hearings.
b) Outreach efforts include email lists, radio announcements, beach and grocery store informational postings, and a dedicated website for content development.
An Amendment (Attachment 3) was prepared and negotiated with EMC/Integral/Haro Kasunich to provide Phase 2 services. These services were also reviewed and approved by the Coastal Commission to be acceptable to meet their LCP Grant reimbursement specifications. Phase 2 is scheduled to be completed within 24 months of issuance of the Notice to Proceed.
The City’s Fiscal Year 2023/24 CIP Budget established $100,000 to partially fund Phase 2. Since the City received Coastal Commission grant funding of $500,000, staff is now recommending that the City Council re-appropriate these funds ($100,000) to further design and construct the Shoreline Infrastructure Repairs Project to supplement the $250,000 budgeted for that Project. Specifically, these reallocated funds would be earmarked for repairs of the storm-damaged beach access stairs.
Environmental Evaluation
This action does not constitute a project within the meaning of the California Environmental Quality Act under Public Resources Code Section 21065. It has no potential to cause either a direct physical change in the environment or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment and, therefore, does not require environmental review.