SOLANA BEACH — Sea walls have long been controversial in Solana Beach, pitting surfers and environmentalists against bluff-top property owners.
But a Sept. 23 meeting that provided an update on a sea wall mitigation fee took only 30 minutes rather than the allotted 90 and garnered input from only five people.
But the limited participation could be attributed to the fact that the process has been ongoing for more than six years.
The city started working on a mitigation fee study for sea wall impacts in 2008. It was to include a sand mitigation fee, which addresses the volume of sand retained behind a sea wall, and a land lease and public recreation fee, which focuses on the public beach area.
In determining those fees the city agreed in 2010 to use a methodology prescribed by the California Coastal Commission.
A draft report issued in April 2010 included a recommendation for that methodology and the land lease and public recreation fee only, not the sea wall mitigation fee.
The purpose of the fee is to compensate the public for the potential loss of the recreational use of the beach as a result of shoreline protection devices built on public land.
The 2010 report concluded the appropriate land lease and public recreation fee was $3,100 per linear foot, with one-third due upfront and the balance payable for up to 75 years, until 2081.
But that report was never finalized. It remains a draft and has basically been on hold for the past four years as the city shifted its priorities and resources to getting a certified land use plan, which it did in February 2013, Leslea Meyerhoff, a project manager for the city, said.
In the interim the city has been assessing a land lease and public recreation fee of $1,000 per linear foot, as well as collecting a sand mitigation fee.
In January the CCC awarded the city a $120,000 grant to update the draft sea wall mitigation fee study.
The city is using the money for a consulting team that will review comments received in 2010 as part of draft report. There will also be a review to ensure the fee reflects any policy changes included in the land use plan.
The consultants will work to ensure there is no redundancy between the two fees. The report will include updated bluff failure and surfing data and factor in impacts from the junior lifeguard program.
The updated study will also take into consideration what effect, if any, sea level rise predictions may have on the fee.
Noting there have been several deaths from bluff failures between Torrey Pines State Beach and Carlsbad, resident and attorney Jon Corn, speaking on behalf of coastal property owners, said the study should also consider the safety benefits of sea walls.
Chris Hamilton, a bluff-top property owner, said sea walls protect public property such as sewers, streets, parks and utilities, a fact that should also be included in the updated study.
Resident Kristin Brinner said the visual effect of sea walls should be considered.
“It’s really sad what’s happened to … what could have been beautiful bluffs,” she said. “I don’t think that (bluff-top property owners are) building the sea walls to protect the public safety.
“They’re building the sea walls to protect their property,” she added.
Brinner also said she believed while there may be an increase in safety as sea walls prevent bluff failures, there is also a decrease in public safety with narrow beaches, created by the loss of sand from natural erosion as a result of sea walls. She said on narrow beaches people can get pushed up against bluffs.
Resident and surfer Jim Jaffee, who has been involved in the process since its inception, said it’s a “travesty” it has taken so long to develop the fees.
“It’s a little embarrassing for us all,” he said, urging everyone to accelerate the process.
Additional public workshops are planned. According to the conditions of the CCC grant, all work must be completed by April 2016.
Comments can be submitted to [email protected]. The 2010 draft report is available on the city website.
