OneShoreline Update to
Brisbane’s Sea Level Rise
Subcommittee
April 15, 2025
Len Materman
Chief Executive Officer
Summer Bundy
Director of Projects
2025-26 Priorities
POLICY
GUIDANCE
Plan land use, private development, and public infrastructure for climate-driven conditions and with regional resilience projects; and develop Regional Shoreline Adaptation Plans (RSAP) complying with new State guidelines PROJECTS Advance projects that align long-term resilience for developed, natural, and public access areas across jurisdictions
FLOOD EARLY
WARNING
Alert people to and reduce the impacts of today’s extreme storms made worse by rising tides
FUNDING Develop ongoing local funding streams to sustain these efforts long-term and to continue to leverage outside funding opportunities
2 Plan land use, private development,
and public infrastructure for future
climate-driven conditions and with
regional resilience projects
Priorities
Guidance text for a general or specific plan, or zoning ordinance, can lead to Development Agreements like this in Burlingame:
Countywide guidance to make Public Infrastructure
resilient to climate change: Wastewater/
water recycling
Stormwater systems systems
Parks/marinas Roads
Utilities
RSAP
Planning & design
Advance projects that align long Built -
term resilience for developed,
natural, and public access areas
across jurisdictions
Priorities
4 For more information: OneShoreline.org/MBSRP
Coastal Flood Protection
Protect shoreline area against
current and future hazards
Functioning Habitat
Facilitate healthy, sustainable
ecosystems
Public Access + Recreation
Enhance the shoreline area
experience today and for the future
Millbrae and Burlingame Shoreline Resilience Project
Project Goal: Long-term climate resilience against sea level rise and extreme storms for developed, natural, and public access areas 5 Existing and recently permitted developments along water reduce our ability to build shoreline and creek bank resilience infrastructure, especially utilizing nature.
Project Constraints: heavily urbanized, 6 creeks/lagoons, FEMA accreditation, don’t attract flying birds Project approach: everywhere possible, leverage
redevelopment guided by Burlingame’s Zoning
Ordinance and under-utilized parking areas to create
space for resilience infrastructure that doesn’t
impact the Bay or shoreline/riparian habitat.
6 Our vision is this
A gradually-sloped living shoreline is preferred because:
• Absorbs wave energy with a lower Shoreline elevation
• More recreational opportunities and better aesthetics • More land for habitat that is adaptable
Rather than this
7 8
Brisbane’s Existing Conditions Context
(Greg Kelner/EyeEm/Getty Images)
Transportation and Mobility
• U.S. Highway 101
• Caltrain
• UPRR
• Local roads
• Bay Trail
Recreation and Access
• Bay Trail
• Brisbane Marina
• Fishing pier and other
fishing access points
Habitat and Ecosystems
• Tidal mut flats
• Wetlands
• Brisbane Lagoon
All Trails / Doug McClean
Utilities
• Stormwater drains and
outfalls
• Wastewater pump stations
• Communications tower
• Natural gas pipelines
9 Coastal Flooding & Groundwater Rise Projections
Coastal flooding with 3.3 ft of SLR and 100-year storm Groundwater depth with 3.3 ft of SLR https://ourcoastourfuture.org/hazard-map/
Brisbane’s Exposure to SLR
Category Today’s 100-Yr
Coastal Storm
3.3 ft of SLR + 100-Yr
Coastal Storm
Land Area 7 acres 18 acres
Assessed Value $53m $71m
Wetlands 1.5 acres 2.9 acres
Highways - 0.3 miles
Trails 0.4 miles 1.3 miles
Outfalls 1 1
Wastewater Pump Stations 1 1
Fishing Piers 0 1
The Brisbane area was identified by the BCDC as a future sea level rise “regional hotspot” due to projected exposure of high consequence assets such as U.S.
Highway 101, rail lines, and designated Priority Development Areas. 10 11
A region-wide plan for
the Bay shoreline that
guides the creation of
coordinated, locallyplanned sea level rise
adaptation actions
that work together to
meet regional goals
BCDC’s Regional Shoreline Adaptation Plan was adopted in Dec 2024 12 BCDC’s RSAP Sections
Subregional Shoreline Adaptation Guidelines: Adaptation Strategy Standards 13 Maximize benefits of water-dependent
shoreline uses and Baylands habits.
1. Improve public access and connection to the shoreline.
2. Improve connected regional shoreline access.
3. Prioritize water-dependent uses along the shoreline.
4. Improve Baylands habitats and facilitate their long-term survival.
5. Ensure complete and connected ecosystems.
Improve community health, economic
development, infrastructure, and
housing needs.
6. Reduce flood risks in areas with existing development.
7. Include actions to mitigate involuntary displacement risk.
8. Promote safe, sustainable and strategic growth and density.
9. Maintain reliable critical and emergency services.
10. Maintain regional movement of people and goods.
11. Reduce contamination risks in Environmental Justice communities.
12. Use nature-based adaptation where feasible.
13. Appropriately utilize Bay fill for shoreline protection.
14. Integrate multiple benefits into adaptation.
Create pathways to respond to
changing flood risks over time.
15. Preserve natural, undeveloped, and open space.
16. Incorporate climate-responsive standards and codes for adaptive design.
17. Plan for changes in land use, removal of assets, and/or equitable relocation.
18. Identify actions necessary to enable future adaptation decisions, if currently not available.
19. Develop and maintain cross-jurisdictional flood risk reduction.
20. Evaluate and minimize consequences of failure.
14 Brisbane Shoreline Resilience Plan $750k Grant Application for OPC SB 1 Sea Level Rise Planning Grant
Project Partners
Project Supporters
Project Goals:
Create a Subregional Shoreline
Adaptation Plan that meets the
requirements of Senate Bill 272 (SB 272)
and BCDC RSAP.
Foster collaboration to strengthen
knowledge exchange and coordinated
action.
Engage deeply with the community in the
decision-making process.
If recommended for approval, the grant will be included on the June 10th OPC Agenda 15 Next Steps
OPC
Recommendation
OPC
Approval
Develop Grant
Agreement
Consultant
Procurement
Consultant NTP
December
Mid-May June 10th June
through
September
October
/November
Q&A