CITY OF PACIFICA
COUNCIL AGENDA SUMMARY REPORT
1/26/2026
1 SUBJECT:
Local Coastal Land Use Plan Implementation: Coastal Access and Resilience Program and the Shoreline Adaptation Program
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Receive a presentation on the Local Coastal Land Use Plan requirements to develop the Coastal Access and Resilience Program and the Shoreline Adaptation Program, provide input to help guide the Request for Proposals process for consultant selection, and discuss and potentially appoint a City Council Ad Hoc Committee.
STAFF CONTACT:
Samantha Updegrave, Community Development Director
[email protected]
Samuel Koosed, CivicSpark Fellow
[email protected]
BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION:
The purpose of this study session is to:
• Receive Council input, especially regarding community engagement, to inform a Request For Proposal for a Shoreline Adaptation Program consultant; and • Consider the appointment of an Ad-Hoc Committee to help guide the RFP and consultant selection process, and commencement of the public engagement process.
The City of Pacifica recently completed a successful comprehensive update to the Local Coastal Program (LCP) Land Use Plan (LUP)1that was certified by the California Coastal Commission in May 2025. Originally certified in 1980, the City’s LUP has now been modernized to incorporate contemporary best available science to address pressing coastal issues such as climate change, coastal hazards and resiliency and adaptation, conservation and protection of ecosystems and resources, and establishing a phased adaptation approach. As mandated by the California Coastal Act of 1976, the LCP balances the wide array of stakeholder resources, needs, interests, and protections which exist throughout the city’s coastal zone. The certified LUP is a comprehensive approach to addressing changes to the shoreline from sea level rise and coastal processes, including access, recreation, habitat, and other benefits, and contains the adopted goals and policies for Pacifica’s coastal areas.
Senate Bill (SB) 272 Sea Level Rise Planning and Adaptation requires all local governments within the coastal zone to develop a sea level rise plan within their local coastal program (LCP) by 2034. Local governments in compliance will be prioritized for funding to implement 1 Certified Local Coastal Land Use Plan, dated May 8, 2025 Pacifica City Council 2
January 26, 2026
adaptation strategies and projects. To meet the requirements of state law, the LUP established specific requirements and timelines to allow for long-term adaptation planning to be conducted with meaningful public involvement.
The LUP was certified by the Coastal Commission less than a year ago, but the process took more than a decade to complete. In 2024 alone, there were eleven public meetings and events.
The City Council and members of the public have expressed a need to improve community engagement related to climate change and coastal hazards adaptation and resilience planning.
Implementation of the goals and policies of the certified LUP requires working with the community and many stakeholders on establishing a vision for Pacifica’s coastal areas to effectively plan for the future. Community engagement is a critical part of the implementation and long-range adaptation planning. As the City embarks on this next stage, the Council has the opportunity to determine the best approaches to community engagement. As such, the City Manager is seeking direction to inform the shoreline adaptation planning Request For Proposals (RFP) for a consultant with coastal expertise.
The LUP requires the initiation of two adaptation focused programs: the Coastal Access and Resilience Program (Coastal CARP) and the Shoreline Adaptation Program (SAP)2.
The Coastal CARP and SAP are intended to work together to actively improve the resilience of the entire coastal zone, establish adaptation strategies to protect against coastal hazards, and mitigate impacts of development. The Coastal CARP and the SAP contain both near- and longterm goals and actions. While developing the Coastal CARP is a near-term project, it ties into the early development stages of the SAP. The City will be hiring a consultant to assist with establishing the adaptation planning and processes, including the Coastal CARP.
Special Shoreline Resilience Areas, Shoreline Adaptation Program, and Coastal Access and Resiliency Program
The LUP establishes a “phased approach” to adaption planning that employs a mix of strategies which are most protective of coastal resources and critical infrastructure. The City adopted, and the Coastal Commission certified, Special Shoreline Resiliency Area (SSRA)3 policies as part of the phased approach to address the unique coastal hazards and vulnerabilities of the Rockaway and West Sharp Park sub-areas.
The SSRA policies are only effective, or “sunrise,” once the City achieves specific milestones related to the SAP and the Coastal CARP. The SSRA provisions are purposefully limited in area, scope, duration, and applicability, and dependent upon enhanced city wide public recreational access amenities as well as more refined adaptation planning, intended to result in better long-term coastal resource outcomes. Completing the actions to sunrise the SSRAs is a regulatory requirement that is established by the certified LUP and critical to the City’s compliance with SB 272 and access to funding for City projects.
The SAP is the detailed longer-term adaptation planning to address coastal vulnerabilities and protect coastal resources when implemented. This program will include, but is not limited to, baseline conditions of coastal resources, goals and required actions of adaptation development, and funding opportunities. To initiate the SAP, the City must establish the program’s public engagement plan, workplan, timeline, and identify potential funding sources for completion of its required technical studies and planning. Although a final program must be submitted as an LCP Amendment by 2035, the urgency of coastal issues in Pacifica warrants commencing these efforts immediately and striving to complete the final program for submittal as soon as possible. 2 LCLUP Policy CR-I-5 (Shoreline Adaptation Program) and CR-I-44 (Coastal Access and Resilience Program) 3 SSRA Policies CR-I-38 through CR-I-44
Pacifica City Council 3
January 26, 2026
The Coastal CARP is a program for coordinated public access enhancement designed as an iterative city-wide menu of mitigation projects. The City must develop the Coastal CARP’s projects and identify their location, and draft the program to include, at a minimum, the organized projects, implementation timelines, efficacy monitors, and potential funding mechanisms. May 2028 is the deadline to submit the initial program for Coastal Commission approval; however, staff anticipates submittal within 12 months of engaging a consultant. Once established, the City is required to submit Coastal Development Permits for projects that are being pursued and update the Coastal CARP through an LCP Amendment every ten years.
Once in effect, the SSRA policies will allow oceanfront public infrastructure and development inland of it to rely upon continued armoring (including replacement or augmented armoring) for an interim 20-year period while the City conducts additional detailed adaptation planning for the longer term. This means that existing and new development in Rockaway Beach and West Sharp Park may depend upon hard armoring structures for its safety, stability, and set-back requirements, including a future project at the City-owned 2212 beach Boulevard site.
Request for Council Direction
As the City begins its long-term shoreline adaptation planning, establishing positive, productive, and inclusive community engagement is essential to define community goals and priorities, consistent with General Plan and LUP policies4. To meet regulatory obligations and commitments, the City must actively work toward sunrising the SSRAs, including the initial stages of the SAP and development of the Coastal CARP. The ongoing adaptation and resilience planning for our coastline will ensure the City is positioned to protect coastal resources and infrastructure, pursue state and federal funding opportunities, and ensure the sustainability of our community’s public safety, economy, and environment.
As part of the approved FY25-26 budget, City Council committed $150,000 to initiate shoreline adaptation planning and community engagement, including both the Coastal CARP and SAP.
Additionally, staff anticipates applying for the Ocean Protection’s Council’s Senate Bill 1 Sea Level Rise Adaptation Planning Grant Funding for the planning stage, as well as funding available through California’s Climate Bond, Proposition 4. The Community Development Department is preparing to release a Request for Proposal5(RFP) for a consultant/team with coastal and community engagement expertise to develop community engagement strategies for shoreline adaptation planning, develop the necessary framework and requirements of the Coastal CARP and SAP programs, and activate the SSRAs over the next two to three years.
The scope will include, at a minimum, the following: development of a community engagement plan and initiation of community engagement, development of the Coastal CARP and framework for the SAP, identification of the required SAP technical studies and potential funding sources, and continuous collaboration with Coastal Commission staff.
In preparation for the RFP, the City Manager requests input from the City Council on ideas for how to make community engagement as effective as possible. In preparation for discussion and input, Councilmembers may wish to consider what has or hasn’t worked well in the past for coastal planning efforts or other significant projects, what Councilmembers have heard worked well in other agencies, how success in public engagement should be measured, and expectations about resources (staff/consultant time and costs) related to public engagement. It is anticipated that the first task for the consultant will be to develop a community engagement plan; the Council’s early input to help guide engagement plan development will make the RFP and consultant selection process smoother.
4 General Plan Policies: CO-G-19, CO-I-71, CO-I-72; LUP Policies: PR-I-81, PR-I-82 5 Anticipated RFP release in FY25-26 Q3
Pacifica City Council 4
January 26, 2026
Ad Hoc Committee:
The City Manager is also seeking input as to whether the Council wishes to appoint an ad hoc committee of two councilmembers to help guide the RFP and consultant selection process, and commencement of the public engagement process. Ad hoc committees must have a specifically designated scope/focus and are limited in duration. If the Council is interested in appointing an ad hoc council committee, a limited scope/focus and duration could consist of the following:
1. Provide input, ensuring alignment with Council priorities, on the community engagement guiding parameters to be included in the RFP;
2. Participate with staff in the interview process with the top proposal consultant teams;
3. Provide input into the selected consultant’s first task of developing the community engagement plan.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION:
This is a study session for Council to provide direction. No alternative action has been identified.
RELATION TO COUNCIL’S STRATEGIC GOALS:
Initiation of the SSRAs, including progress on adaptation planning, would help to fulfill the following Council strategic goals:
• Goal #2. Improve and steward City infrastructure, streets, and facilities • Goal #4. Pursue climate change adaptation and mitigation • Goal #5. Broaden public communications and collaboration FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no direct fiscal impact since upcoming work is already budgeted. Identifying further funding sources will be included in these future efforts.
ORIGINATED BY:
Community Development Department
ATTACHMENT LIST: