PISMO BEACH CITY COUNCIL STAFF REPORT
Agenda Item #12.A
Meeting Date: May 21, 2024
TITLE:
General Plan / Local Coastal Program (LCP) Status Update RECOMMENDATION:
Receive a report on the status of the General Plan/Local Coastal Program Update and provide direction on the proposed method of moving the Update forward.
BACKGROUND:
In 2018, with grant funding from the California Coastal Commission (CCC), the City started the General Plan/Local Coastal Program (GP/LCP) Update project to update the 1992 General Plan and LCP Coastal Land Use Plan as well as update the City’s 1983 and 1998 Zoning Codes into a combined Zoning Code / Implementation Plan (IP). The City has received $1,058,643 in grant funding from the CCC and the State Department of Housing and Community Development to support the Update.
The goal of the project is to update the GP/LCP to reflect the current physical, regulatory, and policy environment. This includes incorporating the latest planning trends and studies related to Sea Level Rise and Lower Cost Visitor Serving Accommodations. The GP/LCP is intended to be a modern user-friendly document to guide physical development and conservation of resources for the next 20 years. Major revisions to the GP/LCP include updating required elements including the Land Use Element, Noise Element, Conservation and Open Space Element, Safety Element, and the Circulation Element.
Other major revisions include combining certain optional elements from the 1992 GP/LCP into other required elements. For example, the Design Element is proposed to be eliminated and combined into the Land Use Element. The Facilities Element is proposed to be eliminated and incorporated into both the Land Use and Conservation and Open Space Elements. The Growth Management Element is proposed to be eliminated due to conflicts with state housing laws. The Parks, Recreation, and Access Element was originally proposed to remain unchanged, however, should Council concur with staff’s recommendation for moving the Update forward, revision of the coastal access component of this Element will be necessary.
Between 2018–2023, numerous community workshops, study sessions, public meetings and hearings were held resulting in a final draft of the updated GP/LCP Land Use Plan and Environmental Impact Report (EIR), which was reviewed by the Planning Commission and recommended for approval to the City Council in August 2023. In addition, a draft of the updated Zoning Code/IP was prepared and in October 2023; the City Council held a joint meeting with the Planning Commission to review revisions to the updated Zoning Code.
The City has experienced delays in moving the GP/LCP update process forward since the August 2023 Planning Commission meeting due to staff turnover and public concern expressed over revisions to the bluff armoring policies in the draft Safety Element. After Council Agenda 5-21-2024 12.A-1
the August 2023 Planning Commission hearing, the City experienced turnover at key positions in the planning department (Director, Planning Manager, and Administrative Secretary). The City also received input both before and after the August 2023 Planning Commission hearing from community stakeholders expressing concern related to the draft GP/LCP hazards policies found in Safety Element. Stakeholder concerns are varied, but largely focused on new policy language suggested by CCC staff that would limit the ability of residents, business owners, and possibly the City to protect properties/improvements along the bluff areas in the city. More specifically, it is the position of the stakeholder group that the new policy language would, among other things, make the repair of existing seawalls and the use of new hard armoring solutions more difficult. Some members of this same stakeholder group attended the March 5, 2024, City Council meeting, and under general public comment expressed similar apprehension with the draft policy language found in the Safety Element.
During the February 16, 2024, goal-setting meeting, the Council directed staff to obtain additional information related to bluff and hazard policies as part of the LCP update.
Discussion
Since the February 16, 2024 Council goal-setting meeting, staff has met with CCC staff twice to develop an approach to move the GP/LCP Update forward while also removing the Safety Element, allowing the City to revisit and revise the draft Hazard policies that are of concern to the stakeholder group. The concept discussed with CCC staff for revision of the Hazard policies would include a more comprehensive neighborhood specific approach to dealing with climate change, sea level rise, habitat and resource protection, and bluff erosion. In addition, CCC staff encouraged City staff to apply for additional state LCP grant funding to assist with preparation of the environmental studies and subsequent development of new neighborhood-based policies to further the LCP Update.
Focusing on a neighborhood approach to coastal hazards planning presents numerous benefits and opportunities to the City. First, separating out the Safety Element allows the City to move forward with a majority of the Update now while also working with concerned community members on revision of the draft hazards policies. In addition, the new LCP will contain one comprehensive zoning ordinance that will be consistent with the General Plan and be more user-friendly for residents, business owners, and staff.
Second, the suggestion by CCC staff inviting the City to apply for additional grant funding will allow the City to pursue a comprehensive approach to hazards planning. This tailored neighborhood-based approach could include evaluation of the condition of existing seawalls and allow a comparative analysis of coastal erosion issues along the City’s entire coastline. A variety of data will be collected as part of this effort, including geographic information system mapping, identification and location of seawalls, bluff-top structures, infrastructure, public access improvements, flood mapping, sea level rise predictions, soils and geotechnical data, and beach and bluff imagery.
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Furthermore, this type of neighborhood-scale adaptation planning is consistent with the approach put forth by the Local Government Working Group (LGWG) which has also allowed City stakeholders to work with CCC regarding challenges related to updating LCPs to address sea level rise. Neighborhood-scale adaptation planning refers to an approach of identifying and developing adaptation strategies that are specific to defined areas with shared characteristics and developing LCP policies to support and implement that approach. This method would be especially useful to Pismo Beach where portions of the City’s coastline are developed with hotels, and residential development along with associated infrastructure including critical roads and utilities. Additionally, a more comprehensive adaptation solution will foster policies that better protect coastal resources including beaches, wetlands, and environmentally sensitive habitat while also enhancing and preserving recreation and public access opportunities. The neighborhood- scale approach is beneficial in that it also allows for proactively identifying specific, preferred adaptation strategy options for each neighborhood area. Some strategies might include beach nourishment, dune creation/restoration, adaptive retreat and seawall development all prioritized based on neighborhood characteristics. In addition, it avoids the application of more generic policies favored by the CCC in the past and instead aims to consider and incorporate local circumstances and local preference. This approach would be consistent with the evolving principles of adaptation planning in the state and is consistent with the conversations City staff have had with CCC staff since February 2024.
Lastly, pulling out the Safety Element policies to work with the CCC on a comprehensive strategy for the City to address short- and long-term coastal adaptation planning needs, will hopefully provide more certainty in the process and improve communication to property-owners, the Coastal Commission, and the public. This process will require an update of some of the studies that were performed as part of the vulnerability assessment in order to develop a suite of adaption strategies that address both short- and long-term needs within the City and when paired with establishment of triggers or thresholds would be incorporated into the updated Safety Element. Such an approach will provide more local control over the permitting process because the policy update would be neighborhood-specific rather than a broad application of coastal policies not reflective of circumstances specific to the City.
Next Steps
With Coastal Commission staff support of the City’s planned approach to completing the GP/LCP update (Attachment 1), staff is currently working through the following process:
Meeting with consultants to conduct an internal review of overall policies in the draft GP/LCP as well as the draft Zoning Code to ensure the update can proceed without policy conflicts. Identifying what updating the project description and applicable sections of the Draft Environmental Impact Report would entail. Developing a scope of work for a grant application to the Coastal Commission that identifies the studies that would be necessary to complete a comprehensive evaluation of the City’s shoreline and determine appropriate adaptation strategies, triggers, and thresholds appropriate to each neighborhood area.
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Review seawall mapping data provided by CCC staff to assist with identifying baseline information.
Revised Timeline For Completing Update
1. Remove Safety Element from GP/LCP update and move remainder of the draft GP/LCP document forward for adoption: First quarter of 2025
2. Revise Safety Element Hazard policies to reflect neighborhood adaption strategy approach: 12 to 18 months
3. Zoning Code approval, exclusive of Hazards-related requirements: First quarter of 2025
Conclusion and Recommendation
Staff recommends that the City Council review the status of the GP/LCP Update and provide direction on the proposed method of moving the Update forward.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no fiscal impact from staff’s recommended action. Any fiscal impacts associated with future actions relating to the GP/LCP update, such as the appropriation of future grant revenues, will be analyzed at the time they are brought to the Council for consideration.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. May 10, 2024 support letter from California Coastal Commission Prepared by:
Cindy Jacinth, Planning Manager
Submitted by: Scot Graham, Community Development Director City Manager Approval:
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STATE OF CALIFORNIA - NATURAL RESOURCES AGENCY GAVIN NEWSOM, G OVERNOR
CALIFORNIA COASTAL COMMISSION
CENTRAL COAST DISTRICT OFFICE
725 FRONT STREET, SUITE 300
SANTA CRUZ, CA 95060-4508
VOICE (831) 427-4863
May 10, 2024
City of Pismo Beach City Council
760 Mattie Road
Pismo Beach, CA 93449
Subject: City of Pismo Beach LCP Update on the May 21, 2024 City Council Agenda
Dear Mayor Waage and Honorable Councilmembers:
Commission staff is writing in support of City staff’s proposal to separate the Safety Element from the rest of the General Plan/Local Coastal Program update. We agree that this process makes sense, including as it will allow for a little extra time to delve into the complex coastal hazards issues along the City’s shoreline while also ensuring the rest of the LCP can move forward, including as it addresses other critical issues in the City such as housing, public recreational access, and lower-cost overnight accommodations. We look forward to the ongoing collaboration and effective communication with the City through the LCP update process.
Sincerely,
Sarah MacGregor
Coastal Planner
Central Coast District Office
Cc: Scot Graham
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Attachment 1