Long-term planning for natural disasters such as wildfire, flooding, and sea level rise damage is not only a core commitment of the County of Marin, but it’s also mandated by California state law for counties along the Pacific Ocean. Although that work will continue, adding an environmental hazards section to the County’s Local Coastal Program (LCP) – a guiding document for ocean and Tomales Bay communities – is on hold.
On May 5, the Marin County Planning Commission agreed with a recommendation to suspend work on the hazards section of the LCP following concerns raised by the California Coastal Commission.
Marin’s LCP, which dates back more than 40 years, helps the County manage conservation, beach access and development in West Marin’s coastal zone. It applies to communities such as Muir Beach, Stinson Beach, and Bolinas in the southern part of Marin’s Pacific Coast; and Olema, Point Reyes Station, Inverness, Marshall, Tomales, Dillon Beach, and the surrounding area on the northern section of the coast. Those living on federal property – notably the Point Reyes National Seashore and the Golden Gate National Recreation Area – are not subject to LCP regulations.
The LCP’s two parts are the Land Use Plan (LUP), which states broad goals and policies for the coastal zone and its unique communities and the much more detailed Coastal Zoning Code that sets standards for development within the zone. Additionally, there are updated maps, appendices, and information related to Coastal Exclusions.
The Marin County Community Development Agency (CDA) had proposed amendments to the LCP that would remove regulatory impediments preventing property owners from raising their homes and buildings to avoid flooding, while still complying with federal flood insurance requirements. However, Coastal Commission staff expressed reservations about Marin’s proposals because piers used to raise buildings and improve structural foundations – called coastal armoring – are only allowed for structures that were in place as of 1977, the year the California Coastal Act was enacted.
CDA Deputy Director Jeremy Tejirian told the Planning Commission on May 5 that County staff “went back and forth a number of times with the Coastal Commission, and at this point in time we feel it’s probably best to suspend work on the hazards sections,” Tejirian said. “It does not seem like there’s a feasible path forward with the scope of analysis that we had anticipated. … We really have tried to make things better, but I’m concerned this could make things worse.”
Tejirian cited a difference of opinion between the County and the Coastal Commission in the methodology that would give residents in coastal flood zones the authority to raise their homes. County standards for home raising are quite different from the stricter Coastal Commission standards.
CDA has worked on updating environmental hazards language that were absent from the Local Coastal Plan amendments approved by the Board of Supervisors in 2018. Staff proposed the hazard amendments, especially in regard to sea level rise, that were designed to fall in line with Coastal Commission policy and the desires of the coastal communities and the Board of Supervisors. Three community organizations sent CDA letters of support for its decision to halt the work. The Planning Commission agreed with the recommendation to suspend the current work on coastal hazards policies.
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