Coastal development
New Tsunami Maps Depict Extreme High-Water Mark
Submitted by jstephens on 10 March 2010 - 3:38pmCalifornia has a yet another seismic threat to prepare for, thanks to a set of new maps that depict a ferocious line of water that may, if earth moves in just the wrong way, someday surge inland along the state's coastline. Experts are saying that these new maps should be used to plan for emergency evacuations, not changes in land use planning. In at least one case, however, the Coastal Commission is already considering policies that would take tsunamis into account when approving developments.
Chula Vista Bayfront Land Swap Approved
Submitted by Paul Shigley on 9 February 2010 - 12:18pmCharacterized as “the last piece in the puzzle” for Chula Vista bayfront redevelopment, a land swap between the San Diego Unified Port District and developer Pacifica Holdings has been approved by the district and the City of Chula Vista.
Deferential Court Upholds Morro Bay Project Denial
Submitted by Paul Shigley on 11 January 2010 - 11:54amA state appellate court has upheld the California Coastal Commission’s denial of a development permit for a small mixed-use project in Morro Bay.
The court rejected developer Dan Reddell’s arguments that the commission violated his due process and equal protection rights, and that its decision was a regulatory taking of property. Instead, the Second District Court of Appeal ruled that substantial evidence supported the commission’s finding that Reddell’s project was inconsistent with Morro Bay’s local coastal plan (LCP).
State Lands Commission Issues Sea Level Rise Warning
Submitted by Paul Shigley on 29 December 2009 - 12:45pmAbout 475,000 residents, major sea ports and airports, thousands of miles of roads and rail lines, power plants and wastewater treatment facilities are at risk of flooding due to sea level rise, according to a new report from the State Lands Commission.
Lawsuit Over San Clemente Homes Reinstated
Submitted by Paul Shigley on 1 June 2009 - 8:40amOpponents of the proposed construction of two houses on a coastal bluff in San Clemente may pursue their lawsuit to overturn the California Coastal Commission’s approval of the projects, even though the suit was filed after a statute of limitations had ostensibly expired, the Fourth District Court of Appeal has ruled.
Beachfront House Bypasses Coastal Commission
Submitted by Paul Shigley on 2 February 2009 - 12:37pmA decision by the Coastal Commission not to intervene in a dispute between Malibu property owners was upheld by the Second District Court of Appeal. The court affirmed the Commission’s refusal to conduct a hearing on a proposed beachfront house that was approved by the City of Malibu but opposed by the next door neighbors. The court also found that a State Lands Commission failure to investigate the project’s potential impact on public tidelands was not enough to disturb the city’s approval.
Coastal Commission Fenced Out In Torrance
Submitted by Paul Shigley on 2 February 2009 - 12:28pmThe Coastal Commission has no jurisdiction over a fence at the base of a coastal bluff in Torrance because a 1988 boundary agreement among state entities and landowners authorized the fence, the Second District Court of Appeal ruled.
Landowner Loses Big Sur House Battle
Submitted by Paul Shigley on 2 February 2009 - 12:26pmIn the latest installment in a feud between neighboring Big Sur property owners, the Sixth District Court of Appeal ruled that the Coastal Commission did not make the proper findings for approving a house in an environmentally sensitive area.
Economic Woes May Capsize Ambitious Plan For Queen Mary
Submitted by Paul Shigley on 30 January 2009 - 11:22amAfter 76 years afloat, the RMS Queen Mary surely still draws stares from the cargo ship crews that call at the Port of Long Beach, where the Queen remains one of Southern California’s more incongruous tourist attractions. Having sailed the North Atlantic under the Cunard flag, the ship has, since 1968, served simultaneously as a hotel, museum, event venue, and elegant icon for an otherwise working-class Southern California port city.
Coastal Commission Jurisdiction Upheld After Landowner Delays Challenge
Submitted by Paul Shigley on 30 December 2008 - 10:39amA property owner cannot participate in a California Coastal Commission appeal process for years and then assert that the Commission was prohibited from considering the appeal because it missed a procedural deadline years earlier, the Second District Court of Appeal has ruled. The court rejected a Pacific Palisades landowner’s contention that the Commission had lost jurisdiction over an appeal of the landowner’s three-lot development because the Commission did not conduct a hearing within 49 days of receiving an appeal in 1999.
