Update and Council feedback on coastal climate adaptation planning

In plain English

City staff are giving the Council a progress report on Resilient Coast Santa Cruz 2.0, a grant-funded planning effort to write Shoreline Adaptation and Management Plans for three stretches of coast: West Cliff, Main/Cowell Beaches, and Seabright/East Cliff. Staff have drafted a proposed 30-year ("medium-term") adaptation strategy for each area made up of 40 specific projects designed for 1.6 feet of sea level rise by 2060, ranging from dune and native plant restoration to shoreline armoring, moving part of West Cliff Drive into Lighthouse Field, and floodproofing buildings along Beach Street and in Beach Flats. A yes vote accepts the update and gives staff feedback; it does not approve any project. Final recommendations are scheduled to come back to Council in 2027, with the next Council touchpoint in February.

The plans will decide which parts of West Cliff, the main beaches, and Seabright/East Cliff get protected, rebuilt, moved back, or floodproofed over the next 20 to 30 years, affecting nearby homes, businesses, roads, beach access and surf spots in Districts 2, 3, 4, and 6.

Key facts

The three plan areas are West Cliff, Main/Cowell Beaches, and Seabright/East Cliff, in Districts 2, 3, 4, and 6.
The proposed medium-term strategies include 40 explicit projects in four categories: nature-based solutions, infrastructure such as shoreline armoring, relocation, and accommodation such as floodproofing.
Projects are designed for the City's 2060 benchmark of 1.6 ft of sea level rise — a value between the state's Intermediate-High (1.4 ft) and High (1.9 ft) scenarios.
Engagement so far: two community conversations with over 150 participants, three advisory committee meetings, seven focus groups, and a Sustainability and Resiliency Committee meeting; 88% of participants who completed a worksheet said the project was going in the right direction.
Work is paid for by an Ocean Protection Council SB 1 grant plus in-kind staff labor, with no General Fund impact and no budget adjustment. A funding and financing study is due in December and public opinion polling runs November through early January.

Reasons to support

The plans are required to show compliance with Senate Bill 272, which directs local governments to plan for sea level rise using best available science, and they carry out mitigation actions in the City's adopted 2025-2030 Local Hazard Mitigation and Climate Adaptation Plan.
Staff say acting proactively avoids growing risks to public safety, recreation and access, habitat, utilities, and homes and businesses; a Coastal Infrastructure Funding and Financing Study will estimate the cost of doing nothing and propose a way to pay for the work.
Outreach included Spanish-language and BIPOC focus groups, Seabright and West Cliff residents, surfers and coastal users, businesses, and the Homeless Garden Project, with stipends, food and translation offered, and a statistically valid public opinion poll planned to check whether the feedback reflects most residents.

Reasons to oppose or change it

Staff report "central tensions" within each proposed strategy and equity concerns raised in engagement: who gets protected, who can still use the coast, who bears disruption now versus who gains later, and who can cope with the next storm.
Specific proposals will be contentious for the people nearest them — relocating part of West Cliff Drive into Lighthouse Field, new or repaired shoreline armoring, and floodproofing buildings on Beach Street and in Beach Flats all mean changes to particular streets, businesses and homes.
Costs are still unknown: capital and operating costs, project sequencing and triggers, and funding options are not finished, so Council is being asked to react to a strategy before the price and the way it would be paid for are on the table.
The plans are built around 1.6 ft of sea level rise by 2060, below the state's High scenario of 1.9 ft that the report says should be considered for critical infrastructure and high-consequence assets.

Official wording

Resilient Coast Santa Cruz 2.0 Update (CM) LOCATION: Districts 2, 3, 4, and 6 Receive, accept, and provide feedback on the project update including medium term coastal adaptation strategy development status, community engagement to date, and timeline to project completion.

Official agenda

Summary written by claude-opus-5 from the agenda and the Staff report (agenda packet, pages 373-394). It can contain mistakes. The official documents govern.