Concerned that rising seas could someday inundate their homes, West Marin residents who live on shorelines have grown weary of the county’s effort to update the hazards section of Marin’s coastal development rules. But even if their patience has long grown thin, they will need to muster more of it.
California Coastal Commission staff have raised a host of questions about the county’s latest proposed amendments to Marin County’s Local Coastal Program, which were designed to make it easier for residents in Bolinas, Marshall and Stinson Beach to protect homes from encroaching waters.
In a Feb. 28 letter, a staffer at the commission, which must certify policy alterations, questioned several changes at the heart of the update. Among them were provisions that would allow most homeowners to raise their waterfront dwellings by up to five feet and reinforce decaying seawalls and other bulkheads.
The letter was written by Oceane Ringuette, supervisor of the coastal commission’s north central coast district. At a meeting on Monday, Marin County Planning Commissioners began wrestling with how to respond to her concerns.
Current coastal commission regulations tightly restrict any renovations of bulkheads and limit significant renovations to homes built after 1976, when the California Coastal Act was enacted. The county has proposed that such approvals be granted to some homes built after that date.
In her letter, Ms. Ringuette advocated for the state’s restrictive approach, including a requirement that homeowners consider “nature-based adaptations” such as installing sand dunes instead of retaining walls or other hard armoring.
Residents who spoke at Monday’s meeting praised the Community Development Agency’s latest draft plan, released early last month. County staff had revised the draft to reflect extensive public input.
George Clyde, who owns a home on the east shore of Tomales Bay, shared an aerial picture of Marshall homes located on the narrow stretch of land between Highway 1 and the water, most of them standing on stilts and connected to piers.
“The amendments proposed by the C.D.A. in their February draft take a sensible and constructive approach to allowing use and maintenance of our homes and protecting the highway,” he said. “They would allow us to rebuild foundations, to make seismic upgrades and elevate the buildings when necessary.”
Residents urged the county to stand its ground and make its case directly to coastal commissioners, who can override the recommendations of their staff.
County staff planned to meet with coastal commission staff this week to discuss their concerns and try to iron out the disagreements. After receiving an update, the Planning Commission will hold a public workshop in May to consider further modifications. After that, the Board of Supervisors will consider the commissioners’ recommendations before sending a final package of amendments to the coastal commission.
The coastal hazards chapter of Marin’s L.C.P. was written in 1982, long before climate change altered calculations about environmental risks along the coast. The drafting of amendments for Marin has been a protracted and contentious process. The other sections of the L.C.P. were updated in 2021.