Yesterday, August 12, 2021, the California Coastal Commission (Coastal Commission) received an informational update on Marin County’s fraught LCP update process. Last month, the Marin County Board of Supervisors finalized their Local Coastal Program (LCP) update and retained 40-year old land-use policies to inform development in hazardous areas in the face of the climate crisis. The finalized LCP went into effect August 12, 2021.
In the Face of a Changing Climate, Marin Sups Finalize LCP and Keep 1980s Flood and Fire Policies
Point Reyes Station, CA (July 14, 2021) - Yesterday, the Marin County Board of Supervisors (Board) voted to finalize their Local Coastal Program (LCP) update and retain 40-year old policies to inform land-use and development for environmental hazards. The finalized LCP will go into effect 30-days from the Board’s decision, on August 13, 2021. The Environmental Action Committee (EAC) – a grassroots local environmental organization working to protect the unique lands, waters, and biodiversity of coastal Marin – has been advocating to the County for 13-years to comprehensively update their LCP including environmental hazards policies, which has only become more urgent in the face of the mounting climate crisis.
EAC and the Surfrider Foundation submitted comments to the Board in advance of the meeting asking for the County to complete the missing hazards chapter before finalizing the LCP with concerns that the incomplete plan will result in inconsistencies, set a negative precedent in the state for other jurisdictions to ignore planning for the impacts of the climate crisis, and that the implementation of the LCP required more time for public education and outreach.
Marin LCP Heading to the Coastal Commission
At the December 11th hearing, the Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to move the LCP amendments forward to the Coastal Commission. The amendments will likely be before the Coastal Commission in February 2019 at the North Central meeting when EAC will likely raise additional concerns to the Commission.
The Planning Commission Moves Marin’s LCP Forward
On October 11th, the Marin County Planning Commission (Planning Commission) considered proposed amendments and modifications to the Local Coastal Program (LCP), specifically Amendments Nos. 3 (Implementation Plan related to agriculture) and 7 (remaining Implementation Plan sections), Land Use Policy C-PK-3 and related LCP map changes. In advance of the hearing, EAC submitted written comments highlighting our concerns with the County’s proposed language modifications.